I should actually be on a plane now, rather than sitting at my desk writing. If it were not for Covid-19 I would be on my way back from Kentucky, having attended the wedding of my God-daughter. As it was, we watched the wedding streamed live on Facebook so that friends around America and family…
Prison sentences handed down last week for three young pro-democracy activists, in tandem with the arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, has been largely read as the latest chapter in China tightening its grip on Hong Kong and eviscerating the principle of “one nation, two systems” under which the territory was transferred to Chinese control…
A new report by the All Party Oireachtas Life and Dignity Group (OLDG) highlights a “horrific” lack of pain relief for babies in late-term abortions. Evidence The report, ‘Late-Term Abortion and Foetal Pain – Proposing a Humane Response’, examines scientific evidence from around the world that shows unborn babies feel pain before 20 weeks. The…
Personal Profile Fr Ger Dunne is the man at the helm of the Catholic Chaplaincy in University College Cork. A Dominican, he appreciates the values a university and its culture engenders in students. “I’m always inspired by the goodness of students and they don’t get enough credit, to my mind, for their altruistic nature, I…
Pope establishes Worldwide Prayer Network as Vatican entity The Vatican announced December 3 that Pope Francis has established the Worldwide Prayer Network Foundation as an entity with canonical and Vatican juridical identity. Formerly known as the “Apostleship of Prayer,” the Worldwide Prayer Network works “to coordinate and animate the vast spiritual movement, always very dear…
When I was a young boy growing up in a Catholic community, the catechesis of the time tried to inspire the hearts of the young with stories of martyrs, saints, and other people who lived out high ideals in terms of virtue and faith. I remember one story in particular that caught my imagination and…
The Irish Bishops Conference have called on parishes to support charities as Covid-19 takes a toll on donations. In a statement from the conference, the bishops appealed for people to bring “the hope and joy of Christ’s birth to people who are sick, isolated, lonely or poor”. “A simple act of kindness can make such…
Iconic Dinosaur’s injuries come to light through Queen’s-led research The first Parasaurolophus discovered – the same species which features in the popular Netflix series Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous – is likely to have been injured by a falling tree, a study led by a researcher from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) has discovered. Filippo Bertozzo, a…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Our journey through Advent has highlighted hope, the virtue that keeps us going through darkness and coldness. We are going through a winter under the restrictions of coping with the Covid-19 virus. It is a severe winter for the homeless and for people who have lost their…
Sweet Treats This German gingerbread, known as lebkuchen, has the perfect balance of sweet and spiced. This version is even tastier as the biscuits are filled with raspberry. Other flavours like apricot or cherry, also work really well, or you can keep it simple and not fill them at all! Heart-shaped lebkuchen look extra decorative…
Bairbre Cahill
John L. Allen Jr.
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser