Married couples with children are more likely to be satisfied with their relationships and family life than their unmarried peers, according to a new international survey. The Global Family and Gender Survey looked at family trends in 11 countries including Ireland. It found while 18% of married couples have had ‘serious doubts’ in the past…
The International Eucharistic Congresses: A Spiritual Odyssey: 1881-2016 by John Francis Allen (Gracewing, £20.00) When the Eucharistic Congresses were held in Ireland it was the public events that attracted the attention of the commentators at the time and of historians since. But as the author of this valuable book makes clear, the Congresses also have a scholarly…
Dear Editor, This coming St Joseph’s Day marks the ninth anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s Pastoral Letter to the Catholics of Ireland. That – along with his decision to hand-pick Archbishop Charles Brown as an active and energetic Nuncio – stands as a sign of his concern for the Irish Church. A re-reading of the letter…
The Notebook Fr Vincent Sherlock I listened to ‘The Deer’s Cry’ in the house before Mass. It is a favourite of mine and I thought that I might play it at Holy Communion time if there was no choir. There was no choir, so I left the phone on the altar, moved the microphone…
Warm tributes paid to Monaghan priest Clogher’s Bishop Larry Duffy has paid tribute to Fr Brendan McCague after it was announced last weekend the Carrickmacross priest is to retire from active ministry after almost 46 years of service in different parts of the diocese and in various roles. “Until my ordination as bishop I worked with Fr Brendan in Carrickmacross…
Wifi drive-by Packing your family into the car for a journey is a stressful business. Central to this is keeping your kids, no matter what their age, amused for the duration. So, how do you fend of those salvos of ‘Are we there yet?’ and ‘I’m bored’ when you’ve got offspring who no longer think…
Pat O’Kelly New Music Dublin, cancelled in 2018 due to weather, then partially salvaged last September resurrected itself at the beginning of this month for an action-packed weekend. However, one would require exceptional stamina to cover the broad spectrum of its endeavours. As festival director John Harris commented, “the range of music being performed…
An Irish cardinal has praised Pope Francis’ recent announcement regarding the opening of the Vatican Secret Archives from the wartime pontificate of Pope Pius XII. “I am grateful to His Holiness for taking this welcome step and allowing scholars to examine the records of Pope Pius XII’s pontificate during the Second World War,” Cardinal Timothy…
Cardinal George Pell, 77, was sentenced to six years in prison today, just over two weeks after a Melbourne court allowed the publication of news that he had been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys. Cdl. Pell, who continues to maintain his innocence, will try to appeal the verdict. The court has set June…
The number of reported cases of violence against women in Indonesia shot up by nearly 14% last year, according to the National Commission on Violence against Women. In its annual report issued on March 6, two days before International Women’s Day, the commission said there were 406,178 reported cases of violence against women in 2018 compared…