Jaymie Stuart Wolfe When we moved to New Orleans, my husband and I were surprised to see the depth of Catholic influence in the culture here. Southern Louisiana isn’t quite a Catholic Disney World, but sometimes it comes close. Local meteorologists provide weather predictions for “All Saints’ Day” by name. In March, over 50 Catholic…
Permitting ourselves enemies comes with rules, for God’s sake and ours
Elizabeth Scalia Since October 7, I have been trying to understand something incomprehensible. There is a lot that has happened since that bloody date that is incomprehensible, but I don’t mean the planned slaughter of civilians and innocent children – hatred gone mad and become inhumane is not completely incomprehensible, for we see it daily:…
NI abortions double after termination law change
The rate of abortions in the North almost doubled in the three years since the abortion law was changed, new statistics reveal. As of May 23, 5,648 abortions have taken place in the North, figures released by the Department of Health to Both Lives Matter showed. Since Westminster’s controversial intervention in 2020 to forcefully legalise…
Waterford and Lismore gains 20 faith reps for outreach efforts
As part of Waterford and Lismore’s Ascend Strategic Plan for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, 20 ‘faith representatives’ representing 11 parishes were commissioned for the diocese on September 29 in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Waterford. The 20 representatives, “with a heart for young people,” are expected to carry out a variety of…
Our sisters in Faith: the medieval nuns of Ireland
Brides of Christ: Women and Monasticism in Medieval and Early Modern Ireland, edited by Martin Browne OSB, Tracy Collins, Bronagh McShane and Colmán Ó Clabaigh OSB (Four Courts Press, €50.00/ £45.00) Patricia Rumsey As the number of candidates for religious life apparently dwindles, so the wider interest in religious life – and particularly women’s monastic life…
What justifies prayers for the dead?
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: Praying for the dead: where can this be found in the Bible? I don’t want any reference to the Catechism, thanks. A: As you allude to in your question, many of the details regarding the Church’s teaching on Purgatory (and the utility and appropriateness of praying for the dead) is part…
Searching for an ethical compass in modern times
How to be good. What Socrates can teach us about the art of living well, by Massimo Pigliucci (Basic Books, £10.99 /€12.99) The Power of Ideas. Words of Faith and Wisdom, by Jonathan Sacks (Hodder and Stoughton, £20.00 /€20.00) Frank Litton Both these books inform our moral compass, helping to sharpen its direction and deepen…
Vatican confirms it will welcome Nicaraguan priests released from prison
The Vatican has confirmed that it has been asked and has agreed to receive 12 priests who had been detained in Nicaragua. “The Holy See has agreed; they will be received by an official of the Secretariat of State in the afternoon (Oct. 19) and housed in facilities of the Diocese of Rome,” Matteo Bruni,…
The two greatest commandments
Deacon Greg Kandra Ex 22:20-26 Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51 1 Thes 1:5c-10 Mt 22:34-40 Anyone who has spent time watching reruns of Law and Order knows the first rule of being a good witness in a courtroom: Never answer a question that you haven’t been asked. Stay on point. Don’t elaborate. Keep it…
More than half a million children pray global rosary for peace in Holy Land
Amid the Israel-Hamas war, more than half a million children across the world prayed the rosary for peace. On October 18, well over 500,000 kids participated in an annual global rosary campaign sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need. This year, ACN dedicated the annual rosary to “healing and protection of the suffering in…











