A selection of 21 penal crosses have been taken out of storage and put on display until the end of October at the Mayo branch of the National Museum of Ireland. The crosses, dating back to the early 18th to the middle of the 19th Century, can be seen at ‘Country Life’ in Turlough Park,…
Holy See and Kazakhstan strengthen collaboration On Wednesday, 14 September, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the capital Nur-Sultan, an agreement was signed between the Holy See and the Republic of Kazakhstan. A statement from the Holy See Press Office said that the agreement was signed on behalf of the Holy…
“The cock will crow at the breaking of your own ego – there are lots of ways to wake up!” John Shea gave me those words and I understood them a little better recently as I stood in line at an airport: I had checked in for a flight, approached security, saw a huge line-up,…
A Gift of Joy and Hope by Pope Francis. Translated from the original Italian by Oonagh Stransky (Hodder & Stoughton, €17.99/£16.99) This title will be released on 29 September. This book by Pope Francis, his third official book, may seem to follow very quickly on the Pope’s recent pamphlet about the meaning of Christmas and the…
As time goes by, parishes all over the country are continuing to realise the negative effects that Covid-19 had on their communities. Apart from the loss of those who died from the disease, the virus scattered people into greater isolation and broke the habit of Church attendance for many. As communities struggle to re-build after…
Editor’s Comment “If you ever wonder what the relevance of the Faith might be for people in modern Ireland try a death bed,” a priest once told me. He was speaking about one of the most profound aspects of his ministry – accompanying a departing soul on their final journey and comforting and consoling their…
This month means new ‘seasons’ opening up not least the National Symphony Orchestra’s at the National Concert Hall, which began on September 9 with the orchestra in splendid form in music by Berg and Mahler. Dating from 1935, Berg’s Violin Concerto was written “in memory of an angel” – Manon Gropius, the recently deceased 19-year-old…
Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan — Arriving in Kazakhstan, a country that borders Russia, Pope Francis said he came as a “pilgrim of peace” at a time when “our world urgently needs peace; it needs to recover harmony”. “I am visiting you in the course of the senseless and tragic war that broke out with the invasion…
Wexford parish announces parish prayer mission Wexford parish is hosting a week-long mission of prayer October 2-9 that will be a time of “celebration, belonging and renewal”. ‘A Mission for All’ begins Sunday October 2, and includes talks, Mass, visits to schools, faith testimonies and more. Bishop of Ferns Ger Nash will open an icon…
Dear Editor, With all the hullabaloo surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s death, the energy crisis, war in Ukraine etc… the fact that we are living through a housing crisis seems to have slipped from the agenda. This is the issue that seems unsolvable, at least it seems that way due to a host of inept politicians and…
Chai Brady
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
Michael Kelly
Ruadhán Jones