When the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death was announced on February 17, people started forwarding a clip from Sesame Street in 1972. Jackson led black, white, Asian and Hispanic children sitting on the famous Sesame Street stoop in a call and response. Each sentence ended with “I am – somebody!” It was an iconic moment, not…
Dublin’s largest ever number of Catechumens and Candidates were presented at the Rite of Election in St Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday, February 22. Nearly 130 people who will complete their journey into the Catholic Church at Easter this year attended the ceremony led by Archbishop Dermot Farrell. They were joined by their sponsors, family and…
Dr Hugo Slim says humanitarian action must protect both people and the world they depend on There is a painting by Francisco Goya entitled ‘Fight with Cudgels’. Two men furiously swing at each other in desperate concentration, locked in combat, yet they are unaware that they are both sinking into the same ground beneath them.…
Ireland’s long-held policy of neutrality is under huge pressure. The Government pretends it is maintaining our neutrality, but this simply isn’t true. Instead, it is subjecting it to the death of a thousand cuts, although a very big cut is on its way that could effectively finish it off, namely the abolition of the Triple…
January 12, I tabled a motion at Cork City Council welcoming the Dáil’s narrow rejection (73–71) of proposals to allow abortion on request up to viability and remove the three-day waiting period. Further, the motion called for meaningful supports—financial aid, housing, childcare, counselling—and a cultural shift to ensure every baby is truly cherished and welcome.…
Three weeks ago, I flew across the European continent, across the Middle East, to my hometown of Kerala, a state that needs no introduction with fellow Catholics. It had been two years since I visited my state in India, and this time, I wasn’t alone. My close friend from the Rathmines Parish Young Adults group,…
In this Jubilee year celebrating the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis, we Capuchins are called to renew and reflect. To renew in ourselves what it means to be a follower of Francis and to reflect on how this becomes real for us today. Francis teaches us how to do this. From the…
During a recent RTÉ radio interview with Brendan O’Connor, Mairead McGuinness was quizzed inter alia about European Union (EU) issues. The former European Commissioner, former First Vice-President of the European Parliament, and erstwhile Fine Gael Presidential candidate, gave a spirited defence of the EU. Conceding that it needed to be much more agile, nonetheless she…
Few lessons from my days at primary school stand out, but I do remember one class very clearly. A grammar lesson that was really about inclusive language and equality. Our teacher told us that the word “chairman” was wrong. It should be chairperson, and “his” should be “his or hers”. This appealed to my sense…
A Washington State school is under criminal investigation after a 16-year-old female wrestler called Katie Keeler was sexually assaulted by a male athlete during a wrestling match. Katie Keeler’s mother can be heard giggling over the video she is recording on her phone of her daughter’s wrestling match. She has no idea that her daughter…
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Martina Purdy