The Spirit of Catholicism, by Vivian Boland OP (Bloomsbury, £16.99/€18.50) by Frank Litton As somebody who spent a good part of his career teaching organisation analysis, helping students understand organisations and the problems of organising, I have wondered why we pay so little attention to the Church as an organisation, subject to the failings that…
Vatican Roundup
New UAE Apostolic Nunciature opens in Abu Dhabi The Substitute of the Secretariat of State, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, presided over a ceremony to officially open the new Apostolic Nunciature to the UAE on Friday. The event took place on the same day as the world marks the International Day of Human Fraternity, which commemorates…
In Short
Cork school celebrates Ceist’s 15th anniversary On February 1, St Brigid’s Day, St Mary’s High School, Midleton in Co. Cork celebrated the 15th anniversary of the foundation of Ceist. To celebrate the occasion a representative group from St Mary’s visited the Presentation Sisters in the convent adjacent to the school. A spokesperson said: “Ceist post-primary…
A better indication of the divisions in Ukraine
Dear Editor, I couldn’t agree with Mary Kenny more that there is a case for teaching more about faith traditions which are relevant to current political conflicts [The Irish Catholic – January 20, 2022]. But let’s start with Ukraine. The dominant religion in Ukraine, east or west, is Orthodoxy. This is divided between those under the jurisdiction…
Renowned Irish Dominican fears synodal overfocus on organisation and management
Staff reporter Prominent theologian and author Rev. Dr Vivian Boland OP has warned that the synodal process the Church is embarking upon may focus too much on “organisation and management”. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper Dr Boland said it would be useful for the synodal process to consider the entirety of the Church rather…
Mark Wahlberg to play boxer turned priest Father Stu Long
Father Stuart Long, who was a priest of the Diocese of Helena, Montana, is set to be the main character in a motion picture starring Mark Wahlberg as the priest himself, with Mel Gibson playing the priest’s father. The film is set to release April 15, 2022, Good Friday. Father Stu, as he was affectionately…
Cardinals cite Benedict XVI’s outreach and action against abuse
A cardinal who had served as an aide to now-retired Pope Benedict XVI and was present for his meetings with survivors of clerical sexual abuse said he never found in him any shadow or attempt to hide or minimise anything”. The depths of human sin and depravity “distressed him intimately, and he sometimes remained silent…
Synod: Faithful must focus on gifts they can offer the Church
Deacon Frank Browne asks: Is the decline in priestly vocations a wakeup call to take the synodal pathway seriously? I have fond memories of student life in Clonliffe College, the Dublin Diocesan seminary in the early 1980s. There was hardly a vacant room with over 100 students. Most of my class were just out of school.…
US cop wins settlement following abortion clinic prayer
The city of Louisville, Kentucky, is paying a local police officer a $75,000 settlement after he was suspended for praying outside an abortion clinic, according to the firm representing him. Officer Matthew Schrenger was off-duty when he stopped to pray with his father on the public sidewalk outside the EMW Women’s Surgical Center nearly a…
Dominican priest killed in Vietnam knife attack
Fr Giuse (Joseph) Tran Ngoc Thanh, OP, was killed in a knife attack on Saturday. Fr Tran was attacked January 29 at a mission of Dak Mot, about 40 miles northwest of Kon Tum. He was hearing confessions before the last Mass of the evening, according to Ordo Praedicatorum on Facebook. The Diocese of Kon…











