I’ve often wondered if ‘Cultural Catholicism’ is better than no Catholicism. It may be more a matter of routine and cultural identity than deep faith, but at least people are arguably, however superficially, on the right track, which may eventually lead them to something deeper. As Doris Day sang: ‘Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps’. This becomes especially…
Killester: From Medieval Manor to Garden Suburb, by Joseph Brady and Ruth McManus, (Four Courts Press for Dublin City Council, €17.95 / £14.95) This book is one in a series being created under the auspices of Dublin City Council entitled ‘Shaping the Suburbs’ – the old city, say within the circle of the two canals, having…
One of the most hostile political parties towards the Catholic Church in Ireland today is the Social Democrats. When the announcement was made that the National Maternity Hospital was moving to a new location alongside St Vincent’s hospital, there was outrage in certain quarters because at that point St Vincent’s was still linked to the…
“We rejoice in Mary Bartold’s healing, we give thanks to God for it, and also note the family’s sincere belief, held with a significant degree of supporting evidence, that Mary’s recovery was procured through the intercession of the much-beloved Blessed Solanus Casey but, as you’d expect, ultimately, we defer to the judgement of Rome on…
The idea of union with God is, for most people, alternately attractive and terrifying. Attractive, because no matter how far we have fallen through the sin of Adam and our own personal sins, we cannot shake the feeling that such union is what we were made for by the very God to whom we desire…
Bishop Donal McKeown has spent his life walking with the faithful of the North of Ireland, through conflict and peace, through shifting cultural landscapes, and now through the changing face of the Church. As he approaches retirement, his reflections are not those of a man looking backward, but of one still sowing seeds for the…
Rathlin, Portrait of an Island and other works by Kenny McKendry, current exhibition at The Gorry Gallery Dublin, 20 Molesworth Street, Dublin 2; contact gorrygallery@icloud.com, or by phone 01-676-319. The offshore islands of Ireland have long exerted a fascination over many Irish people, with their interest being focused on the islands of our wild western coasts.…
The Clonard Solemn Novena started in the late 1970s and it is timed to coincide with the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on June 27 – the novena always takes place on the nine days prior to this feast in all Redemptorist churches throughout the world, and so as Rector Fr Brendan…
We are now a quarter of the way into the Jubilee Year of Hope. Our church banners remind us that we are in a special time. Some parishioners have already made the pilgrimage to Rome, and others may go in the months ahead. But I sometimes wonder: if I asked the average Catholic—perhaps even a…
This year celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of French composer Maurice Ravel. Born in the Basque country very close to its border with Spain on March 7, 1875, Ravel died in Paris on December 28, 1937. His mother was also Basque with his father coming from Switzerland. The family was culturally rich, with…
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
David Quinn
Chai Brady