Irish Monk showcases his painting of Mary in Canada

An Irish Benedictine monk is showcasing his huge oil-on-canvas painting of Mary at an exhibition in Canada during the month of February. Emmaus O’Herlihy’s painting of Mary, called Red Magnificat, pictures her as both indigenous and almost young enough to be called a child. His painting is in Toronto’s Regis College as part of an exhibition called…

We should not applaud during Mass

Dear Editor, Many people are uncomfortable with clapping during Mass. Cardinal Francis Arinze said: “When we come to Mass, we don’t come to clap. We don’t come to watch people, to admire people. We want to adore God, to thank Him, to ask Him pardon for our sins, and to ask Him for what we…

A survey of Irish nature seen by poets disappoints

Christopher
 Moriarty   Woven Shades of Green: An anthology of Irish nature literature by Tim Wenzell (Bucknell University Press / distributed by Rutgers University Press, $US29.95/£24.95)   As one of the many writers on Irish nature who is not included in this anthology, I have to declare an interest. The preface indicates that the omission…

In Brief

Catholic Bishop in China overcomes coronavirus A retired priest in China has made a remarkable recovery from the coronavirus just days after being diagnosed with the epidemic. Bishop Joseph Zhu Baoyu of Nanyang, who is 98 years old, fell ill with pneumonia from Covid-19 on February 3. On February 12 he tested negative, but two…

Family News and Events

We CAN all do it For anyone with children on the Autism Spectrum living near Wexford, Cottage Autism Newtork (CAN) hosts many different events that parents, kids or the whole family can attend. Over the next few weeks they have coding classes, teen bowling, soccer, brick play time and more. There are also some coffee…

Bishops worldwide unite in call for Cameroon peace talks

Catholic bishops from around the world are calling on the Cameroon government to hold urgent peace talks with the country’s English-speaking separatists and moderates. Church leaders are urging the country’s president, Paul Biya, to enter into negotiations to find a peaceful settlement that addresses the grievances of the Anglophone community. A Swiss NGO has offered…

Hong Kong suspends Church services until February 28

Catholic officials in Hong Kong have been forced to cancel all Church programs for the next two weeks and cancel the Ash Wednesday liturgy due to the growing threat of the coronavirus. All public Masses on Sundays and weekdays from February 15-28 and the liturgy of Ash Wednesday have been suspended, said Cardinal John Tong,…

Global news outlet says investigation into pro-life group was not biased

An online publication has rebuked claims that a recent investigative report into an international pro-life group was fuelled by bias. Heartbeat International (HBI) had issued a statement on February 13 which said that an investigation into their crisis pregnancy centres throughout the world by openDemocracy was swayed by pro-choice bias. However, openDemocracy said that HBI’s…