Questions of Faith All Catholics know that the first Pope was St Peter, but after his martyrdom, who succeeded him? While we’re not entirely sure who followed on from Peter, according to Church tradition, St Linus was the second bishop of Rome who reigned some time between 67-80AD. Multiple sources attest to this, the…
Questions of Faith Many Eastern religions hold to the doctrine of reincarnation – from Latin literally meaning ‘entering the flesh again’ – proponents of this idea hold that living organisms like human beings repeatedly take on a new physical form after death. In some traditions, a human can be reborn as an animal or even…
Questions of Faith The topic of married priests is hotly debated in Catholic circles today – the Bible tells us that man must leave his mother and father to be joined to his wife, so why is this injunction not applied to the clergy? It’s important to note that most clerics in the early…
Journaling can works wonders in improving your life, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Modern life can be pretty fast-paced; trying to juggle a million different commitments often means that people rarely have the time to sit down and reflect on their day, week or month. However, the opportunity to introspect by analysing your actions and relationships…
Questions of Faith The phrase goes: “New year, new me.” The mentality of recognising your weaknesses and setting new goals aimed at improvement is ubiquitous across the western world. Some people decide to hit the gym, others try to jump on the diet train and many of us will attempt to stave off alcohol.…
It can be tough sticking to your New Year Resolutions but they are achievable, writes Colm Fitzpatrick All of us are guilty now and again of putting something on the long finger; we’ll start that daunting diet next week, clean the car at the end of the month, or look for a new and…
Questions of Faith Every December 25, family and friends come together to relax, exchange gifts and celebrate the year that has just passed. For Christians, this moment in the calendar year is more that just a party, but a time for rejoicing in the birth of Jesus Christ over 2000 years ago. The Church teaches…
Winter can put many of us into a state of despair, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Many people look forward to the winter season where you can build snowmen, drink hot chocolate by the fire and cosy up with a Christmas movie. However, this idyllic image of these icy months isn’t shared by everyone – most…
Questions of Faith The first image that probably pops into your head when you think of Santa Claus is a jolly, old, bearded man who delivers presents to children once a year. However, the origins of this story date back to a real life person in the 4th Century. St Nicholas of Myra was a…
The story of this inspiring young man has the power to move hearts and minds, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Incredible people can be found in the most ordinary and unsuspecting of places – the small Scottish town of Carfin is one of those places. It lies between Glasgow and Edinburgh, to the north-east of Motherwell, and…