Pat O’Kelly The National Concert Hall ended its 2017/18 International Concert Season recently with the first visit to Ireland of the Würth Philharmonic Orchestra. Initially I mistakenly thought Würth to be a place but closer scrutiny revealed it to be the name of an individual – the businessman, philanthropist and art collector, Reinhold Würth.…
Fun in the sun It’s festivals galore this summer and one that always stands out is the annual St Anne’s Park Rose Festival which is taking place on July 14-15 from 10am-6pm each day. It takes place on Dublin’s northside where the public can enjoy woodland walks, recreational facilities and, of course, the beautiful Rose…
Personal Profile Matthew Carlson speaks with a Holocaust survivor Tomi Reichental has lived quite a life, even by normal standards. He is an author, public speaker, world traveller and to top it off, is one of the last survivors of one of humanities darkest time, the Holocaust. Born in Slovakia in 1935, Tomi has…
Dear Editor, The national airwaves and dailies have been full of late with references to how, fresh from her victory in the abortion referendum, Minister Josepha Madigan led a Communion service for those gathered for Mass. One aspect of this we must surely grapple with honestly is whether people who flout Church teaching should be…
Do not fear the Cross, Pope tells Christians during homily For Jesus, suffering and glory go hand in hand, Pope Francis said, urging Christians not to fall into the temptation of running from the Cross, but to imitate Christ in bending down to embrace the weak and vulnerable. In his homily for the June 29 Solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul, the official patrons…
Elise Harris In his latest prayer video, Pope Francis asked Catholics to dedicate the month of July to giving a spiritual gift to their pastors by praying for them, especially the priests who are tired or lonely. “The tiredness of priests…Do you know how often I think about it?” This is the opening line…
Archbishop Philip Wilson of Adelaide was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest following his conviction for failing to inform police about child sexual abuse allegations. Magistrate Robert Stone announced the sentence in Newcastle Lower Court July 3 and ordered an assessment of the 67-year-old archbishop to determine his suitability to serve the sentence at…
Elise Harris In his latest move on the Chilean clerical abuse crisis, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca of Talca, and Bishop Alejandro Goić Karmelić of Rancagua, both of whom have come under fire for their reaction to abuse allegations. Valenzuela, 64, is one of four bishops…
The View Martin Mansergh An Irish Independent headline earlier this month on an article about Pope Francis’ forthcoming visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families declared: ‘Pope will find no tales of princes of the Church in his choice of venues’. The focus would be on the poor, the homeless, and the…
There has been huge demand for tickets to participate at events with Pope Francis with tickets for Knock being snapped up in just over four hours. Organisers of the World Meeting of Families confirmed that the Dublin-based pastoral congress is also booked out with some 37,000 pilgrims registered from 114 countries. As of lunchtime on…