Landscape and Society in Contemporary Ireland
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Handling resentment in our lives
Many of us, I suspect, know about the work of the renowned anthropologist, Rene Girard and the dissemination of his insights through the work of his student, Gil Bailie. With gratitude to them, I pass along one of their insights, an invaluable look at how we try to handle resentment in our lives. When astronauts…
Some Catholic colleges are not really Catholic
Dear Editor, As Open Days in a variety of third-level colleges approach, prospective students and their parents would do well to familiarise themselves with the real ethos of these colleges and the values that are being promoted in them and not rely on college propaganda. For instance, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, which was established as…
Relics of the saints are not trophies
Dear Editor, As usual this week (7/11/13) I read The Irish Catholic and got a lot out of it. However I was surprised to read the letter from Margaret Ahearne denouncing relics. Her ignorance is appalling! The Church has venerated relics even from the time of the catacombs to give us hope in the work…
Relics are precious gifts from God
Dear Editor, I wish to respond to Margaret Ahearne’s letter regarding relics (CI 7/11/13). I am afraid she is very much mistaken that the use of relics is not biblical. In fact, the concept that contact with the bones or other objects once belonging to saints can facilitate miracles goes right back through the Gospel (where…
Dealing with media is a priority
Dear Editor, David Kelly (Letters IC 7/11/13) questions the need for the Church, as the body of Christ, to learn how to deal with the media and argues (quite correctly) that a bishop’s first duty is to his flock. It is to be argued, however, that Mr Kelly poses a dilemma for the modern bishop…
Facing the challenge to forgive
Dear Editor, Aubrey Malone titles his review of the film Philomena ‘The Sins of the Mothers’ (IC 31/10/13). He clearly sees sin only in the young mothers like Philomena Lee who were locked in the Magdalen Homes and not in how they were treated. He sees the film as an attack on ‘the Church’ which…
‘What we were doing was right’
Msgr Raymond Murray had an uphill battle exposing human rights abuses, writes Martin O’Brien
Intelligent Christianity with C.S. Lewis
Fr Thomas Casey SJ reflects on key things we can learn from this genius of modern Christianity
Desperate typhoon survivors plead for help
Paul Keenan and Cathal Barry Parishes across Ireland are mounting massive fundraising efforts for the Philippines as Irish missionaries there say more aid is urgently needed. In the wake of super-typhoon Haiyan, some 10 million people are directly affected and more than 5 million people left homeless. The death toll is expected to be in…