Petra Conroy The word is beginning to spread in the town lands and parishes around the country: the World Meeting of Families (WMOF2018) is coming to Ireland next year, and there are high hopes that Pope Francis is coming too. Naturally, news of a possible visit from the Holy Father captures a lot of…
David Mullins Charles Dickens famously opened his novel A Tale of Two Cities with the immortal line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.” Anyone who was paying close attention to recent proceedings in Leinster House would have observed…
The Dublin Lockout 1913: New perspectives on Class War and its Legacy Conor McNamara and Padraig Yeates (Irish Academic Press, €24.99 pb/ €44.99hb) Tom Morrissey The Lockout centenary commemoration was a triumph of careful organisation, hard work and trade union support. In the process, James Larkin was glorified, his failings largely ignored. The Great Strike / Lockout…
Saint Brigid: Life, Legend, and Cult Noel Kissane (Four Courts Press, €24.99) Padraig Ó Riain In the Life he wrote for Brigid, Cogitosus, the earliest known Irish biographer of a saint, declared that because of her, Kildare’s authority extended “from sea to sea”, from one side of Ireland to the other. Judging by the dedications…
The Source of All Love: Catholicity and the Trinity by Heidi Russell (Orbis Books / Alban Books, £22.99) This book is by a distinguished member of the faculty of the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago. She addresses the problem of presenting the doctrine of the Trinity in a manner that reflects our…
Annual Babywearing ‘Wear a Hug’ fair Babywearing Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation run by a network of volunteers all passionate about promoting safe babywearing and its benefits for both children and caregivers. It is a voluntary, community-based organisation with an nationwide network of sling libraries, meets and online support. The annual ‘Wear a Hug Fair’…
Small changes to missal without resources required Dear Editor, I read with interest your lead article (IC 14/09/2017) which indicated that, although permission had been given to change, we will stick with the current missal, largely for resource/cost reasons Could I appeal to the Irish bishops to make a number of small changes back to…
Inés San Martín After statements from several Australian bishops reaffirming Church teaching to Catholics in the country ahead of an upcoming vote on same-sex marriage, two bishops are singing outside the chorus, with one of them saying it’s a “decision each person is free to make”. Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen, appointed by Pope Francis…
Junno Arocho Esteves Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil was sitting in a room in an unknown location, one of several he had been relocated to during his 18-month imprisonment, when he received some unexpected news. “Those who kept me came to where I slept and said, ‘I bring you good news. We are sending you home.…
Despite goals to end global hunger by 2030, the latest report from the UN shows the number of undernourished people has increased rapidly. The number of people lacking adequate food on the planet increased from 777 million in 2015 to 815 million in 2016. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’…