Fr Patrick Briscoe OP “Human beings possess a great and readily observable weakness for which they need much support and comfort,” says the Italian priest philosopher Luigi Giussani. “They have an endemic fear engendered by a temptation to reduce the total image of their lives to what can be visibly and materially experienced.” How we…
‘Clear signs of hope’ in vocations crisis The 36 men who attended a vocations weekend in Maynooth are a “clear sign of hope” during Ireland’s vocations crisis, Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan has said. Speaking at a panel discussion in Queen’s University Belfast, Bishop Cullinan said that “the level of interest meant that the event was oversubscribed”.…
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: Why do Catholics pray for the souls in purgatory to lessen their sufferings? Is it possible that the souls already in purgatory would even go to hell, so our prayers for them would save them from going to hell? A: We don’t pray that souls in purgatory won’t wind up in…
A deadly bomb that exploded during a Mass December 3 killed at least four people and injured dozens at a university in a predominantly Muslim city in southern Philippines. Media reports that the explosion caused panic among dozens of students and teachers in a gymnasium where Mass was taking place, at Mindanao State University in…
Laura Madrigal-Estebas About 220 people gathered in a fabulous setting of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Blanchardstown, Dublin, to attend an inspiring conference called ‘Parishes Caring for Creation’ at the end of November. A collaboration between Trócaire, the Archdiocese of Dublin and the Laudato Si’ Movement, this conference aimed to help parish communities respond to…
Ngala Killian Chimtom While acknowledging that a recent wave of military takeovers across Africa often have drawn strong popular support as an expression of “deep-seated frustration” over corruption and injustice, the continent’s Catholic bishops nevertheless have reaffirmed their support for democracy and opposition to coups. “There might be queries regarding our stance on coups d’etat. Principally,…
The pastoral centre of Christ the King Cathedral in Loikaw, Myanmar, was bombed on November 26 and occupied by the Burmese military the next day, according to reporting by Agenzia Fides, the news arm of Pontifical Mission Societies. Though no one was killed in the bombing, the pastoral centre’s ceiling collapsed and Bishop Celso Ba Shwe…
Dear Editor, Thank you for highlighting calls for Cardinal John Henry Newman to be made a Doctor of the Church [The Irish Catholic – November 23, 2023]. Cardinal Newman’s profound impact on both the Church and society, particularly in Ireland, makes him a deserving candidate for this rare ecclesiastical honour. Cardinal Newman, who was canonised…
The Irish Dominicans will celebrate 800 years in Dublin next year. Just three years after the death of St Dominic, they arrived in 1224 and were given land by the monks of St Mary’s Abbey on which to found their church and priory. That land was at the precise location of the present day Four…
Deacon Greg Kandra Is 40:1-5, 9-11 Ps 85:9-10-11-12, 13-14 2 Pt 3:8-14 Mk 1:1-8 If nothing else, Advent should remind us of this inconvenient truth: We are people in a hurry. The other day, I was leaving Walmart and noticed a tent set up in the parking lot. I looked closer. They had drones…