The Galilee Spirituality Centre, Co. Roscommon, announced June 25 that it would be ending it’s public ministry this month, as a shrinking congregation meant it was no longer viable. The three remaining RSM sisters will continue to live at the centre and minister to the local community for the next three years, Sr Olive Flanagan…
Letter from Rome In response to a burgeoning controversy last week over the Vatican’s novel protest of a draft anti-homophobia law in Italy, Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State, said June 24 the goal of the move wasn’t to interfere with Italy’s internal politics but rather to head off a potential problem. Instead…
Two Catholic churches in the same region of British Columbia burned down in suspicious circumstances early Monday morning. “On behalf of the diocese of Nelson, I am very saddened by the recent fires that destroyed two Catholic churches – Sacred Heart Mission at Penticton Indian Band and St Gregory Mission at Osoyoos Indian Band –…
The Black & Tans 1920-1921: A Complete Alphabetical, Short History and Genealogical Guide by Jim Herlihy (Four Courts Press, €50/£45.00, also in paperback) Back in 1971 the Rev. Professor Edward Norman remarked in his controversial History of Modern Ireland that journalist Richard Bennett›s sensational 1959 book on the Black and Tans, the only one that then existed, read…
Conversations hinge on local discussions and agreement if Catholic schools are to divest patronage, Bishop Tom Deenihan tells Chai Brady School divestment has come to the fore of discussions in Ireland once again, as it does every few years, but perhaps one of the differences this time is that the bishops in a statement after…
The archdiocese of Berlin announced that it was temporarily suspending the work of its expert commission established to follow up on a legal report about sexual abuse in the archdiocese since 1946. The archdiocese said June 22 that the commission is recommending that findings from the legal firm Redeker Sellner Dahs be reworked or that…
While the Vatican is embroiled in its own battle against gender politics in Italy, the Cuban bishops are facing a similar dilemma, and have issued a statement criticising a resolution that would make so-called “gender ideology” part of school curricula. The bishops argue that the resolution is unscientific in that it denies basic biological differences…
Personal Profile Emmet Thompson’s connection with St Eugene’s Cathedral and the nearby Long Tower parish in Derry go all the way back to his childhood. It’s a connection he has maintained through his work as pastoral co-ordinator for the two parishes, a role that was of great importance over lockdown, as Mr Thompson was heavily…
Research in Victorian newspapers and journals occupies much of my time away from these pages. The other day searching through the 1891 volume of WT Stead’s influential Review of Reviews, I came across an item which it seemed to me would be of great interest to many of our readers, a “lost poem” by no less…
In early summer, the Irish countryside takes on the qualities of Eden – except without the serpents. Lush green foliage bursts forth, unrestrained, all around us. As midsummer’s warmth seeps into the soil, ferns and tall grasses sway, while wildflowers glimmer in the hedgerows. The songs of busy birds, the buzzing of bees, and the…
Ruadhán Jones
John L. Allen Jr.
Peter Costello
Chai Brady