Courtney McGrailA historical crucifix from the Redemptorist Church, Mount St Alphonsus, Limerick, which was seriously damaged in a vandal attack will be set back in place by Christmas, the man tasked with its repair has vowed. According to reports, the cross was targeted by a man who entered the Redemptorist Church last week and set about…
Month: November 2016
Why dark nights of the soul?
Fr Ronald RolheiserAtheism is a parasite that feeds on bad religion. That’s why, in the end, atheistic critics are our friends. They hold our feet to the fire. Friedrich Nietzsche, Ludwig Feuerbach and Karl Marx, for example, submit that all religious experience is ultimately psychological projection. For them, the God we believe in and who undergirds our…
Building a domestic Church
Maria ByrneSince early childhood, I always associated November and its darker days with the Holy Souls in Purgatory. My parents put a lot of emphasis on praying for the dead with specific mention of loved ones who’d passed on to the next life. While they carefully explained the finer points of how to gain indulgences, I…
A time for reflection and preparation
Paul GarganIt’s not long till December, which in the garden is never a busy month – rather, it is a time to reflect and plan. Reflect on the successes of the last year and plan for the coming year. If something in your garden is not working, now is the time to change it. This is…
Plaintive tug-of-love drama exudes power
Aubrey MaloneThe Light Between Oceans (12A)
Shrill laments welcome ‘political earthquake’ in US
On his Today With Seán O’Rourke show (RTÉ Radio 1) Wednesday morning of last week the presenter described it as a ‘political earthquake’, and words like ‘extraordinary’ and ‘revolution’ were scattered about liberally. A restless sleep Tuesday night of last week saw me checking intermittently on developments in the US election so I could gradually…
Nuncio pledges to reach out to dissenting priests
Paul KeenanThe Pope’s representative in Ireland has pledged to do all he can to help re-integrate priests who have been disciplined by the Church for promoting views contrary to Catholic teaching. Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown also said that Irish Catholics had to face up to the reality that parishes will increasingly be staffed by non-Irish…
Govt ‘failure to act in common good’ leads to strike threats
John Reid Threatened industrial action by public sector workers is a result of the Government’s inability to make decisions based on the common good, a leading economist has warned. Prof. Ray Kinsella told The Irish Catholic that politicians need to “finally stop making policy based on political expediency, taking account only of the needs of…
Regulate crisis pregnancy advisers, PLC urges
Greg DalyThe Pro Life Campaign has called for Government plans for the regulation of independent crisis pregnancy support agencies to be consistently applied. Health Minister Simon Harris has backed a draft law issued by Labour leader Brendan Howlin intended to prevent pregnancy advisers from giving false information to distressed women. If passed, this would be the…
Nuncio reveals happiest days of priesthood in in-depth interview
Staff reporter Papal Nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown has revealed that the happiest years of his priesthood were spent working with young Irish immigrants in New York in the 1980s. In an in-depth interview with veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne due to be broadcast by RTÉ on Sunday night, Archbishop Brown also discusses how his call to…