Religious orders ‘haemorrhaging’ members, cardinal reveals The secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has sounded a warning on the “haemorrhaging” of people from religious life. Interviewed by L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal José Rodríguez Carballo revealed that between 2015 and 2016, some 2,300 monks and nuns had left their…
Dear Editor, I found your ‘Webwatch’ section on January 26 challenging, to say the least. That a Catholic blogger like Simcha Fisher could so wholeheartedly embrace the ‘women’s march’, an event with an openly pro-choice agenda, left me appalled. Did the outspoken Mrs Fisher shun the March for Life a few days later? What of…
Bríd O’Meara Bríd O’Meara from Aware talks about how to build emotional resilience Resilience is a key factor in life, and something which we can all work to develop and enhance, according to Bríd O’Meara, Director of Services with Aware. “Resilience can be considered an ongoing process in life, rather than something you have or…
Tom and Madeline McCully Tom and Madeline McCully describe their marriage encounter weekend We’ve been married for 46 years, and 39 years ago our lives were transformed when we made a Marriage Encounter Weekend. We were seven years married and like many a happily married couple found ourselves in a bit of a rut. While…
Séan Ryan The Silent Books: A Deaf Family and the Disappearing Australian-Irish Sign Language by Bernadette T. Wallis (Missionary Sisters of Service; available on Amazon.co.uk at £17.86 / Aus$30.00; www.missionarysisters.org.au) Ahearing child of parents who were both profoundly deaf, Sr Wallis has written an insightful history of her parents’ childhood, education and family life, and…
Dear Editor, I write with reference to your Web Watch article regarding American blogger Simcha Fisher (IC, 26/01/2017) who is quoted as expressing strong (some might say strident) anti-Trump views which in some respects echo those of the mainstream liberal media, and who takes the ‘pro-life establishment’ to task for supporting Mr Trump. While, on…
Leah O’ Sullivan (5) from Portlaoise holds a St Brigid’s cross during Mass for the opening of Catholic Schools Week in the church of Ss Peter & Paul, Portlaoise on Sunday, January 29. Photo: John McElroy
Bishop Noel Treanor of Down & Connor has condemned an arson attack at St Patrick’s Church on Belfast’s Donegall Street which caused significant smoke damage to the building’s interior. In a statement reacting to news that someone had set fire to curtains covering the church’s Year of Mercy door last Monday, Bishop Treanor said: “This…
Fianna Fáil’s Senator Aidan Davitt has called on the Government to invite Pope Francis to address the joint Houses of the Oireachtas during his visit to Ireland in 2018. Senator Davitt said during a radio interview that the Pope’s visit to attend the World Meeting of Families would present “an ideal opportunity” for the Pontiff…
Éamonn Meehan to lead international development network Éamonn Meehan, executive director of the Irish bishops’ aid and development agency Trócaire, has been appointed president of the International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity (CIDSE), the Catholic development network. In accepting the new role, Mr Meehan pledged himself to contributing to the change the world so badly…