Month: January 2019

Heart-breaking funeral for hero Dawn

The funeral for the hero-teacher who saved a young girl’s life was “heart-breaking” according to a priest and family friend who said she had inspired her pupils with an enthusiasm to help the homeless. The funeral Mass of Dawn Croke took place on Monday and was celebrated by Fr Pat Ward in Dungloe, Co. Donegal.…

Controversial priest criticised over abortion stance

A Jesuit philosopher has criticised the founder of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) for voting in favour of abortion. Referring to a recent blog post by Fr Tony Flannery in which he looked back to the referendum and referred to his own ‘Yes’ vote, Prof. Kevin O’Higgins SJ said on Twitter: “How a Catholic…

Oxford supports academic accused of ‘transphobia’

Oxford University is standing by an emeritus law professor after more than 400 people have signed a petition last week calling for his removal from the university. Petition organisers say the professor holds discriminatory views about homosexuality and transgenderism. “John Finnis, Professor at Oxford’s Law Faculty, has a long record of extremely discriminatory views against…

Promoting mission in a changed Ireland

Personal Profile Chai Brady discovers more about the new director of the Missionary Society of St Columban   Navigating an increasingly secular Ireland continues to be a challenge for the new director of the Missionary Society of St Columban, who says in some ways he’s still adjusting after decades spent in the hyper-Catholic Philippines. Despite…

Celebrating and reflecting on Catholic ethos

A significant milestone was marked in Belfast on Friday January 4 with a celebration to mark the 30th edition of the Le Chéile journal. Published by St Mary’s University College, Belfast the journal seeks to celebrate and promote the values and work of Catholic education across the North. Rev. Dr Niall Coll, Managing Editor of Le…

Learning to agree before we can disagree

Everyday Philosophy   On discovering that I study philosophy, scientists (or people who think of themselves as having scientific leanings) often ask passive-aggressive questions about philosophy’s progress. “If science can tell us the age of the universe and give us a pretty good idea of how species evolved on earth, why can’t philosophy come up…