The profound call of Vatican II not only still rings true, but is even more needed today says Archbishop Dermot Farrell The human path that we walk with its difficulties is the way to God. Our pilgrimage through time is God’s way of shaping us from within and without, by the events of history —…
An Irish Atlantic Rainforest: A personal journey into the magic of rewilding, by Eoghan Daltun (Hachette Books, €19.99/£16.99) Christopher Moriarty ainforest is a word all too familiar to conservationists. The context is usually the forlorn one of the replacement of tropical rainforest by intensive cattle grazing for the ultimate production of beefburgers. With this background, the…
Deacon Frank Browne Easter is almost in view, and it is the time of year that parishes are beginning to prepare our young people for the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation. I believe it is an opportunity for all of us who minister within our parish communities, to reflect upon how we can make…
Two new alternatives to burial and cremation fail to comply with the Catholic Church’s teaching on respect for the bodies of the dead, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine said. In a March 23 statement, the committee said it had evaluated human composting and alkaline hydrolysis, and concluded that both “fail to…
Saint of the week The life of this great servant of God appeared to be merely the unfolding and an ever-stronger exemplification of the virtues which he received in holy baptism. Born in 1390 of wealthy and devout parents at Valladolid in Spain, he lost his father at an early age; but he himself became…
To walk in the footsteps of Jesus is quite simply breath-taking, writes Elaine Noonan A trip to the Holy Land had been on my mind for some time. I had hoped to be able to go during the year of my 40th birthday, but then lockdowns happened and that birthday came and went. So when…
Lorene Hanley Duquin Today, parishioners are expected to feel a true sense of ownership in their parish. That means looking at your parish as more than just a place where you go to Mass. A parish can be a sacred place where the human and the divine meet, where people of all ages grow in…
Malawi is still reeling from the consequences of Cyclone Freddy that hit the southeastern African country on March 12. The storm system caused flooding and mudslides that have resulted in the deaths of about 500 people, according to Malawi’s Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) earlier this month. More than 490,000 people have been displaced…
As faith communities we need to support those who feel afraid to express their faith writes Fr Barry Matthews As an eight-year-old celebrating pretend Mass in the sitting room of our Dundalk home I understood something of the importance of the role God played in my life. The innocence of childhood mixed with the innate…
Renowned performer Andrea Bocelli invites us to join him on a unique pilgrimage, writes Andrew Petiprin In recent years, the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli has enjoyed international success while frequently offering traditional Christian songs to a mass audience. Blind since the age of 12 and experiencing significant success as a singer while only in his…