The Sunday Gospel In today’s Mass we reach the halfway point of Mark’s Gospel (Mark 8: 27-35). The first half develops the identity of who Jesus is and it is time to ask the question, “Who do people say I am?” The second half will deal with the question of the way that Jesus is…
Population of Republic above 5 million for first time since 1851 The country’s population was estimated to stand at 5.01 million in April, the latest statistics from the CSO revealed last week. This is the first time the population has risen above five million since the 1851 census, when the population stood at 5.11 million.…
It’s not often you hear the Beatitudes highlighted on mainstream radio, especially on a current affairs programme. And so I was glad to hear ‘Blessed are the Peacemakers’ referenced on Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio One, Friday), in the context of the sad passing of Pat Hume, wife of John. Her contribution to the peace process…
Some of the readers of this column might remember a band called Milli Vanilli which caused quite a music controversy. In 1990 the duo of Rob and Fab exploded on to pop music scene. They had five big hits, including three number one songs. Then it was discovered that they weren’t really singing on their…
Frank Duff, the indefatigable founder of the Legion of Mary was a man ahead of his time. What he founded in Dublin a century ago – September 7, 1921 – quickly became the largest international association ever to come out of Ireland. Mr Duff had a two-fold vision for the Legion of Mary. On the…
Irish bishops have paid tribute to Pat Hume, who died yesterday, with the Primate of All-Ireland remembering her as “a friend to all who suffered during Troubled times”. Following a short illness and surrounded by family, the mother-of-five Mrs Hume passed away in her home in Derry on Thursday, September 2. She was the wife…
Bishop Robert Barron said Tuesday that the Harvard University chaplains made a “complete and abject surrender” by electing an atheist as the president of their association. “What does bother me,” Bishop Barron wrote in an August 31 op-ed for the New York Post, “is the complete and abject surrender on the part of the presumably…
Homeless campaigners question why State won’t build on existing land Leading homelessness campaigners have questioned why the Government is turning to the Church asking for land for housing when the State is sitting on vast swathes of available land. Insisting that the Church and faith-inspired agencies should and will continue to play their part in…
A renowned US exorcist has warned that as Christianity declines in the Western world the need for exorcists increases and that he has been receiving calls from people in Ireland who could not find assistance. Licensed psychologist Msgr Stephen Rossetti, president and founder of the St Michael Centre for Spiritual Renewal in Washington DC, said Irish bishops “need to get together” and…
As Fine Gael and the Green Party are locked in disagreement over rural housing policy, Fr Harry Bohan said it’s important to give people the opportunity to live in villages. Fine Gael’s Junior Housing Minister Peter Burke said recently he expects one-off rural houses to make up 25% of new builds. However, the Green Party…
Brendan O’Regan
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady
Ruadhán Jones