I’m a fan of practical AI tools, but conscious of the broader dangers involved. ‘The Vatican’s AI Battle’ was the rather alarmist subtitle of Heart and Soul (BBC World Service, Friday). The issue raised was “What a God-like Artificial Intelligence might mean for humanity”. American priest in the Vatican, Fr Michael Baggot, who lectured in…
Pathway to the Cosmos: The alignment of megalithic tombs in Ireland, Britain and Atlantic Europe, by Peigín Doyle (Wordwell in Association with the National Monuments Service, €10.00 / £8.99) The recent total eclipse of the sun, visible across a large swathe of Europe caused great excitement. It was certainly a rare lifetime event, but…
Remember the Children, a novel by Lucy Beckett (Gracewing, £20.00 / €23.50) This novel is the final part of a trilogy, the two earlier parts of which, entitled In the Grieving of Her Days and A Late Finding, were much admired on their publication also by Gracewing. This latest book deals with the experiences…
Forbidden Ireland: Church and State – 1951 to The Present Day, by T. P. O’Mahony, introduction by Rosita Sweetman (Mercier Press. €16.99 / £14.50) T. P. O’Mahony was for many years the religious affairs correspondent first for the Irish Press in Dublin and then later for the Cork Examiner. He has written several books…
I listened recently to an excellent interview with Dr Hannah Vaughan-Spruce who presented a hopeful vision for the future of the Church, where parishes become centres of discipleship, evangelisation and authentic community. Hannah is Executive Director of Divine Renovation UK, a ministry that inspires, connects and equips parishes to become missionary (see www.divinerenovation.org). She also…
Church leaders say renewal must take root in parish communities A “real spiritual hunger” is emerging in Ireland as some younger Catholics show a new confidence and intentionality about their faith, Church leaders involved in evangelisation have said. Julieann Moran, General Secretary of the Irish Synodal Pathway, told The Irish Catholic there are “certainly young…
Dublin Archdiocese has launched a new resource designed to help parish and diocesan pastoral councils move away from operating like committees at a “business meeting” and instead adopt a more prayerful, discernment-based approach rooted in the Church’s synodal journey. The resource, titled Becoming a Synodal Pastoral Council, was developed over several months by the Archdiocese’s Mission…
In times gone by, most politicians were savvy enough not to attack motherhood. There was even a jokey phrase to allude to the sweetest things in life: “motherhood and apple pie”. Everything else had a dubious side, but mom and apple pie occupied a specially valued zone. Politicians of old grasped the point that everyone…
The American non-profit Guadalupe Missions has brought the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Ireland and NI on a week-long trip. The Irish Catholic spoke with founder and director Scott Watts after a live podcast recording with MamCast, the Catholic Mothers Ireland podcast, in Baggot Street. Mr Watts travels with Fr Brett Jamrog and…
Our contributor Fr Kieran O’Mahony OSA – readers will know him through his Hearers of the Word section in this paper – was buried last Friday at seventy-five, after an illness, and the tributes that followed called him what he was: a gifted teacher of Scripture, an Augustinian who spent decades making biblical texts breathe…
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello
Mary Kenny
Renata Steffens