Questions of Faith If a spaceship landed on earth and we were greeted by extra-terrestrial life with our own intellectual and spiritual capabilities, how would the Church react? Assuming that these aliens came in peace, it’s fair to say that it would not contradict our Faith to baptise them. The Church has no official position…
Parents are morally obliged to vaccinate their children, writes Colm Fitzpatrick With the recent spate of measles outbreaks across Ireland, questions have been raised about what role both parents and government play in preventing the spread of infectious illnesses. Vaccinations, of course, seem to be the obvious solution as they provide immunity to the…
A ten-year-old boy is walking the Camino to raise funds for children exposed to violence and poverty on the streets. Christopher Nugent from Ballina in Co. Mayo is currently journeying on his third Camino, this time walking 400 kilometres from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France to Leon in Spain, with his father Robert.…
Questions of Faith When criticising religion, it’s common to hear the expression: “Faith is believing in something without having proof.” This accusation is usually thrown at people who adhere to a particular religious or spiritual belief in an attempt to show the irrationality of their thinking. In others words, while you may think it’s noble…
A Tipperary priest has urged the government to tackle the country’s current suicide and mental health crisis. In a meeting with mental health minister Jim Daly, Fr Michael Toomey of Clonmel raised serious concerns about the lack of resources in the county to address this epidemic, stressing that the county has had a higher than…
This month, hundreds of people from the Diocese of Waterford and Lismore travelled as part of the annual diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes. Now in its 61st year, 485 people made the journey, with 94 sick pilgrims as part of the group. Noting that all in attendance enjoyed the trip, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan told The Irish…
An Irish nun committed to empowering young women in one of the world’s most volatile countries has received an award in recognition of her vital work. Wicklow-born Sr Orla Treacy, of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Loreto Sisters, was given the Societal Impact prize as part of the DCU…
Questions of Faith If all the bread and wine in the world disappeared overnight – and could no longer be made, would we be able to celebrate the Eucharist? Assuming that the Church wouldn’t make a special case to change its rules on this matter given the bizarre circumstance, the answer is no. It’s common…
An outspoken pro-life advocate is encouraging others with the same convictions to not be “silenced” in the face of intimidation or bullying. 21-year-old student Gavin Boyne is urging the pro-life community to be resilient in the face of criticism after he received online abuse and a death threat for sharing his views. “I’m a little…
It’s all in your head anyway! The Camino is more than just a physical trail, writes Colm Fitzpatrick As I walked through the town of Arzúa on a blistering hot day, a message engraved into a wooden post stopped me in my tracks. It read: ‘Why go to Santiago – it’s all in your…