Youth Space Retreats give us time to stop and think about ourselves and God, writes James McNamara For most teenagers, the prospect of a class outing creates a sense of anticipation, excitement, adventure and fun. A break from school, an opportunity to relax, but Ms Ronan’s next two words rang alarm bells: ‘Lough Derg.’…
Just over half of all Belgians (52%) say they are Catholics, according to a survey carried out by the Church for its first-ever annual report, but fewer than one in ten attends Mass a minimum of once a month. Since it is the first report of its kind in Belgium, it makes no comparison between…
Doctors working in end-of-life care believe the assisted suicide movement is hurting attempts to build a serious palliative care culture, Senator Ronan Mullen has said. Speaking against the background of the publication of a Council of Europe report entitled ‘The Provision of Palliative Care in Europe’, for which Senator Mullen acted as rapporteur, Mr Mullen…
Disordered Minds: How Dangerous Personalities Are Destroying Democracy by Ian Hughes (Zero Books / John Hunt Publishing, €14.50) Peter Hegarty Do we have a right to know something about the mental health of prominent people? Ian Hughes, a research fellow at UCC’s Environmental Research Institute, suggests that we do: if, as psychiatrists believe, one in twenty people…
Sweet Treats Laura Anderson Although there are very few ingredients to this recipe it makes the tastiest treat! The key to success here is the preparation beforehand as the formation of the honeycomb happens quite quickly. Be sure to have all utensils to hand and read through the method a few times before…
Fr Raymond Husband has been appointed the new regional director of the Columba Missionaries in Ireland. He will be assisted by Fr Gerard Neylon who will serve as the vice-rector. They succeed Fr Pat Raleigh and Fr Padraig O’Donovan. Fr Raleigh wished both priests “the very best in guiding the region over the next three…
Lighting up Christmas To celebrate community, creativity and Christmas, check out the Festival of Light in Kilkenny’s Castlecomer which is sure to be a hit with whole family. Beginning on November 30 and running straight up to December 24, you and your kids will get to make your own lanterns, participate in The Parade of…
Dear Editor, The Open Adoption Bill 2014 was sponsored by Anne Ferris and initiated on March 11, 2014. That Bill never progressed past stage two and has since lapsed. The Adoption (Identity and Information) Bill 2014 was sponsored by Fidelma Healy Eames, Jillian van Turnhout and Averil Power. It was initiated some four years ago…
Fr Vincent Sherlock It was one of those celebrity interviews. The interviewee was speaking about social media, his own use of it and value it has for him. He spoke too about the fears he has in maybe mistakenly using it and sending out a message that might be stupid, insensitive, mis-judged or hurtful.…
Young prisoners not forgotten in World Youth Day plans Encounters with young people in prison and living with HIV will feature in Pope Francis’ itinerary when he visits Panama for World Youth Day, the Vatican has announced. The January 23-27 visit will be the Pope’s 26th trip outside Italy, and will see the Pontiff celebrating two Masses and a penitential liturgy as well…