Leo XIV: The New Pope and Catholic Reform, by Christopher R. Altieri (Bloomsbury Continuum, £20.00 / €19.99) This book is among the very first to try to encompass what the advent of Leo XIV means in general terms. You can be sure many more will follow, but as author Altieri, a born-American with decades of…
The Pre-Synodal Assembly in Kilkenny was, in every sense, a grace-filled and hopeful gathering. Over 230 delegates from all four corners of Ireland came together in what was truly a moment of genuine ecclesial encounter. From the first registration queue to the final blessing, the weekend carried an unmistakable buzz; an energy born of gratitude…
A number of years ago I walked the final stretch of five days of the Camino in Spain. It was during the last day of the walk on the outskirts of the goal of Santiago with about four hours to go that I met a young Orthodox Jewish lady named Ruth. We quickly got into…
“God behaves in the psalms in ways he is not allowed to behave in systemic theology.” That quip from Sebastian Moore might be highlighted at a time when fewer people want to use the psalms as a form of prayer because they feel offended that the psalms speak of murder, revenge, anger, violence, war-making, and…
In the proud sporting city of Cork, greatness is never in short supply. This is, after all, the self-proclaimed ‘real capital’ — a place where talent and ability seem to pour as freely as the River Lee. From Roy Keane’s fierce leadership on the football pitch to Sonia O’Sullivan’s Olympic glory to Ronan O’Gara’s cool…
A line runs through my childhood, the time before I went to Canada, and the time after. Aged five, the Troubles put paid to my Irish upbringing; but, I well remember bobbing for apples in Belfast at Halloween. It was a simple enough game, hands behind your back, trying to bite a bouncing apple on…
Parishioners of St Colmcilles Church in East Belfast are invited to join a unique All Saints celebration this Friday, October 31. The event, which is open to young people aged over 18, will have a ‘saint-themed cocktail bar’. PP Fr Conor McGrath, said they will also have a family friendly event for the children on…
Ireland: Mapping the Island, by Joseph Brady and Paul Ferguson (Birlinn, £30.00 / €34.99) These days we take maps, and the knowledge of the real world that they display, very much for granted. This was always the case as this marvellous compendium of Ireland’s history as evidenced in cartography reveals. The first printed map of…
Q: At Mass we typically pray for the souls of ‘those in purgatory,’ often mentioning names of persons long since passed, sometimes 10 or even 20 years ago. Is there any way to know how long a person could be in purgatory? Could a deceased person still be in purgatory 20 years later? A: Generally,…
Across the Waves, by T. Ryle Dwyer (Mercier Press, €14.50) It is clear who is the heroine in this story. It is Margaret Harrigan, a heroine taken straight from the life of the author’s own family. T. Ryle Dwyer is well known throughout the south-west as a journalist and historian. It is quite a saga.…
Peter Costello
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Martina Purdy