Joy (12A) A few short years ago, Jennifer Lawrence was just another ‘wannabe’. Today, she’s one of Hollywood’s most high-profile (and sought-after) stars. How has she essayed such a seismic shift so suddenly, going from jobbing actress to prestigious A-lister? She isn’t quite sure herself. “It’s a bit like a job promotion,” she says. “You…
‘Despite all the talk of diverse views… there wasn’t much diversity’, writes Brendan O’Regan After a feast of music and drama over the holiday period it‘s back to troubling current affairs. The Big Questions returned to BBC 1 last Sunday morning. The audience discussed the new trend of free speech being stifled on college campuses.…
The Four Gospels: Following in the Footsteps of Jesus by Maurice Hogan SSC (Veritas, €14.99) This interesting book on the four Gospels seems to have grown directly out of the author’s own experiences. Fr Maurice Hogan is a Columban Father. After he was ordained, back in 1965, he went out to the Far East, working…
Padre Pio of Pietrelcina: a brief biography by Fr Francesco Napolitano (Columba Press, €14.99) Padre Pio was canonised by Pope John Paul II on June 16, 2002, to the great delight of his many devotees around the world, especially here in Ireland. Francesco Forgione, the new saint, was born in the village of Pietrelcina, near…
The ghosts of Lafcadio Hearn The Little Museum of Dublin has been running an exhibition devoted to Lafcadio Hearn, “the writer on Japan”, as the reference books once used to say. The revival of interest in Hearn in Ireland has been due to the enthusiasm of former ambassador Paul Murray, who through his biography of…
“If the Pope’s messages sounded bleak, it is because he cares at a deeply personal level about people who suffer”, writes Andrew O’Connell A perceptive article about Pope Francis appeared in the Economist magazine last week. It noted the downbeat tone of some of the Holy Father’s addresses during the lead-in to the festive season,…
Tidings of Comfort and Joy: A Christmas Feast of Faith and Fun by Pam Rhodes (Hodder & Stoughton, £14.99) Pam Rhodes will be familiar to many as the presenter of that ever popular BBC offering Songs of Praise. This selection of hymns, poems and thoughts was intended for Christmas, but then Christmas is not just…
Cathal Barry and Mags Gargan ‘Brain drain’ threatening many parishes The Government has been accused of neglecting rural Ireland to such an extent that many people see no hope for the future, priests at the coalface have told The Irish Catholic. Clare-based Fr Harry Bohan said rural communities “have been so badly neglected that it is nearly impossible to…
Systematic religious cleansing of Christians is widespread across Africa and the Middle East, according to a new report published this week. The Open Doors 2016 World Watch List reveals that every year well over 100 million Christians are persecuted because of their beliefs. North Korea remains the most dangerous place on Earth to be a…
Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, plays soccer with boys while visiting Gaza City. The bishop was part of a delegation from North America, Europe and South Africa (Photo: CNS).
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
Greg Daly