When the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s death was announced on February 17, people started forwarding a clip from Sesame Street in 1972. Jackson led black, white, Asian and Hispanic children sitting on the famous Sesame Street stoop in a call and response. Each sentence ended with “I am – somebody!” It was an iconic moment, not…
In Islamic thought, there is a concept called Ahl al-Kitab, meaning People of the Book. This primarily refers to Muslims, Jews and Christians, believers who have experienced divine revelation and codified it in a book. While there are large differences in how these three faith traditions understand the role of their sacred texts, books are…
As a woman named Breda, one of the many diminutives of Brigid, I feel protective of my patron. I have no problem with people who prefer to venerate the goddess Brigid, but I do wish they would also give due respect to Brigid the saint. The narrative that St Brigid is merely a Christianised, inferior…
There is a great temptation to accept religious decline as inevitable. It does not help that much of the mainstream media seizes on any indication that faith is dying and amplifies it. For example, in 2022, the Central Statistics Office issued a press release stating that “more than 3.5 million people, or 69% of the…
A sneaky marketing tactic has crept in during the last decade or so. Traditionally, there were 12 days of Christmas beginning on Christmas Day and ending on either the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany or the Epiphany itself. The Church counts a little differently, celebrating the Octave of Christmas, which ends on the…
Do They Know It’s Christmas has a fond place in my heart. I was a new graduate in 1984, and Bob Geldof’s righteous anger was intoxicating. Buying the single and watching Geldof brute force it into the charts felt inspiring. Band Aid, and its charity single, was, of course, followed by Live Aid in July…
The Federation of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) has decided to withdraw its missionaries from Europe at the end of this academic year. This sudden and surprising decision will have a concerning impact on the services they provide on campuses in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. FOCUS (which is unrelated to the Irish housing charity founded by…
Recently, I read a book, The Grieving Body. It mingles author Mary Frances O’Connor’s own experiences of death, particularly of her parents, with extensive research on the effect of grief on the human body. She also references other types of grief, including her own diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and the loss of her first spouse…
A recent announcement by The Pillar, a US online Catholic publication, caught my eye. It already offers what it calls ‘indefinite maternity leave.’ It keeps paying for maternity leave until the mom is ready to return to work. It is now going to commit to paying 75% of all employee family adoption costs, and of…
Patricia Routledge died recently. The much-loved British actor was best known for her portrayal of shameless snob, Hyacinth Bucket, although the character insisted that her surname was pronounced Bouquet. The comedy in the series, Keeping Up Appearances, was based on skewering her pretensions. Mrs Bucket had many catchphrases, including answering the phone (which she insisted…