Letter from Florence Micheal Sanfey A leading art expert friend of mine – speaking with a degree of Roman hauteur – declared that while she sometimes needed to be in Venice, she didn’t need to be in Florence. Quite frankly she just didn’t seem to like Florence very much, if at all. Scrambling for examples…
Charlie Camosy Raising faithful Catholic kids in today’s society is not easy. Holly Taylor Coolman, assistant professor of theology at Providence College and adoptive mother of five, recognises the many challenges and recently spoke with OSV News’ Charlie Camosy about her new book Parenting: the Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children. Why yet another…
Consecration to St Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, by Donald H. Calloway MIC (Marian Press, £13.60) This is a book promoting devotion to St Joseph, making it very suitable reading in this week after the celebration of the Feast of St Joseph the Worker. The steadfast member of the Holy Family, Joseph…
We are all priests from our baptism, and with that comes an invitation, namely, to pray for the world as a priest through the prayer of Christ and the Church. What does that mean exactly? Everyone who is baptised as a Christian is baptised into the priesthood of Jesus Christ. The priesthood is given to…
During the recent visit of Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops to Ireland, I had the great privilege to participate in a focus group meeting with various representatives of the Church’s life in Ireland. Drawing from a synodal framework, the group included female religious, priests, a deacon, a Catholic journalist, a…
Castletown House, in Co Kildare, was the founding venue for the Music in Great Irish Houses Festival in 1970. It was soon joined by other stately homes, not least Russborough near Blessington in Co. Wicklow that was at the time the home of Sir Alfred and Lady Clementine Beit. Generous supporters of the arts, they…
Dear Editor, Listening to the Gospel the other morning I was struck by the words “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you” (John 15:18). These words struck a chord with me because the previous day I was accused of lacking compassion by opposing assisted dying as a compassionate response to…
In the run up to the upcoming local elections and the next general election, a significant number of sitting TDs and local councillors have announced that they will not be running again. Many of them were Catholic. Who will replace them? Probably candidates who are less Catholic or not Catholic at all. If we don’t…
This is a Sunday of beginnings and endings. We hear the very first words of the Acts of the Apostles – and then, moments later, the last words of the Gospel according to Mark. Both focus on The Ascension – a moment that ties together two remarkable parts of our salvation, marking the end of…
Sr Anne Marie Walsh SOLT We tend to like a lot of things. The more we like something, the more attached we can become to it. This can be good, bad, or indifferent. Being attached to our families, our spouses, our children, etc., is a good thing so long as it is a healthy attachment…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser