Holy Orders is the sacrament of apostolic ministry, writes Cathal Barry Holy Orders is the sacrament through which the mission entrusted by Christ to his apostles continues to be exercised in the Church until the end of time, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. As such, the Church teaches that “it is the…
Dear Editor, I agree with Fr John McCallion’s criticism of Mary Kenny’s “canonisation” of the now ex-TD Jimmy Deenihan (IC Letters 17/03/2016). How can anyone in conscience vote for those who supported the legislation of abortion here? Thankfully, the electorate did not support the legislation with the loss of seats for 43 of those who voted…
Bad Queen Bess: Libels, Secret Histories, and the Politics of Publicity in the Reign of Elizabeth I by Peter Lake (Oxford University Press, £35.00) It is often remarked that in modern Britain all that children learn of history are the Tudors and the Nazis. This is meagre diet, but there are universal truths to be learned…
We must remember, “our bodies, yours and mine, at the final judgement, will be raised from the dead and reunited with our souls”, writes Andrew O’Connell The Paschal Triduum, culminating in the Exsultet at the Easter Vigil, is a beautiful and profound spiritual experience. At its heart is the stunning reality of the Resurrection of…
It’s said that April showers bring May flowers. April showers also mean spending less time outdoors in the fresh spring air and more time indoors. A bit of rain can ruin a whole day out, but instead of letting it dampen your spirits, seize the opportunity to get creative indoors. Create your own colourful rain…
Dear Editor, Cathal Barry in your edition of March 3 is clearly hoping that Fianna Fáil forms the next government because he feels the majority of that party is not in favour of amending the Eighth Amendment. He also quotes Dr Ruth Cullen of the Pro-Life Campaign as having the same opinion. I would not be too sure.…
Dear Editor, It seems from Nuala O’Loan’s article The View (IC 17/03/2016) that the highly qualified and distinguished Commission for the Protection of Minors is being strangled in the way other benevolent bodies are, by having to get funding from the very people of whom they may be most critical. Slow strangulation by poverty or the…
Dear Editor, I am concerned to learn from the paper (IC 10&17/03/2016) that Tusla, the Government’s new Child & Family Agency, is putting pressure on the Boyle Family Life Centre (FLC) to abandon its Catholic ethos. The Boyle FLC may not be the only one amongst some 600 such centres largely financed from Catholic parishes…
I told Seán that he is the best hurler in the county the other day. When you live on the Isle of Wight, you can make such bold statements, safe in the knowledge that Seán and I are perhaps the only hurlers in this particular English county. There is a GAA club across the water…
A particularly early print deadline recently meant the number of hours’ sleep this columnist got the night previous fell well shy of the recommended amount. The amount of sleep needed to function the next day varies from person to person. While the average adult needs about eight hours of sleep each night, some people need…
Cathal Barry
Courtney McGrail
Peter Costello
Erin Fox