Armagh cathedrals meet NI Minister of State Clergy and volunteers from the Catholic and Church of Ireland cathedrals in Armagh met with the Minister of State for Northern Ireland Steve Baker MP, on November 14. As part of an official visit by the minister to the city, he saw both cathedrals and met with local…
My ignorance of the pigeon world was almost absolute before I saw Million Dollar Pigeons (15A), an unusual documentary about the high-flying world of pigeon fanciers. Gavin Fitzgerald’s film goes all over the world. We see those at the top of the sport in America, South Africa, China and even Thailand. He starts with a…
The Sunday Gospel Dark November will soon be past, and in the Church’s calendar, today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year. Advent means coming and it has three dimensions: the past coming of Christ at the first Christmas; the future coming of Christ at the end of life;…
Another Advent season is upon us and another Christmas is just around the corner. The season of Advent has two halves – the first period focuses on hope for the coming of Christ in the future and second part (from December 16) concentrates on the coming of Christ in the past with his incarnation and…
In the middle of head-wrecking controversies it’s welcome to come across a programme that front-loads positivity. The Leap of Faith (RTE, Friday) was well timed as the COP27 Climate Change Conference was drawing to a close. It was good to hear positivity and optimism in a new book The Parish as Oasis: An Introduction to…
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”… so wrote Joseph Addison over 300 years ago. Most of us have memories of being read to as children and the pleasure it gave us, although of course we did not know then that because of the learning potential, the effects of reading on…
The message of an Irish army chaplain currently on the road sainthood can combat a narrow sense of nationalism in Ireland that seeks to “exclude and scapegoat”, the Bishop of Meath has said. Bishop Tom Deenihan hailed Fr Willie Doyle SJ who died in 1917 during World War I, saying his generosity extended beyond nationality…
There is a “crying need” for atonement, inner healing and hope in the aftermath of the abuse scandals, Archbishop Eamon Martin has said. His comments come as Gardaí are investigating allegations of widespread abuse in schools run by the Spiritans, with allegations made against 77 members of the order for over 200 instances of abuse.…
Homelessness charity Depaul has welcomed Pope Francis’ blessing of a new sculpture depicting the plight of homeless people. Ahead of the sixth World Day of the Poor, November 13, the Pope blessed ‘Sheltering’. The bronze sculpture is life-sized and depicts the figure of a homeless person covered by a blanket pulled by a pigeon in…
The expansion of the synod by Pope Francis makes it “a kind of Vatican III”, building on the legacy of the Second Vatican Council, the Archbishop of Dublin said on November 14. The inclusion of the “whole Church”, not just those in ministry or leadership positions, are called to “come to grips” with what the…
Ruadhán Jones
Aubrey Malone
Breda O'Brien
Chai Brady