For 50 years Rena Kennelly has brought joy to Killarney’s children by curating the crib, Ruadhán Jones hears Earlier this year, Killarney-based great-grandmother Rena Kennelly was surprised to receive an award from the Pope. Pope Francis awarded her the Benemerenti medal in honour of her 50 years curating the crib at St Mary’s Cathedral, Killarney,…
Some of our regular reviewers present their choice of a ‘Book of the Year for 2022’, a very varied and enticing selection covering a wide range of topics. Christopher Moriarty My choice for a book of the year falls upon Eoghan Daltun’s An Irish Atlantic Rainforest: A Personal Journey Into the Magic of Rewilding (Hachette, Books Ireland,…
Editor’s Comment There are a few books that I read and re-read almost every year. Amongst them is the Jesus of Nazareth trilogy written by Pope Benedict XVI. If you haven’t come across them, Christmas might provide some free time to pick them up and have a read. In the pages, the former Pontiff presents…
You may or not have seen the movie, Monty Python’s Life of Brian. It’s good in spots, though not every bit of it thrills me. One funny interlude comes when Reg, the leader of the anti-Roman guerilla faction, asks its members: “What have the Romans ever done for us?” The objective of the question was…
A plea by Pope Francis for a Christmas clemency for prisoners has been hailed as “powerful and courageous” by an Irish nun who has dedicated her life to supporting prisoners and their families. In a letter to governments around the world – including Ireland – the Pontiff this week asked for a gesture of mercy…
Fans pray for Pelé’s recovery More than a hundred Santos Soccer Club fans gathered in front of the hospital in Brazil where Pelé, one of the greatest soccer players of all time, is undergoing treatment, to pray for his recovery. The ACESSA.com website reported that fans formed a circle, lit candles, held hands, and prayed…
Catholic schools have dominated a poll of top performing schools in the North, taking the top three spots and five out of the top 10. St Mary’s Grammar School, Magherafelt, Co. Derry, took top spot for the second year running in the 30th edition of The Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ poll, which identifies the highest-achieving…
New York-based authors Audrey Elledge and Elizabeth Moore have found safe harbour in the practice of inviting God into every moment of modern life, writes Jason Osborne ‘Liturgy’ is the public prayer of the Faithful, but it takes many forms. Whether it’s in Mass or the Liturgy of the Hours, liturgy gives structure to our…
We will always need “good and holy priests”, the head of the bishops’ council for vocations has said, adding that the lay ministry is not a solution to the vocations crisis. The national synodal synthesis came across as proposing the lay ministry as the “solution to the whole question” of priest shortages, said Bishop Alphonsus…
Orthodox iconographer Jonathan Pageau’s work is helping people to see the patterns of heaven and earth as never before, writes Jason Osborne One of the things faith does is cast the world in a new light. For many today without faith, the universe is a cold, dark, hopeless place – at worst a force hostile…
Ruadhán Jones
Peter Costello
Michael Kelly
Chai Brady