The first sign that something was seriously threatening the unity of the Anglican Communion came on October 3, when, following the official announcement of Dame Sarah Mullally’s appointment as the next Archbishop of Canterbury – the first woman to hold the post in over 1,400 years – Laurent Mbanda, President of the Council of Primates…
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) held its annual congress this year in Killarney, Co. Kerry, bringing together hundreds of primary school teachers from across the country for three days of debate and decision‑making. As a delegate for the third year running, I have witnessed a marked shift in the tone and focus of our union’s…
Moya Brennan’s death saddened many people. Whatever the opposite of having notions is, Moya Brennan epitomised it. She had a God-given talent and used it in service of Him. After her death, Oliver Callan interviewed Donal Lunny, who collaborated with Clannad and later, Moya Brennan in her solo career. He said, “She carried it in…
We hear an awful lot about the ‘manosphere’, that is, online discussions that sometimes tell young men to treat women in sexist, exploitative ways. There was a huge public debate about ‘toxic masculinity’ last year when a series called Adolescence was aired. The central character was a 13-year-old boy who murdered a girl who went…
Thomas Merton assassination theory reveals “gaps that need to be addressed” says biographer scholar Claims that Trappist monk and writer Thomas Merton was assassinated rather than killed by accidental electrocution in 1968 cannot be substantiated by existing evidence — but unanswered questions about the circumstances of his death remain legitimate and have never been…
The American theologian and commentator Stanley Hauerwas once said that the problem with Christianity is not that it is socially conservative or politically liberal but that “it is just too damned dull”! On April 29, the Church celebrates the feast day of a saint for whom faith was anything but dull or boring. For St…
The Minister of Education and Youth’s announcement of the opening of “Inclusive special classes” in September has sparked criticism from advocacy groups who say they were not consulted. The initiative, announced last week, represents the latest phase in the ongoing rapid expansion of provision for students with additional educational needs. Five postprimary schools have been…
‘The New Evangelisation’ in Ireland Dear Editor, I write to comment on Pedro Esteva’s interesting article on new style formation for student priests at Maynooth (The Irish Catholic, April 2). There are many excellent ideas in the article; e.g. that formation should include such topics as parish finances, communication and team building, collaborative leadership and…
In 2007, Charles Taylor wrote a book entitled, A Secular Age which gave us a clear and comprehensive analysis of the secular age we live in and the implications of that for our faith. More than a thousand years before that an unknown author in the fourteenth century wrote a book, The Cloud of Unknowing,…
Parish priests — not bishops, not the laity — are the critical cohort who will determine whether the synodal vision of Pope Francis takes root in the life of the Church. That was the firm assessment of Prof. Michael W. Higgins, the veteran Canadian Vatican journalist and academic, speaking at All Hallows College, Dublin, at…
Breda O'Brien
David Quinn
Fr Ronald Rolheiser