Dioceses must avoid clericalist thinking in pastoral shake ups, Fr Tom Whelan tells Ruadhán Jones As dioceses grapple with the unchartered waters of the vocation’s crisis, there is a danger that plans for diocesan shake-ups will carry over a “clericalised” vision of the Church, a respected liturgist and theologian has warned. Spiritan Fr Tom Whelan…
Gilbert K. Chesterton once stated that Christianity is the only democracy where even the dead get to vote. In light of that, I share two stories. A psychologist at a conference I once attended shared this story. A woman came to see him in considerable distress. Her disquiet had to do with her last conversation…
The wars being fought in Gaza, Ukraine and other parts of the world are destroying the future of the children who live in those nations, Pope Francis said. Speaking about the conflict in Palestine and Israel after praying the Angelus in St Peter’s Square November 5, the Pope asked the world to “think of the…
Quiet Times with God Devotional, by Joyce Meyer (Hodder & Stoughton, £10.00/€12.99) The daily round that we all plan is all too often disrupted by the simple fact that people can so easily communicate and that hour you set aside to make a cake or finally do something about that drain before winter is too…
Recently I spent a few days in Rome with two friends who were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful experience as the Eternal City always seems to tick so many of the boxes that make for a great holiday. My abiding memory of this recent trip will be one of ‘queueing’. We…
Several drama series have been catching my attention of late – there are so many good ones it’s hard to keep track of them all. Time (BBC One, Sunday) is the second series of the prison drama by Jimmy McGovern, this time joined by Helen Black on writing credits. This series sees a change to…
Deacon Greg Kandra Wis 6:12-16 Ps 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 1 Thes 4:13-18 1 Thes 4:13-14 (alternate) Mt 25:1-13 It’s that time of year again. In much of the country, the leaves are falling, nights are lengthening, frost is appearing on the ground — and the readings at Sunday Mass are turning once more to talk of…
As the race for the US presidency hots up, we’re confronted with the fact that we’ll possibly face a re-run of the last one. Regardless of one’s feelings about the merits of Messrs Biden or Trump, their prominence reflects the lack of young blood at the top of the political tree. I was only…
Dear Editor, the article discussing the role of newer Catholic communities in Ireland and their potential to reinvigorate Faith [The Irish Catholic – November 2, 2023], was most interesting. The insights shared by Fr Severino and Fr Joseph Mathew, are enlightening. It is heartening to see the rich tapestry of Catholicism flourishing in Ireland through…
This year we were told that Halloween was less commercial than past years. This was not my impression, at least in our South Dublin neighbourhood. Having taken my afternoon walks around some of the nearby streets, I was surprised at how early and how generously some of the houses had been decorated. All the usual things…
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone