Vincent de Paul: The Lazarist Mission and French Catholic Reform by Alison Forrestal (Oxford University Press, £70) Clear Vision: the life and legacy of Noel Clear, Social Justice Champion, 1937-2003 by Gerry Jeffers (Veritas, €16.99) Daire Keogh Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) is synonymous with charity and virtue, but, in Ireland his popular acclaim rests largely on the…
Ordain women: why not?
The ban on women’s ordination is not based on theological speculation, but on the Apostolic tradition of the Church, writes Fr Vincent Twomey SVD On the Feast Day of our national Saint, the Irish Independent published a two-page article by management consultant Eddie Molloy: ‘Church must face appalling vista of its abominable treatment of…
Economic progress but grave challenges remain for Iraqi Christians
A top official with Catholic Relief Services, visiting northern Iraq, said new life is evident for those who suffered the injustices and atrocities of the so-called Islamic State invasion of their ancestral lands but some grave challenges remain. “I see the hope of the Resurrection, while still the experience of the Cross is the reality…
Poll shows three quarters of Catholics in United States planned to attend church at Easter
A new poll shows that 73% of respondents who identified as Catholic said they would be attending church for Easter, with 53% of all Americans saying they planned to attend church services on Easter Sunday. Among respondents who said they were practicing Catholics, 95% said they planned to go to Easter Mass. For Good Friday,…
To honour Rev. King, ‘deepen’ commitment to work for justice, bishops urge
Fifty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, “we need to ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to build the culture of love, respect and peace to which the Gospel calls us”, US bishops have said. In reflecting on Rev. King’s life and work, “what are we being asked to…
Priest slain in suspected gang attack
Catholic officials in El Salvador expressed outrage and sadness after the assassination of a 31-year-old priest during Holy Week, in what some suspect may be a gang killing. Authorities said Fr Walter Vasquez Jimenez was traveling with parishioners to officiate a Holy Thursday Mass in San Miguel when their car was stopped by an armed…
Members on both sides of abortion debate to get Fine Gael funding
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has agreed that party members who are not in favour of repealing the Eighth Amendment can use party funds to print campaign literature. Fine Gael will not pay for posters as well as television, radio or newspaper advertising, in addition the party press office are not issuing comments in favour of either…
Family News and Events
A camp of your choosing! The approaching summer means that children will soon be out of school and itching to make the most of the sunny days. The Kids Guide Summer Fair is designed with this desire in mind, which offers information on a wide selection of more than 50 of the best camps in…
God’s love has not gone away, you know!
God is Stranger: What Happens When God Turns Up? by Krish Kandiah (Hodder & Stoughton, £9.99) Emily Keyes When people suffer tragedies, they often do one of two things with their faith: they either turn to it for comfort, meaning and healing, or they abandon it, saying they can no longer believe in or have a…
A space for faith to be explored
Personal Profile Jake Trant speaks about a university Catholic society The Dublin University Laurentian Society which takes its name from St Laurence O’Toole, Archbishop of Dublin, was founded in 1953 to provide a meeting place for the growing number of Catholics attending Trinity College. It was one of several societies formed in the period…










