God is the object of all desire, no matter how earthy and unholy our desire might seem. Everything we desire is inside of God. Both Jesus and the Psalms tell us this. God is the object of all desire and only in God will our deepest longings be satisfied. We express this in our prayers,…
Q: In a recent article, you quoted the Code of Canon Law for what constitutes a valid nonsacramental marriage. I’m not sure if you know this, but the Jewish marriage document – the ketubah – is essentially a prenuptial agreement that outlines the protections the spouses are to receive should either one initiate divorce proceedings.…
The Gospel given on this solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity invites us to embrace one of the most mysterious truths of our faith: “the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you.” In these words of…
In the first article, we uncovered the limitations of the secularisation narrative and explored religiosity in Ireland. The many hopeful opportunities that come with a country that is relatively religious in which many people do interact with the Church were explored. We went on to demonstrate the variability within identity, both of Catholics and those…
Recently I was asked to give a three-day course to a group of 23 enclosed nuns from different monasteries throughout Ireland on the theme of Contemplatives as Pilgrims of Hope. To the best of my knowledge there are 18 monasteries of enclosed nuns in Ireland, six Poor Clares, six Carmelites, two Benedictine and one each…
It is common knowledge that Pope Leo XIV knows his home country, the USA, and his missionary country, Peru. But he is also familiar with the evil consequences of communism in Eastern Europe. This is reported by the former Archbishop of Prague. Leo XIV, the first pope from the USA, is apparently a convinced anti-communist…
Christian married couples should seek to lead cohabiting couples towards marriage, Pope Leo has said in a message to participants in a seminar organised by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life in Rome this week. The number of cohabiting couples in Ireland has soared in recent decades from almost zero in the 1990s…
“Lough Derg will not be the hungriest place on Earth this weekend. That will be Gaza,” said Fr Eamonn Conway at the Lough Derg opening Mass last week for the three-day pilgrimage season. Currently only a trickle of food is reaching Gaza. The priest told pilgrims that the constant display of images of starving children and their…
Youth ministry must be active in every parish, according to the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Denis Nulty. Bishop Nulty made the comment after a meeting with youth leaders, to discuss ‘intentional youth ministry’. This followed a gathering organised last month by Bishop Fintan Gavin, when they discussed the role of youth in the Irish…
Pope Leo XIV assured Irish clergy of his continual prayers for vocations in Ireland during an audience in St Peter’s Square, where he met with a delegation of Irish vocation directors, including Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore. Bishop Cullinan, who introduced the delegation to the Pope, called the meeting “a very personal moment.”…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr Dominik Domagala
Renata Steffens