Bishop Kevin Doran tells Ruadhán Jones about the lessons for Ireland from the recent symposium on the priesthood Having attended the recent three-day Vatican symposium on the theology of the priesthood, Bishop of Elphin Kevin Doran believes the conference had much to offer for the Church in Ireland, at a time when vocations have plummeted.…
The Vatican has hosted many massive and moving canonisation ceremonies over the centuries, but a rite held in 1622 continues to be commemorated by devotees and studied by scholars. At a ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica on March 12, 1622, Pope Gregory XV formally recognised the holiness of Sts Teresa of Avila, Ignatius of Loyola,…
A researcher with the Philos Project told journalists last Tuesday that Iran is using incremental strategies to squeeze non-Muslims out of the country and in nearby states such as Iraq and Syria, and that the plight of Christians in the Middle East is “truly misunderstood” by most in the West. Senior Research Fellow Dr Farhad…
When I take a passage of scripture for reflection, I begin with my pencil to underline words that strike me. For the First Sunday of Lent, we have Luke’s account of the temptations of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). First, I underlined Holy Spirit. Luke is the evangelists of the Holy Spirit so it comes as no surprise…
“I wish it was Tuesday already. Can we please skip the days in between?” It is my daughter’s birthday next week and while her excitement is nearly too much for her to handle, hearing those words nearly creates a knot in my stomach. Skipping a day or two, even a year or two brings back memories…
A nine-day novena for St Patrick taking place in Downpatrick, Co. Down will “give thanks for those countless lives of witness and faith” and kicks off on March 8. Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin will speak at the event and mark the 150th anniversary of St Patrick’s Church, where generations of Catholics have worshipped since…
Wars always have wildly unforeseen consequences, eviscerating a status quo and violently shaping new realities. While most pundits are pondering the geopolitical, diplomatic and military fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Putin’s war also seems destined to have important consequences on the religious scene. Right now what those consequences may be seems impossible to descry,…
The Crosbies of Cork, Kerry, Laois and Leinster by Michael Christopher Keane (Beechgrove, Ovens; ISBN: 9781527297418; €20.00/£18.00) The author, Michael Christopher Keane, is a practised hand at research and writing, having already written extensively about the Crosbie family. In From Laois to Kerry (2016) he recorded the life and times of Patrick Crosbie (c. 1550-1610) and…
President Joe Biden announced federal appeals court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his first nominee to the Supreme Court on Friday. In a tweet announcing the news, Biden called Jackson “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds” and said that she will be “an exceptional Justice”. If confirmed, Judge Jackson would be the first black…
Recent polling hints at Catholic voters alienated from their traditional political homes, writes Ruadhán Jones With an election around the corner in the North, opinion polls are causing their usual stir, suggesting that May’s assembly election could be quite momentous. In May of this year, the North could for the first time ever vote a…
Ruadhán Jones
Chai Brady
John L. Allen Jr.