Direct provision compounds the suffering of asylum seekers who were torture victims, writes Chai Brady Torture has always been an horrific reality for humanity and to this day atrocities are being committed against people for nothing other than their faith, political belief, ethnicity and sexuality in many parts of the world. Some of the victims…
Opera star Cara O’Sullivan, who died recently aged 58, has been described as a “deeply committed Catholic”, which “consoled” her during her illness, according to her family friend, Canon Jim O’Donovan. Fr O’Donovan, who officiated Ms O’Sullivan’s funeral, told The Irish Catholic that she drew comfort from her faith during her struggle with dementia. “She…
A Zealous Priest: The Murder of Fr Michael Griffin 1920 by Pat O’Looney (Islemeen, Loughrea, Co Galway; €15.00 from Charlie Byrne’s Books in Galway and other outlets) This biography of Fr Michael Griffin includes a microscopic account of the circumstances surrounding his tragic death. It is written by Pat O’Looney a local historian, well known for…
An unprecedented alliance of Catholic and Evangelical church leaders are urging the Scottish Government to drop part of its proposed Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill to allow time for “detailed consideration of crucial provisions”. The bill, which would potentially criminalise any criticism of Transgender ideology has been criticised by the Catholic Church, the Free…
Lent has begun and yet it all feels somehow out of kilter. I usually look forward to Lent, to the sense of pause, of a change in rhythm, a re-tuning of life. This year I have felt differently. I mentioned this to a friend recently and her comment was, “Sure haven’t we been living Lent…
Personal Profile In the year that Pope St John Paul II came to Ireland, Fr Seamus Kelly MSC (Missionary of the Sacred Heart) took a plane in a different direction. Two years to the day that he was ordained to the priesthood – 17 December 1979 – Fr Kelly travelled to spread the word in…
The parish of Errigal Ciaran in Co. Tyrone is amongst those participating in a new continuous rosary initiative. It began yesterday – Ash Wednesday – and the plan is that a continuous rosary will be offered up every minute of every day for peace and charity in Ireland. Every parish in the country has a date and time allocated,…
A French nun who could potentially be the first woman to cast a vote in the Synod of Bishops said February 10 that her appointment is evidence the “clericalist mindset is changing” as more and more women assume high-level decision-making responsibilities in the Catholic hierarchy. Sister Nathalie Becquart told journalists that Pope Francis has been…
Ruadhán Jones recommends films and TV sure to help you enter fully into the season of Lent It was around this time last year that a new show was making waves in Christian circles. The Chosen’s first season premiered April 2019, and was streamed for free on YouTube over Easter 2020, when it became a…
Everyday Philosophy Imagine two firefighters. Lynda regularly puts herself in danger, entering burning buildings to perform difficult rescues that others are too afraid to. Lynda isn’t reckless: she’s extremely competent and only tries rescues that she thinks have a good chance of success. But she is fearless, or close to it: fear for her is…
Chai Brady
Bairbre Cahill
Ruadhán Jones
Ben Conroy