‘Choose your battles’ is generally good advice. It’s wise to acknowledge that not every fight can be won; that we may not have the resources to sustain a war on many fronts; that victory sometimes costs us more than we can afford. But if you’re born (or baptised) on the battlefield, things become more complicated.…
Letter of the week Ensuring next generation holds faith Dear Editor, I must comment on Bro. Richard Hendrick’s insights on the need for deeper and more meaningful catechesis [The Irish Catholic – October 10, 2024]. His emphasis on not just imparting information, but leading people into an experience of prayer and connecting them with the…
World Mission Sunday A Day of Celebration and Renewed Support for Missions Worldwide On 15 December, 1849, a group of seven nuns from the Religious of the Assumption congregation in Paris arrived in Grahamstown, South Africa, under the leadership of 27-year-old Sr Marie Gertrude de Henningsen. They were invited by Wexford-born Bishop Aidan Devereux of…
World Mission Sunday A Day of Celebration and Renewed Support for Missions Worldwide Discover how Your Legacy can support Respond’s mission to Build Homes and Improve Lives by including a Gift in Your Will Ireland is facing a severe housing crisis, with more people than ever before experiencing homelessness. This has placed tremendous pressure on…
World Mission Sunday A Day of Celebration and Renewed Support for Missions Worldwide In October each year we are reminded that the Church is missionary. Pope Francis underlines this truth by his journeys to the margins or peripheries of the world. He, like his namesake St Francis, has made the World his cloister bringing the…
There are many things that make me proud to be Irish – high on the list is our peace keeping service with the United Nations. On The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Tuesday) security expert Declan Power outlined the work our troops do overseas, with particular reference to our peacekeepers in Lebanon, under pressure at the…
Every Day is a Fresh Beginning: Meaningful Poems for Life edited by Aobhín Garrihy (Eriu / Bonnier Books, £12.99 / €9.99) Once out of school and the demands of exams, most adults have little time for poetry. They are aware of Ireland’s poetic tradition, how could they not be. But these days most poetry seems to…
Bishop Murray died in the early hours of Sunday at Milford Care Centre where he had spent the past 18 months. He was in the company of Frs Noel Kirwan and Liam Enright on his passing. Reflecting on his life, Bishop Leahy said that Bishop Murray made an enormous contribution to spiritual nourishment of the…
The Sunday Gospel Is 53:10-11 Ps 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22 Heb 4:14-16 Mk 10:35-45 or 10:42-45 Fr Joshua J. Whitfield Simone Weil, that strange yet beautiful soul, once wrote that genuine love of neighbour meant being able to ask the question, “What are you going through?” What she meant was that neighbourly love demands sympathy…
Frank Burke (Peter Coonan) is a Dublin taxi driver attending the funeral of his father. Flash back ten years to his daughter’s eighth birthday party. He was pulling strings then to stay economically afloat. This brought out an ugly streak in him. Can he forgive himself for it and find peace at last? Exactly what…
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
Aubrey Malone