by Junno Arocho Esteves The Gospel of St John tells the story of Jesus’ encounter with a man who was born blind. Upon seeing him, the disciples asked Jesus if the man’s blindness was due to his sins or that of his parents. “Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works…
Fr Ronan Sheehan (27) celebrated his first Masses in his native parish of Murragh and Templemartin, Co. Cork, on Monday September 19. A large crowd attended the celebration, which occurs as the parish marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of St John the Baptist Church, Newcestown. Fr Sheehan also celebrated Mass Tuesday, September 20,…
Mindful Living The Garden of Love by William Blake I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen: A Chapel was built in the midst, Where I used to play on the green. And the gates of this Chapel were shut, And Thou shalt not. writ over the door;…
Ask A Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know by Greg Jenner Weidenfeld and Nicolson, €19.99/£16.99 This is a quirky book, but it could be very useful for one organising a pub-quiz. It records a history professor answering 50 questions from his students. The questions range across all the ages and even into…
Half a million people have lost their lives in the Ethiopian region, Ruadhán Jones hears There is an ongoing war in the world that has cost the lives of 500,000 men, women and children since November 2020. Between 60-100,000 of them were killed directly by fighting, the rest by a lack of food, water and…
Recently I received a letter from a friend who shared that she was afraid to accept a certain vocation because it would leave her too much alone. She shared this fear with her spiritual director who simply said, “Charles de Foucauld died alone in the desert!” That answer was enough for her. She went ahead…
Occasional Prayers for the School Year by Gráinne Delaney Messenger Publications, €12.95/£11.95 This is an interesting book, and one which parents as well as school chaplains will want to read. Gráine Delaney is Chaplain in Crescent College Comprehensive SJ for the last twenty years. A native of Dundalk she was educated in St Vincent’s Secondary…
Young people from across the Archdiocese of Armagh gathered with their families and award leaders to receive their Pope John Paul II and Muiredach Cross award, September 15. The ceremony held in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh, was the first since 2019. The diocese said in a statement that the “recipients are to be commended as…
A senior Russian priest dismissed President Vladimir Putin’s threats of nuclear war as “just words,” but said many young Catholics now fear being forcibly conscripted with their priests to join the war against Ukraine. “Although I’m not a military person, I don’t think the Russian army could even use nuclear weapons – and if it…
Personal Profile Barry Noel FPM came into contact with the Presentation Brothers while attending their secondary school in Grenada. The Irish missionaries’ commitment and dedication made a great impression on the young man, who decided to follow them into the missionary life. There was only one secondary school on the island before the Presentation Brothers…
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello