Jesus and the Powers. Christian political witness in a age of totalitarian terror and dysfunctional democracies, by Tom Wright & Michael F. Bird, (SPCK, £12.99 / €15.50) Politics are changing. In this imperfect world change is inevitable. There is the normal change that comes with the adjustments we make as circumstances shift, new problems appear,…
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15 Ps 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12 Lk 13:1-9 An ancient Christian tradition recounts that the prefect of Rome, Chromatius, fell seriously ill during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (3rd-4th century). It quickly became known that his illness was incurable and deadly. However, upon learning that a close…
An answered prayer for local communities The recent launch of two new St Pauls’ stores in Letterkenny and Derry is an exciting event for the local communities. These openings come at a time when many people in Donegal and Northern Ireland were feeling the loss of the Veritas stores. “There is a need for spiritual…
In Leo Tolstoy’s famed novel, Anna Karenina, one of the main characters, Kitty, is heartbroken when the man she thought she was going marry, Count Vronsky, has designs on Anna instead. Kitty becomes listless and melancholic. Kitty’s family bring her to a health spa in Germany to recover, which she finally does by befriending another…
A recent study has shown that ‘spiritual boredom’ can deter people from religious practices. This study by the Universities of Vienna and Sussex, was first published in the specialist journal, Communications Psychology. Lead researcher, Thomas Götz advised church leaders to pay more attention to this phenomenon and to counteract it with more appealing sermons. “The…
Mike Cronin and Mark Duncan, Revolutionary Times: Ireland 1913-23: Forging of a Nation, (Merrion Press 2024) This book will be a delightful read for professional historians, amateur historians and members of the reading public who are interested in our recent history. At the outset the authors explain how it came to be published. It has…
Dear Editor, So many excellent articles to comment on your issue of March 6 but I would like to begin with Maria Steen’s outstanding report on the media’s predictable take on the Trump/Zelenskyy meeting in the Oval Office. I cannot say I am surprised but I was certainly shocked to learn that it lasted 50…
Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today “Who looks after the priests?” Asked Sr Briege McKenna speaking to The Irish Catholic. Sr Briege has been committed to the ministry of intercession…
St John Paul II’s example as a strong bridge-builder between Catholicism and Judaism should be used against enduring antisemitism, especially in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to a theologian and papal biographer George Weigel. He gave a keynote address to 230 people closing a…
Irish Eccentrics, by Aubrey Malone (Penniless Press, £7.99 ) Daft as Brush: Eccentricities of the famous and infamous, by Aubrey Malone (Penniless Press, £7.99) In the days of gloom and doom we all need something light-hearted to relieve the depressing ambience around us. In these two books, Aubrey Malone, the film critic of The Irish Catholic,…
Fr Dominik Domagala
Renata Milán Morales
David Quinn
Peter Costello