Month: June 2017

New movement to promote evangelisation

A new lay-led initiative is aiming to put a structure for evangelisation in place in Ireland, modelled on a successful movement in the States. A mission team from FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) has been invited to Ireland as part of The Summit ’17, which takes place at Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin…

A primary school choir from Co. Down has narrowly lost getting to the fi nal of Britain’s Got Talent. St Patrick’s Junior Choir from Drumgreenagh outside Rathfriland, had impressed the judges with their rendition of Katy Perry’s Roar during Monday’s semi-final. “You sounded amazing,” said head judge Simon Cowell. “I love your personalities individually and…

Blasphemy is not about insults, but bullying

Dear Editor, I believe your paper’s coverage of the blasphemy question – most recently in your Book Editor’s comments – misses the point (IC 25/05/2017). Blasphemy is not about passing comments on God, or the beliefs people hold about God; these are already explicitly allowed for in our Constitution and the law itself. Rather blasphemy…

Going on, ahead…

“I go on ahead to prepare a place for you!” Jesus speaks those words to his disciples on the eve of his death as he sits at table with them and senses their sadness as they grapple with his dying, his going away. His words are meant to console them and give them the assurance…

Aiding with Aging

Sr Mary Threadgold RSC Sr Mary Threadgold RSC explores ways of coping with the challenges in later life As a child, the love of my life was my grandfather. From infancy, along with my father and brother, I had lived with extended family which included grandparents, uncles and an aunt. My mother had died shortly…

An octopus friend for a seaside trip

The summer holidays are nearly here which means days spent at the beach scavenging for buried treasure and sea creatures such as octopus, whales, dolphins and seahorses. If only we were so lucky to find such majestic animals on Irish beaches. But you might just spot seals, dolphins and even basking shark in certain parts…

At times of crisis, give children hope

A Parent’s Perspective Last week my family and I attended the fifth session of the annual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Every week, there’s a different guest speaker and, on this evening, it was Kathleen Chada, the mother of Eoghan and Ruairi Chada, whose husband received two life sentences for the murder of…

Dad’s Diary

After the Manchester terror attack, our screens had an endless loop of images of panic, followed by heartrending images of parents frantically searching for their children. Some will never see them again. Even though some of the children killed are a similar age to ours, our children have no idea the attack happened. We are…