A Belfast-based priest remains modest about how his words pricked the conscience of politicians, writes Colm Fitzpatrick When a Belfast-based priest gave the homily at the funeral of a murdered journalist last month, it wasn’t expected that his words would have any long-term effect. The remarks would, of course, touch the hearts and minds…
Questions of Faith It’s almost taken as a given today that the origins of humankind can be explained through the theory of evolution: the process by which different kinds of living organisms are believed to have developed from earlier forms. There’s a common assumption today that Catholics don’t believe in evolution, and instead adopt a…
The priest who spoke at the ecumenical service of murdered journalist Lyra McKee has said there has been no progress in many areas since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Fr Martin Magill, who gave a eulogy in Belfast’s St Anne’s Cathedral in memory of the 29-year-old woman killed by a dissident republican group,…
The pro-life party Aontú have condemned the theft and vandalism of local election posters which they say are aimed at destabilising the success of their running candidates. Cathaoirleach of the party, Pádraig Ó hÉacháin, told this newspaper that many posters have been stolen and defaced in the Wexford area in the hopes of affecting the…
Bishops across Ireland have urged parishioners and clergy to draw young people to religious life in a hope of curbing ongoing priestly decline. In a series of homilies for the annual Chrism Mass, prelates warned that the shortage of priests in the country will soon lead to “significant change” in dioceses and called for a…
Calls have been made for religious buildings across Ireland to be fire-proofed, amid fears that dilapidated churches could be easily prone to disaster. Speaking in the aftermath of the huge fire which ravaged Notre-Dame’s Cathedral earlier this month, Dublin’s Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said that he “worries” that churches in Ireland may meet a similar fate.…
Questions of Faith Easter is a very special time in the liturgical calendar, in fact, out of all the events Catholics celebrate, Resurrection Sunday is undoubtedly the most important. This is because on this day, Christians remember that after three days of death following his crucifixion, the Son of God rose from the dead fulfilling…
While the Passion narrative was recorded over 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, a group of Derry-based schools decided this month to offer their own interpretation of those few fateful days. Students of St Joseph’s Boys’ Secondary School, St Columb’s College and St Mary’s College gathered in St Eugene’s Cathedral to visually retell the…
Catholics should see the hand of the Holy Spirit working in the ongoing transition from a clerical to a lay-led Church, a theologian who has just completed extensive research on Vatican II in Ireland, has said. Dr Gary Carville, who graduated with a PhD last month from Dublin City University on the topic of Ireland’s…
Tours can open up our Irish history in new ways, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Historical and religious tours can often be reduced to drab, monotonous circuits where bland facts are reeled off one after the other, with the enthusiasm of a teetotaller at an open bar. Putting a twist on this all too common experience,…