Month: March 2018

Mirrors of Christ

Padre Pio was far from the only saint to have borne stigmata, writes Greg Daly   “God,” Pope Francis reminds us in Amoris Laetitia, “allows parents to choose the name by which he himself will call their child for all eternity.” For all that we think of St Pio of Pietrelcina by his religious name…

Padre Pio: the Irish connections

Irish links to the famous Capuchin date back to the 1920s, writes Colm Keane   To the Irish setting out for San Giovanni Rotondo in the 1950s, it must have felt like the ultimate pilgrimage. They first travelled long journeys by air in old prop planes. They then wound their way by slow trains and…

Bishop urges abuse survivors to step forward

The Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin has encouraged abuse survivors to come forward after confirming the late Fr Malachy Finegan ministered in the diocese for three years. Bishop Denis Nulty said in his St Patrick’s Day homily that his concern “is that someone may be suffering in silence” after acknowledging the notorious child abuser Fr…

Family saved 
by a saint

Did Padre Pio’s intercession save a 
family of seven, asks 
Chai Brady   In a near-death experience a holidaying Irish family of seven crashed onto a motorway after losing control of their car in the US. Tumbling down an embankment after swerving to avoid another motorist, Cavan man Martin McBreen said the accident could have…

I’m speechless! The lessons of enforced silence

I opened my mouth to speak, last weekend, and what emerged sounded like the strangled bleatings of an afflicted ewe. By Monday I was entirely speechless, my voice chords silenced by a nasty attack of laryngitis.  Whispering and written messages were the only replacements. People were understanding when I signalled “I’ve lost my voice” –…

A saint of our time

Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with the director of an Irish St Pio charity   With devotion to Padre Pio still continuing to grow, one woman is providing an opportunity for people globally to learn more about the incredible work of this modern saint. Eileen McGuire, who is the director of the Irish Office of St Pio…

The secret of loyal opposition

The View   The role of the loyal critic is a vital one in the Church. Many times in its history, the Church has lost its way and been recalled to it through the action of the Holy Spirit working through women and men. President emeritus Mary McAleese clearly sees herself as part of that…