Female Catholic authors tackled modern themes with an awareness of God, Ruadhán Jones hears Catholics drawn to finding beauty in the written word will be delighted by the unearthing of some forgotten contributions to the Catholic literary revival in England in a new series. The series on women writers from the early to mid-20th Century…
If you were to boil down the vision for a renewed ‘synodal’ Church in Ireland to one key aim, it would be listening. True listening means treating each person as an individual beloved by God, who has called each by name. That may sound pious, but it requires courage as well as humility, particularly when…
Often there’s a TV series that is very good in its first season, but instead of leaving it at that they capitalise on the success and produce a second series. Sometimes it’s just inferior, perhaps because original ideas have run out, or the novelty value has worn off. Recently I’ve been keeping up with the…
Q: Can an artificial intelligence program licitly receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders? And regardless, what role do you think AI might be able to play in catechesis, if any? A: No, an artificial intelligence program cannot receive the sacrament of Holy Orders (or any other sacrament, for that matter). Sacraments can only be received…
This year marks the centenary of ‘Fund for the National Collections of Ireland’, which may well be for many readers a little known organisation. But nevertheless it is an important body working for the preservation of the arts in Ireland and the records of the past. Recently Dr John Turpin outlined the history of the…
EXCLUSIVE A lack of formation and Canon Law are “major roadblocks” to embedding synodality and co-responsibility in Ireland, Irish dioceses have said in new submissions ahead of the October listening sessions in Rome. Additionally, there is “complacency and paralysis” when it comes to laity assuming responsibility locally, despite the “pressing need” to involve laity in…
The Archbishop of Dublin has warned that the Church can’t be reduced to buildings, particularly at a time when preaching the Gospel is needed more than ever before “in the history of the Church in Ireland”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Archbishop Dermot Farrell said that “the Church can’t be reduced to buildings, or even…
The recently installed Bishop of Down and Connor will no doubt face some tough, unpopular decisions as his diocese faces a dearth of priests and decreasing Mass attendance – much the same as dioceses across Ireland. Bishop Alan McGuckian SJ, who was installed last month after serving as Bishop of Raphoe for almost seven years,…
The number of Catholic weddings made up just 35% of all those taking place in the State – the lowest recorded figure since the year 2000 – with civil ceremonies (32%) catching up quickly, marriage statistics for 2023 show. The proportion of Catholic weddings fell from 40% in 2022, while the percentage of civil ceremonies…
In my secondary school, we had a lovely English teacher called Sr Anna. To my 16-year-old self, Sr Anna, with grey wisps and translucent skin against a black veil, seemed at least 70. She was feisty though. And she was concerned for our teenage souls, often lacing our literary discussions with debates on morality. Except…
Ruadhán Jones
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
Chai Brady
Martina Purdy