Marie Le Tran Thuy Vi and her friends are living their Faith through preparing, cooking and packing food at Phu Trung Church to hand out to the poor of Ho Chi Minh City. Vi, 22, and her group with 10 youths hand out 150-175 servings within 45 minutes each night. Recipients include homeless people, lottery…
To look at this coronavirus spiritually is to see it as a call to conversion, both personally and as the Church, writes Fr John Harris OP On many occasions over the last few weeks I have been asked where is God in this lockdown and coronavirus crisis. Needless to say from the perspective of…
At a time when young people need to see the shallowness of celebrity culture, the Church has found a powerful witness writes Ruadhan Jones The Church should “look at and recognise that something extraordinary happened” in the life of Derry nun Sr Clare Crockett, according to Fr Stephen Quinn, a Derry-based Carmelite priest, who…
Coping with Coronavirus: How to Stay Calm and Protect your Mental Health A Psychological Toolkit by Dr Brendan Kelly (Irish Academic Press, €3.99 pb; Kindle price, €0.99) Anthony Redmond I am sure I speak for a lot of people when I say that I feel as if I am living through a strange, bizarre nightmare when…
‘Respect dignity of farm workers’, says Pope Pope Francis has appealed for migrant farm workers, who pick crops with bad conditions and low pay, in Italy and worldwide to be respected and not exploited during the pandemic. The Holy Father made a fervent appeal for the respect of the dignity of workers who have called…
Family behind well-known hotel launch cookbook for Childline Many families who are under lockdown are re-discovering the art of cooking – with varying degrees of success. Now, the family behind the famous Gougane Barra Hotel in Ballingeary, Co. Cork have launched a cookbook in aid of Childline. Chef Katy Lucey and daughters Jane and Ali…
Dear Editor, How to sad to read [IC 7/5/20] that Pope emeritus Benedict XVI feels that there has been an attempt to silence him in retirement. There has certainly been a sense from some ideologically driven voices within the Church to present him in opposition to his successor Pope Francis. Unfortunately, this has come from…
Prayer is more than just a physical, emotional or intellectual act; it is an inner desire to encounter God, Pope Francis has said. Continuing his new series of talks on prayer during his weekly general audience today (May 13), the Pope said that the longing expressed through prayer “is more than a need, more than…
Editorial Comment It is almost two months since most Irish Catholics have been able to attend Mass. This is an unprecedented situation even in a land where the public worship of God by Catholics was forbidden and punishable by death. Churches in the North remain closed by order of the civil authorities, while according…
Religious leaders of different faiths and inter-religious organisations in the Indian state of Andra Pradesh have united and tightened a collaboration agreement to help contain the spread of Covid-19. In a joint declaration, the groups say they “want to play a constructive role for the common good by uniting people of all faiths”. Christian, Hindu,…