Courtney McGrailWhile most viewing was ‘fascinating’, Brendan O’Regan was left feeling that “if there was a conspiracy to bash the Church and traditional values things could hardly turn out much differently”
Month: December 2015
Desperate efforts of a teacher to keep her house
Aubrey MaloneThe Lesson (15A)
Community volunteers should be appreciated more
An Offaly student shares her experience of completing the Pope John Paul II Gold Award
Red meat is nutritious in moderation
Cathal BarryThe news that global health experts had warned that bacon, ham and sausages were as big a cancer threat as cigarettes gripped the nation recently. The furore arose after the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report on the dangers of eating processed meats. It was reported that the International Agency for Research on Cancer…
Faith in the Family
Bairbre CahillHave you ever been in a room where the buzz of conversation grows louder and stronger and you can feel the energy in the room rise? In my work as a facilitator that is something I regularly get to be a part of. The Irish word for a facilitator is éascaitheoir – one who makes…
Celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life in Drumlish
Mags GarganIn this Year of Consecrated Life the parish of Drumlish/Ballinamuck in Co. Longford responded to Pope Francis’ call to ‘Wake up the World’ by arranging a special celebration to honour the priests and religious who were natives of the parish. Organisers said it was relatively easy to put on paper the names and photos of…
Modern pressures on the traditional family
William RevilleMost people would agree that the family is the most important and fundamental unit in society. The traditional family based on marriage is coming under severe pressure and an increasing number of alternative family models now exist. There is considerable evidence that the traditional family offers the best environment in which to rear children, despite…
Mrs McAleese is not a bridge builder for the Church
Dear Editor, I read with interest Martin O’Brien’s interview with Mary McAleese in your November 12 edition. He was high in his praise and admiration of her. We all admired her many good qualities, her courage and determination, her intelligence, her eloquence and not least her commitment to build peace between the two communities she had such…
Combining two dimensions of Christ’s ministry is difficult
Dear Editor, In the course of the interview with Mary McAleese ‘There’s something about Mary’ (IC 12/11/2015) she stated “My views are founded emphatically in the Gospel”, before going on to explain in beautiful language that her faith in Christ is “the essence of my being”, “the love of Christ, his offer of mercy to…
Highlighting difference between catechetics and religious studies
Dear Editor, Re Cathal Barry’s article ‘Taking Pope Francis to the classroom’ (IC 19/11/2015), the lesson itself as described was significantly successful in most aspects. A lesson on the environment and contemporary issues was conducted in the context of Catholic values. Under this approach the issue/subject at hand is explored without violence to its innate…