As we have seen in the last piece, faith is something properly personal. At its core, it is a relationship founded on interpersonal trust—this is the structure of faith. And those who have faith listen to the word of one another and hold it as true—this is the content of faith. This is then true…
Q: In a recent column you wrote that it “wasn’t appropriate” to hold hands during the “Our Father” at Mass, because the Church’s law is silent on this point. But couldn’t you read it the opposite way, meaning that since it’s not actually forbidden then it should be allowed? My family has always held hands…
On Saturday October 17, the National Synodal Assembly took place in Gormanstown, Co. Meath. Following this Assembly, the synodal journey now enters a new phase of implementation so that our parishes and dioceses become more synodal spaces and fit for the challenges of mission today. As it has been said many times, the synodal process…
Our longing for peace is often directed toward the world stage, to wars, to political negotiations, to those we believe have the power to bring violence to an end. But what about our own agency closer to home? Are we making peace or undermining it in our own relationships and communities? In the Sermon on…
When the Holy Spirit calls on you to go on pilgrimage one must follow this command. This was a call which I received in the modern incarnation of a notification in a Young Irish Catholic WhatsApp group. The post was made by the Franciscan community of Galway where Brothers Ronan and Jacopo had announced that…
This is the fiftieth anniversary of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s landmark vehicle, Chinese Roulette. To commemorate the occasion, I bought it on a box set of eight of his films from Amazon. The Commemorative Collection costs £144 but if you’re ‘into’ the controversial German director, you’ll think it’s worth it. I saw many of his films…
There’s a lot of commentary these days about mental health, that of celebrities in particular. I’m currently concerned about the mental health of society, and some items in the media this week suggest I have good grounds for my concerns. Last Wednesday I heard it reported widely that US envoy Steve Witkoff had called President…
Hilma af Klint: Artist and Visionary, essays by Jessica Höglund, Janet Mclean, Pádraic E. Moore (National Gallery of Ireland, €39.00) The new exhibition, just opened at the National Gallery in Dublin, of works by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, is not the first time she has been exhibited in Ireland. However, this show, arranged…
Render, by Billy Ramsell (Banshee Press, €12.00 / £10.50) This book is the Summer 2026 Recommendation of the Poetry Society, as well as being short listed for the T. S. Elliot Prize; so Billy Ramsell has already garnered high praise among his peers. Beginning this review, I must declare an interest. I first visited…
The New Dark Ages: The End of Reading and the Dawn of a Post-Literate Society, by James Marriott (The Bodley Head, £14.99 / £16.99) When did you last read a book? Indeed, do you still read books at all? If you are reading this review, you are likely to answer the second question in…
Aubrey Malone
Brendan O’Regan
Peter Costello