Ireland has some of the best dark sky reserves around and the longer nights beckon us out to appreciate them, writes Jason Osborne Always having had a fascination with space and all things celestial, I’ve been strangely looking forward to the encroaching darkness of autumn and winter this year, and the possibilities it presents for…
Blesseds abound in Church in Poland
Letter from Poland Sunday saw the beatification of two blesseds with very different, but equally holy, missions in the Church in Poland. Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, declared the ‘Iron primate’, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Mother Elzbieta Róza Czacka blessed at Mass and a service September 12, at…
Grant ensures Ireland’s philosophical future is bright
Dr Philip Gonzales says the receipt of a prestigious grant will see St Patrick’s College, Maynooth shape the future of Christian philosophy, writes Jason Osborne Christianity identified the discipline of philosophy early on as a potential ally in its efforts to show the intelligibility of Christ’s message to the world. Many of the Church Fathers…
Gospel people at the United Nations
Personal Profile Sister Jean Quinn DW is surely doing for others as Christ did for us, her life’s work being that of uplifting people from homelessness, focusing on the spiritual as much as the material. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, Sr Jean says that she comes from as deeply Catholic a background as they come:…
Female religious cause for joy across Ireland
A spate of activity on the female religious front has been warmly welcomed by sisters across Ireland, with new sister, Elizabeth, for the Knock Carmelites, a new postulant, Bindhu, for the Drumcondra Redemptoristines, and profession formation taking place with the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master in Ireland (PDDM). Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper,…
Belfast’s St Mary’s college proud of Tyrone team
Ahead of this weekend’s All-Ireland showdown with Mayo, the Catholic college where many members of the Tyrone team attended has wished them well in the match St Mary’s University College in Belfast boasts 11 former students among the players in the team, and one on the support team. The principal said the entire college community…
How to pack health into school lunches
Packing school lunches can be a struggle, but there are ways to ensure even the pickiest eaters are healthfully fed, writes Jason Osborne I must have caused some headaches at times in my house as a child, so picky were my eating habits. It only dawned on me in adulthood what a monumental task it is…
Mass offered on Skellig Michael for renewal of faith
Mass was recently offered atop Skellig Michael for “a renewal of the faith in the hearts of all those in our hallowed land,” according to the event organiser, David O’Donnell. The third century Monastic site saw nine priests concelebrate the Mass and pray an informal consecration of Ireland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the…
Election of atheist as Harvard chaplain president ‘complete and abject surrender’ – Bishop Barron
Bishop Robert Barron said Tuesday that the Harvard University chaplains made a “complete and abject surrender” by electing an atheist as the president of their association. “What does bother me,” Bishop Barron wrote in an August 31 op-ed for the New York Post, “is the complete and abject surrender on the part of the presumably…
PIH advises ‘more than consent’ needed prior to sexual activity
Catholic youth group Pure in Heart has said that more than consent is desirable prior to sexual activity, in response to new research which revealed that many teenagers do not believe it is always necessary to gain consent before engaging in a sexual activity with someone. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, General Manager of…










