Meditation awakens the heart to the spirit who dwells within every person. Each of us is called to continually renew that spirit as we follow our life’s path. We might express this in another way by saying that we are each called to give birth to Christ in our hearts just as Mary did in…
“Is it true that people in Ireland may no longer have turf fires?” asked my cousin, who has lived in England for some years. Yes, I said, that was how things were going, ever since Eamon Ryan introduced the Solid Fuel Regulations Act in October this year. Peat, we are told, pollutes the atmosphere, and…
Pope Francis has approved a new law strengthening the oversight of Vatican-related foundations and nonprofit organisations as well as detailing sanctions and clarifying existing norms on transparency, accountability and mandated compliance with anti-money laundering measures. The new law, which took effect December 8, applies to all legal “persons” or entities dedicated to a specific purpose…
The View At the end of November, Pope Francis suggested a two-minute daily practice of examining one’s conscience. This catechesis, delivered at his Wednesday general audience, is part of a series that began on September 7, focusing on Ignatian discernment. The Wednesday audience is often a vehicle for essential themes for Pope Francis, just like…
Vatican II equipped the Church for mission in a world that’s increasingly missionary territory, Jason Osborne hears The Church has since its inception been trying to figure out how best to obey Jesus’ command to go out into the world and “preach the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15). Times change, and each era…
The first half of Advent sees us praying, watching and waiting for the coming of Christ at the end of time. The second half of Advent, though, focuses on the coming of the Messiah at Christmas – in the form of a new born baby; innocent, defenceless and totally dependent. Right at the beginning of…
Loretta Brennan Glucksman, whose philanthropic efforts on behalf of charities and educational institutions has spanned three decades, received the 2022 Spirit of Francis Award from Catholic Extension in New York. The native New Yorker was honoured for work in education, the arts, health care and peace initiatives in the United States and Ireland. In presenting…
In her book, Kitchen Table Wisdom, Stories That Heal, medical doctor and writer, Rachel Naomi Remen shares this story. When she was 14 years old, she took a summer job working as a volunteer in a nursing home for the aged. This wasn’t easy for her. She was young, shy, and mostly afraid of elderly…
For the second year in a row Nigeria has been left off of the US State Department’s list of countries that engage in or tolerate the world’s worst religious freedom violations, despite regular reports of kidnappings and killings of Christians, sparking outcry from members of a bipartisan government watchdog group. For more than two decades,…
by Lilia Kovalyk A religious journalist based in Lviv, reflects on her experience of reporting in war time The war has turned Ukrainian journalists into inventors. We all understood Russia would attack, but no one wanted to believe this. Before the war began, in the editorial office of Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), we…
Mary Kenny
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser