The Irish Spirit – Issue No. 6 Emma Tobin When trying to understand addiction, it is important to remember what every human is addicted to. We are all addicted to breathing, for example. It’s easy to test, just start holding your breath and soon enough your body will want some air. A little longer,…
Personal Profile A Polish priest based in Co. Dublin believes the Covid-19 pandemic is changing and deepening our understanding of what the Eucharist is about. Fr Dominic Zwierzychowski OMI from Poznan says the faithful, despite being kept apart physically, are feeling a greater sense of togetherness during these difficult times. In an interview with The…
A Parent’s Perspective At the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in 2008 in Quebec, Canada, Pope Benedict XVI spoke passionately via satellite about the Eucharist as “our most beautiful treasure” and “the sacrament per excellence”, introducing us early into eternal life. The theme of the congress that year was ‘The Eucharist, gift of God for the…
In this series some of our literary collaborators will be giving suggestions for lockdown reading, books of all kinds to enlighten us and raise our spirits. This week Mary Kenny writes of John McGahern’s Amongst Women (1990), a novel of ordinary family life in provincial Ireland built around the life experiences of an embittered Republican…
Lockdown is a chance to recognise that the Eucharist is not some “holy fuel”, but an “intimate communion with Jesus”, said Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry. Speaking on Corpus Christi, Bishop McKeown said that if “we are not open to being in intimate communion with Jesus, allowing him to dwell within us, then receiving Communion…
My eldest daughter skipped downstairs to breakfast, threw her arms in the air in triumph, and announced delightedly: “Today we are going to see nana and granddad!” It had been almost three months since the kids had met with their beloved grandparents. This pandemic-induced hiatus was all the more frustrating, knowing that they were just…
The movie Million Dollar Baby tells the story of a young woman who becomes a professional boxer. Young, strong and physically very attractive she captures your heart as, against all odds, she eventually rises to the top in her sport. But then the story turns tragic; she is unfairly hit by an opponent and ends…
Lockdown weddings had the “same joy as if the church was full”, said Fr John Bracken, who celebrated two of the just 82 weddings held during lockdown. Thousands of weddings were cancelled during lockdown, but those that went ahead were “oases of joy”, said Fr Bracken of Dundrum. “Both were streamed on the webcam,” he said. “Because of…
Children’s Corner There’s a lot to be learnt about how certain objects interact with water. It can also raise a of questions. Fruit for example, why do certain fruits that look big float, while a smaller fruit might sink? One of the biggest factors here is density. When trying to guess if an object will…
Fund established by Pope to help families Pope Francis has set up a fund aimed at helping families and individuals of Rome diocese who are in economic difficulty due to the Covid-19 crisis. In a letter to the Vicariate of Rome last week, the Holy Father says the Jesus the Divine Worker Fund will support…
Maria Byrne
Mary Kenny
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Chai Brady