The sky is a deeper blue than before the pandemic. It is no longer being washed pale by so many aircraft contrails. In Cork, we are on the flightpath from London to New York, so the effect is particularly pronounced. The silence is deeper too, as there are fewer cars and trucks rumbling about. People…
While the coronavirus means we can’t travel, we can still be transported to the heart of the faith writes Ruadhán Jones The practice of making pilgrimage has a long history in the Church, reaching back to the 4th Century. Christians would travel to the sites of Christ’s life, or to the graves of martyrs…
Pastoral Ministry in Changing Times: The Past, Present & Future of the Catholic Church in Ireland by Aidan Ryan (Messenger Publications, €12.95) Aidan Ryan has been occupied for many years with pastoral retreats for the clergy. This has brought him very close to the problems, fears and hopes of those who serve in parishes across the…
Vatican appoints new Directors to Financial Information Authority The Vatican’s Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, has appointed a new Director and Vice Director for the Financial Information Authority (AIF). Giuseppe Schlitzer enters as AIF’s Director, replacing Tommaso Di Ruzza who completed his five-year mandate as of January 20 this year. Schlitzer has held positions…
Most of us are familiar with Pope Francis’ comment that today the Church needs to be a field hospital. What’s implied here? First, that right now the Church is not a field hospital, or at least not much of one. Too many Churches of all denominations see the world more as an opponent to be…
Mainly About Books by the Books Editor The lockdown came when many were planning summer excursions. Plans for travel have been postponed. So, being well supplied with books of all kinds, I have been rereading with pleasure some older travel books. One is European Detours (1981), subtitled ‘A travel guide to unusual sights’ –…
Children’s corner Being around family 24/7 can be pretty tough. Sometimes you just want to go and do something fun outside but that’s unfortunately something that’s not on the cards for a little while at least. However, you can create your own private, cosy space inside your own home with minimal materials. A place…
One of the ironies of the coronavirus (Covid-19) virus is that at a time when we really need films to give us some escape from the crisis unfolding around us, we can’t go to cinemas. I mentioned the New Faith Network a fortnight ago. Another option is Netflix. Many of you may already have access…
Notebook Recently, I had a conversation with a friend whose husband died some months ago. She is desperately lonely and that loneliness is made far worse because her children and grandchildren cannot visit her during these Covid-19 Days. But it is the loss of her husband, her best friend that brings the greatest loneliness:…
There are so many good dramas on TV at the moment, so it’s great to have all this extra time to indulge. One of the best last week was Quiz (ITV, Monday-Wednesday), based on the true story of an alleged scam involving contestants on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? I found it completely absorbing,…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan