Q: Why doesn’t the Church allow women to be priests? A: The reason why women can’t be ordained priests is because of the pattern set by Jesus himself while he walked the earth. Pope St John Paul II mentions this historical fact as the fundamental rationale for reserving the sacrament of holy orders to men…
Jonathan Luxmoore As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is celebrating its 75th birthday, the Vatican’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, organised a symposium that aimed to focus on both human rights and care for creation. The December 8 symposium, co-sponsored by the Sovereign Order of Malta, Caritas in Veritate Foundation, and the…
Dear Editor, In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four world the bandwagon effect has made people so timid that all enrol for the brainwashing programmers; nobody wants to incur the sanctions of ‘Big Brother’. In the real world many hide their firmly held beliefs and give way before public opinion. By not daring to speak the truth…
American order mourns loss of Irish sister Sr Mary O’Mahony OSF (formerly Sister Mary Cornelia) died in Assisi House on Sunday, December 10, aged 91. She had been a professed member of the Sisters of St Francis of Philadelphia for 72 years. Sr Mary is predeceased by her sister, Sr Nora O’Mahony, who was also…
Michael R. Heinlein Legendary singer Daniel O’Donnell readily admits that he doesn’t write many songs. But two that he has written came to him almost as inspired works when he was on pilgrimage in 2002. “When I went to Medjugorje, I didn’t intend to write songs,” Mr O’Donnell told OSV News. “I just felt I…
Deacon Greg Kandra Is 60:1-6 Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 Eph 3:2-a, 5-6 Mt 2:1-12 On a Sunday that centres on discovery, revelation, and manifestation – the very definition of ‘Epiphany’ – one of the most important discoveries for the magi (and for us!) comes at the very end of this week’s Gospel. A…
A rare painting dating back over 500 years by a celebrated Italian artist, The Nativity by Baldassare Peruzzi, has gone on public display in Belfast. One of only a handful of Peruzzi’s paintings known to be in existence, the work had been in a private collection in Britain for decades before being put up for…
Every year, the Vatican unveils a Nativity scene from a different diocese, often using materials or artistic styles from the particular region or country where the diocese is located.
As each New Year dawns, we marvel at the passage of time. We take stock of our lives, and how far we’ve come, and how far we have yet to travel. Time inevitably brings change. Yet few of us, as individuals, have changed nearly as much as this Irish nation in which we live.
In paragraph 30 of his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis wrote, “Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth”. As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, God’s word invites reflection on the joys, responsibilities and challenges of family life in the light of Christian faith and discipleship.