Pope Francis said he was “deeply saddened” after hearing the news of one of the world’s worst mass shootings at a day care centre in northeast Thailand. In a message sent October 7 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, the Pope offered prayers for the victims “of the horrific attack” that claimed the lives of…
In the School of Saint Benedict: Benedictine Spirituality for Every Christian by Dom Xavier Perrin OSB (Gracewing, €11.99/£9.99) The author of this little book is currently the superior of Quarr Abbey, beautifully situated overlooking the sea on the Isle of Wight. This was where the Benedictines of Solesmes in Sarthe in the Pays de Loire…
There has been an outpouring of grief, sympathy and messages of solidarity across Ireland and the world following the devastating explosion at a petrol station in Creeslough, Co. Donegal. Across the world Masses have been offered, rosaries prayed and holy hours held. As the funerals continue this week, Church leaders spoke of the “awful loss”…
Churches seem to be an afterthought in the post-pandemic world, writes David Quinn Parishes, like the country in general, will have to pray hard for mild weather this winter if they are to cope with the big rise in energy costs caused chiefly by the war in Ukraine. Fortunately, the Government has allocated additional support…
Marriage is full of grace for those who seek it, writes Jason Osborne Just as in any state of life, it’s very easy to grow complacent and lazy in marriage. I’ve been married for just over a year now, and I already see how easy it is to slip into bad habits – scrolling rather…
Four women chosen to run world’s most remote post office in Antarctica Four women are to travel to a distant part of Antarctica to take up jobs including running the world’s most remote post office and counting the island’s penguins. Clare Ballantyne, Mairi Hilton, Natalie Corbett and Lucy Bruzzone beat a record number of applicants…
Letter from USA Once again a Nobel Peace Prize was announced Friday, and once again a pope didn’t win. This year’s honour went to human rights’ campaigners in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, in what’s widely been seen as an implicit condemnation of Russian President Vladimir Putin and both his war in Ukraine and his anti-democratic…
New cardinals appointed as members of dicasteries Pope Francis appointed several recently created cardinals to be members of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia, the Vatican announced. Among the new appointments announced by the Vatican October 7 was Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego, who will serve as a member of the Dicastery for Laity,…
Staff Reporter Irish pilgrims travelled to the Holy Land from October 1-9 and visited numerous sites connected to Christ’s life including Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem. There were 46 pilgrims on the trip, with Fr Eamonn Conway as the spiritual director. The pilgrimage was organised by Marian Pilgrimages and The Irish Catholic.
Orpen at War: a novel by Patricia O’Reilly (The Liffey Press, €22.95/£19.95) This is an illustrated biographical novel featuring dozens of Sir William Orpen’s paintings and drawings largely of the Western front in the Great War, in which he was engaged as an official war artist. Orpen, even then recognised as one of Ireland’s most…
Peter Costello
Chai Brady
David Quinn
John L. Allen Jr.