On Saturday October 17, the National Synodal Assembly took place in Gormanstown, Co. Meath. Following this Assembly, the synodal journey now enters a new phase of implementation so that our parishes and dioceses become more synodal spaces and fit for the challenges of mission today. As it has been said many times, the synodal process…
We all admire people who are magnanimous. These are people who have a soul that is wide and deep enough to embrace everyone and who have a universal scope to their vision for a better, united and more humane world. The opposite to an Anima Magna or large soul is the Anima Pusilla– the puny…
In the Gospel story of his encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus describes the life of God within the believer as being like a well-spring of fresh water: “The water that I will give them will become a spring, welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). With this image, Jesus teaches us…
In Paris on September 25 last, Pope Leo said to thousands of young people gathered in the Stade de France: “You are the saints of France! The Church in France needs you! She prays for you; she awaits you. Do not be afraid of this call!” I believe that nobody would dare describe themselves as…
On Saturday week, October 17, the National Synodal Assembly will take place in Gormanstown, Co. Meath. It will be an important moment in the history of the Irish Church and will be the culmination of five years of prayer, listening and discernment. All of the delegates and participants deserve our prayers and support as we…
It is somewhat ironic that the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, will not be celebrated liturgically by the whole Church as it falls this year on a Sunday (October 4). The Second Vatican Council instructed that Sundays, major solemnities and Feasts of the Lord were to take precedence over the…
One of the great fruits of the Second Vatican Council has been the return of the Word of God to the heart of the Church. In the Bible we find God’s living Word that encounters us, instructs us and feeds us. Through his Word, “the invisible God, out of the abundance of His love, speaks…
For every generation of Christians, it is the saints who invite us to think differently and creatively about God, the universe, the person of Christ, human beings and how they all relate, one to the other. In the words of Bishop Robert Barron: “Each of the Saints in his or her own utterly unique manner,…
It is fitting and right that a series of fifty-two meditations on the saints should include one on Mary, the Mother of Jesus. She is one of the saints and pre-eminent among them because of her unique role as Mother of the Saviour and as the one who shares fully in the divine life, being…
‘Dono di Maria’ or ‘Gift of Mary’ is a convent of the Sisters of Charity located close to the Holy Office near St Peter’s Square here in Rome. For six evenings of the week, the sisters welcome fifty-five homeless people into the convent where they gather for a meal. Recently, I have volunteered to help…