Good Friday at 25 It is difficult for a new generation who have never experienced conflict at home to imagine the toll of the violence in lost lives, physical and mental injury and economic woe,writes Martin O’Brien After staying up late on Holy Thursday in case I missed anything I woke up to a news…
He was a great man of faith who chose not to parade his Christianity – just to practice it and persevere through thick and thin writes Martin O’Brien John Hume was one of the greatest Irishmen who has ever lived. He was one of the greatest in this or in any age since hunter gatherers…
The Celtic Tiger did more damage to Ireland’s soul than the British did in 800 years, Aidan Donaldson tells Martin O’Brien You come away from a few hours with Aidan Donaldson uplifted and challenged in equal measure and with a lot of think about. He says: “The Church has a choice: to keep with…
Tribute to a statesman In 2015, the late Seamus Mallon sat down with The Irish Catholic northern correspondent Martin O’Brien for an interview in which he offered rare insights into his life of faith. On the occasion of his death, we reproduce it here Statesman, patriot, Catholic, primary carer to Gertrude, his dementia-stricken…
In their contrasting ways two much-loved priests offered selfless pastoral service to different faith communities, writes Martin O’Brien The diocese of Down and Connor was both in mourning and in thanksgiving last week after the deaths on the same day of two of its most beloved and distinguished priests, Fr Des Wilson and Msgr Ambrose Macaulay. They…
The vision of modern Irish saints needs to be told, Martin O’Brien learns By any standards, Dr Gladys Ganiel, a distinguished Queen’s University Belfast academic, formerly of the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin, must be among the most remarkable Americans ever to have made their home in Ireland. One of the foremost…
A new book on meditating on Jesus’ love comes from hard-won experience, writes Martin O’Brien You come from a conversation with Jim Deeds uplifted and refreshed. Those who have attended the retreats he has recently conducted at Lough Derg (with his friend and fellow author Fr Brendan McManus SJ) or listened to his talks…
“Th’ whole worl’ is in a terrible state o’ chassis”. I wasn’t exactly expecting that immortal line from ‘Captain’ Jack Boyle in Sean O’Casey’s famous play Juno and the Paycock to be intoned with gusto by Alan Abernethy, the 62-year-old Church of Ireland Bishop of Connor, when we spoke at his home in south Belfast.…
A sense of history is needed to talk sensibly about God, a leading ecumenist tells Martin O’Brien Dr Johnston McMaster, ecumenist intellectual, teacher and advocate of “public theology”, author and Methodist minister, one-time youngest soccer player in the Irish League at 15, chooses his words carefully but there’s no mistaking his disappointment at where…
WMOF 2018 “This is a wonderful opportunity, a Kairos moment for the renewal of the Church in Ireland and the young people here, they are just simply excited at the prospect of being in the same field as Pope Francis.” There is no mistaking the sense of excitement and expectation in the voice of…