God’s presence inside us and in our world is rarely dramatic, overwhelming, sensational, impossible to ignore. God doesn’t work like that. Rather God’s presence is something that lies quiet and seemingly helpless inside us. It rarely makes a huge splash. We should know that from the very way God was born into our world. Jesus,…
Is laughter good medicine? Maybe, but it’s rare that we hear about the laughter of a saint. In our current historical moment, I think we need a saint’s laughter. This month we’ve been celebrating 31 days of St Ignatius of Loyola, leading up to the anniversary of his death July 31, 1556. People who love…
Q: When I was in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (commonly known as RCIA, now the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), the instructor said normal weekly Eucharist counts as a ‘confession,’ and reception counts as ‘absolution.’ She said in most cases, most people “don’t need to bother” the priest with their sins,…
Being introspective is not always a case of being self-centred or indulging in navel-gazing. And so, it is important from time to time for the media to look at itself – reviewing and learning. Hope in the Media (Radio Maria, Wednesday) is a new show with host Donal O’Sullivan-Latchford of the Family and Media Association…
The Church’s ‘war’ on Hollywood, which I’ve been writing about in recent weeks, was ratcheted up in the 1930s by Cardinal George Mundelein. One of America’s most influential figures, he urged his congregation to shun films of questionable ethics. As a result, over eight million Catholics took a pledge against watching ‘impurity’ on screen. That…
Dalkey: an Illustrated History, by John Martin (Wordwell / Eastwood Books, €20.00 / £17.50) This is not merely a good book; it really is a most excellent one. John Martin is well-qualified to write this topographical tour-de-force, being a long-time Dalkey resident, a former town planner, latterly serving in the Department of the Environment. …
Bookshelves are being emptied, boxes packed, and removal vans crisscross every diocese in the country. Yes, it’s that time of year when priests are on the move. If there were an appropriate dish for these moments of transition, it would involve sweet and sour sauce—there’s always both elements when a priest moves from one parish…
Irish history is at times more influenced by places than by persons. Ask many Irish people of an older or rural background where they are from and they will answer (much like the famous Tailor of Garrynapeaka) with a mention, not of the parish they were born in, but the actual townland, the smallest property…
The Glenstal Prayerbook: A Benedictine Book of Prayer (Red Stripe Press, €14.99 / £13.00) Back in 2001 the first form of the Glenstal Prayerbook, then published by Columba Press, was a great popular success. It brought the old established prayer tradition of the Benedictine order out of the monastery and into the hands of…
Ten years ago, Germany was gripped by a refugee crisis. Looking back, Archbishop Stefan Heße defends Chancellor Angela Merkel’s course at the time – and warns against a policy of deterrence. Catholic refugee bishop Stefan Heße has defended Angela Merkel’s statement “We can do it” from 2015. He said in an interview with the Catholic…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Brendan O’Regan
Aubrey Malone
Peter Costello