Dear Editor, I read with great interest the interventions of my learned brother Prof. Tom Whelan. Fr Tom is very right that the local Catholics in these territories need the priests ‘ten times more than we do’. I am very much aware that my brother being versed in liturgy knows more than I do that…
Clonfert, Co. Galway, is the resting place of one of the most adventurous of Irish monks: St Brendan the Navigator. Stories of his seafaring inspired not only his contemporaries in Ireland, but later generations across medieval Europe too. Even in our time his story was a major influence on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and…
‘You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbour as yourself’(Luke 10:27) Archbishop John McDowell, Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, and Archbishop Eamon Martin, Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18th-25th January) with a wide-ranging conversation on this year’s theme, ‘Go and do likewise’. In the conversation…
It’s usually fathers who ask me, and usually – about two-thirds of the time – daughters they’re asking for. Their children want to become writers or journalists, and they ask me to tell them how to do that. (No one has ever asked me to talk to his child about becoming an editor.)
“For the son of God became man so that we might become God” and “… might make men gods”. I am to become GOD? That doesn’t seem right.
The Church offers us a richer way to celebrate Christmas, writes Amy Welborn For Catholics, great feasts like Christmas don’t come at us out of the blue: In the secular world, ‘Christmas’ seems to start in October! However, our approach to this holiday as Catholics must be different, and it can be. We can put…
John Mulderig One promising way to get in the holiday mood is to watch a Christmas-themed movie. And, since yuletide films naturally tend to qualify as family-friendly, they can also provide an opportunity to gather the clan, make some popcorn and relax together. Following, in alphabetical order, are capsule reviews of eight such pictures with…
Christina Rosetti’s poem, In the Bleak Midwinter, is a Christmas classic. “In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone. . .” As Advent begins and the first wintry weather sets in, those words come to mind. As I write, today is such a day – gusty…
Dear Editor, Christians in Bethlehem are facing immense challenges amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The uncertainty and fear that has gripped the region has taken a toll on the lives of the residents, especially those who depend on tourism for their livelihoods. Bethlehem is not only a spiritual home but also a…
A Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office has said. The request for a blessing can express and…