The kids were only back in school a few days before the inevitable message from school came through. A child in one of our kids’ classes had tested positive for Covid. We soon learned that it was not a child in our child’s pod, and so she could continue to go to school if we…
Mission to a Suffering People: Irish Jesuits 1596-1696 by Thomas J. Morrissey SJ (Messenger Publications, €19.95/£18.95) The Jesuit historian T. J. Morrissey is well known for his books on the Irish trade union movement and on modern Church history, especially in Dublin. But he has also written widely about the more distant past. His new book…
Personal Profile This has been a busy year for Fr Ger Jones of Ennis parish. Firstly, he celebrated 10 years as a priest this and now, following the elevation of Fr Ger Nash to be Bishop of Ferns, Fr Jones is stepping up to fill his shoes as diocesan secretary for Killaloe. “Fr Ger Nash…
In the 2010’s, the term ‘woke’ became a popular word, implying political and social awareness, although critics say the term signals a sort of pretentiousness or elitism about one’s understanding of any given issue. In his new book, Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, Rod Dreher – author of the New York Times…
Recently at a workshop, a woman shared her anxiety about the death of her brother. Her older brother had died from the Covid virus before there were vaccines for it, and had died because he had dangerously exposed himself to catching the virus. However, he had exposed himself to that danger for a worthy reason.…
Cardinal Parolin urges cooperation and friendship in North Korea speech The Vatican Secretary of State said last week that the Holy See supports cooperation over confrontation in efforts to achieve peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Cardinal Pietro Parolin delivered a virtual keynote speech to the South Korean government’s annual forum to discuss issues…
Children’s Corner There are many tests to see how fit and healthy you are, each checking certain parts of your body. One of the indicators of good health is lung volume. Just how much air can your lungs can hold? With the help of a few simple household objects, some scientific know how and a…
Someone said to me recently, ‘What was Bill Nighy before he got old?’ I thought it was a good question. I saw him for the first time in Love Actually in 2003. He was no spring chicken then. I thought to myself: Where had he been before that? Had he arrived from outer space? Was…
Dear Editor, With his customary clarity David Quinn describes the dilemma facing liberal secular humanism [IC 26/08/2021] in light of the Afghanistan debacle now unfolding: should Western democracies try to change societies which inherit centuries of tribal customs and loyalties, or leave them alone? They believe that their human rights gospel must be extended to…
Peace Prize nominee urges Biden to protect Iraqi Christians After the last US forces left Afghanistan last week, an interfaith coalition implored President Joe Biden to keep American troops in Iraq to protect Christians and other persecuted religious minorities. “We beseech you on behalf of two historic and endangered peoples, Assyrian Christians and Yazidis, to…
Peter Costello
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Chai Brady
Aubrey Malone