Lonely Mystic: A new portrait of Henri J.M. Nouwen by Michael Ford (Paulist Press, $16.95 / £12.99) Anthony Redmond What is the reason for the enduring appeal of Henri Nouwen? This Dutch Catholic priest and celebrated spiritual writer died in 1996 at the age of 64. His appeal, for me, is his vulnerability, openness, sensitivity and…
Labour leader Brendan Howlin has vowed to keep up pressure on the Government to grant asylum to persecuted Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi and her family. Mrs Bibi is being held at a secret location in Pakistan after she was freed from prison when her conviction for blasphemy was overturned and she was spared the death…
Youth Space Challenging discussions can enrich our Faith, writes Rachel Sherlock Doom and gloom is the typical tone when it comes to talking about young people in the Catholic Church. From parish pulpits to Vatican synods, there are endless calls to reach out to a demographic that seems more and more to be moving…
Relics of St Brigid to be venerated at ‘Red Wednesday’ Aid to the Church in need invites parishioners to set aside Wednesday, November 28 to light up churches and wear something red to remember Christian martyrs and those who have died for their faith. On that day, St Malachy’s Church, Armagh will be lit up red and people are asked to wear something red…
Antrim parish to hold ‘Prayers Matter’ to deepen Faith An Antrim parish will hold its sixth annual round table gathering on ‘Prayers Matter’ with speakers including Baroness Nuala O’Loan, Sr Elaine Kelly from the Adoration Convent in Belfast and PP Fr Patrick Delargy. The event takes place in All Saints’ Parish Centre, Cushendall Road, Ballymena, on Saturday, December 1 from 2-5.30pm. Sr Elaine…
Dear Editor, In the course of the last week, it emerged that the HSE, at the behest of the Department of Health, had offered €450 (around twice the normal delivery) to GPs, for each abortion (assassination) they performed. This stunning news was hardly mentioned in any newspaper. It was stunning, because of the value placed…
Pat O’Kelly Following the première of Don Carlos at the Paris Opéra in March 1867, Verdi returned to his farm at Sant’ Agata in the Po valley. He found peace on the land he loved and where he planted trees, cultivated vines and bred his horses. Maybe he would now retire! He had often…
Vatican opens doors to Russian ‘spiritual’ masterpieces for show In an example of the “diplomacy of art”, the Vatican has inaugurated a landmark exhibit of “spiritual” masterpieces from Moscow’s famed Tretyakov Gallery and other Russian state galleries. Some of the pieces, particularly a number of precious icons, have never been shown before outside of their home galleries, Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican…
Choo choo! With the Christmas holidays fast-approaching, how does a magical train ride through a festive forest sound? On offer from December 1–9, is ‘The Christmas Express’ at Laois’ Stradbally Woodlands Railway – the first volunteer-run heritage railway in Ireland, having been established in 1969. The whole family will get the chance to embark on…
The Notebook Fr Conor McDonough The choir of King’s College, Cambridge is often associated with the Christmas season. For many of my English friends, the sound of Carols from King’s on the BBC on Christmas Eve is the sign that Christmas has well and truly begun. But I associate them above all with…