The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) this week launched #ThePowerofVote campaign, calling on citizens to use their vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees. Recent practices in Europe, such as the absence of safe and legal pathways to protection; the extensive use of detention of asylum seekers;…
Inés San Martín When she first heard that Pope Francis wanted her to write the meditations for the world’s most followed Way of the Cross ceremony, Italian Sr Eugenia Bonetti said she was “embarrassed” but soon realised that it could be a “great opportunity”. An opportunity “not for me, but for the many people who through…
Australia’s Catholic population fell by 2.7% between 2011 and 2016, but Catholics are more likely to have a higher education, according to an analysis of census data by the National Centre for Pastoral Research. Analysing statistics from the country’s 2016 census, the centre reported on April 4 in its ‘Social Profile of the Catholic Community…
Personal Profile Hannah Harn From growing up in Limerick to leading the conversation in applied spirituality, the path of one Jesuit priest carried him through the Chilean military regime and guided him through his ongoing commitment to social justice service in the modern world. Dr Michael O’Sullivan, Director of the Spirituality Institute for Research and…
A coffee shop set up with the support of over a dozen different Catholic groups offers a model of outreach and co-operation which could be vital for the Church going forward, organisers say. Brew132 on Cork’s Washington Street aims to provide a place where students on their way to and from college might be exposed…
Pope Francis to celebrate Holy Thursday with prisoners Pope Francis will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper with prisoners in Velletri, about 36 miles south of Rome. The Pope will celebrate the Mass and the foot-washing ritual at the Velletri Correctional Facility on April 18, the Vatican announced last week. The late-afternoon visit will include a meeting with prisoners,…
Who let the dogs out? A pet-friendly family fun day will take place on Sunday April 21 in Corkagh Park, Clondalkin in Dublin from 12-3pm. With invitations open to the whole family, including your four-legged friends, there will be a dog friendly walk and free Easter egg hunt on the day. Husky Rescue Ireland (HRI)…
Pat O’Kelly ‘Treat’, meaning something that gives great pleasure, seems to be out of fashion but I am reminded of it recently in three programmes at the National Concert Hall, which I consider merit the accolade. The first comes from the period-instrument Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) conducted by Budapest-born pianist András…
The Notebook Fr Conor McDonough There’s a strange paradox at the heart of modern celebrity culture. On the one hand, thanks to Instagram, celebrities are the object of unprecedented interest, love, envy and devotion. Pop stars and influencers all have their ‘fandoms’, hordes of utterly devoted fans who spend large parts of their free…
Dear Editor, Dr Phyllis Zagano’s article on the female diaconate (IC 4/4/2019) invites some very serious questions, not just about the prospect of ordaining women as deacons but about the purpose of male deacons. If we are honest about this, it seems indisputable that there were indeed women deacons in the early Church, with confusion…