A human life is beautiful and complex. It is often like a jigsaw puzzle, where each new insight acts as a fresh piece, reshaping how the whole is seen. Yet there is a tendency to reduce people to one thing or another, to place them neatly in a box. What is often forgotten is that…
“During the storms over the last couple of weeks, some of our volunteers were out doing hospitality visits rather than emergency visits. Meeting people in their local community and making sure the elderly were okay and had what they needed,” said Commander John Wright KMOb, national director of the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps. He…
Breda O’Brien has warned that Catholic schools face a growing formation gap, linking the weakening of school ethos to declining literacy, confidence, and engagement with Scripture. Speaking on the Education Nation podcast, the teacher and Irish Times columnist argued that the challenges facing Catholic education do not stem from a lack of goodwill among teachers,…
In an era of constant distraction, one of the greatest challenges facing married couples is learning how to be truly present to one another. Mike and Rose Curtin of Catholic Marriage Encounter say modern technology has quietly reshaped how couples relate. “You can’t be present to another person when you’re present to other people on…
While Storm Chandra has moved on, its emotional and psychological impact continues to be felt by many older people, particularly those living alone, an advocate has warned. Tony Carroll, an author, befriender and nursing home advocate, said the storm brought a renewed sense of vulnerability for older people who may already struggle with isolation or…
As the Church marked the World Day of Consecrated Life – on the Feast of the Presentation – women religious across Ireland spoke of joy, hope and renewed purpose, challenging assumptions that vowed life has lost its relevance in modern society. For Sr Faustina, a member of the Poor Clares in Galway, consecrated life speaks…
An inside look into the Irish Pontifical College’s year-long formation programme An intriguing opportunity crossed my timeline recently, applications had opened for a year of formation in Rome at the Irish Pontifical College. Oriented toward young people. The list it promised was simple enough. Live in Rome. Study theology. Share life with other young people…
A year-long formation programme in Rome is now open to Irish applicants aged 18–30, offering young lay people the opportunity to study, pray and live in community at the Irish College in Rome. The initiative, based at the Irish College in Rome, was developed over several years as a semester programme and is now in…
As St Brigid’s Day approaches, medieval historian Dr Catherine Swift says the enduring appeal of Ireland’s best-known woman saint continues to “speak to us” in each generation. “We’ll never get the full picture,” Dr Swift said speaking to The Irish Catholic. “All history is fragmentary. We remember the saints because they speak to us in…
Leading psychotherapist Stella O’Malley has questioned how Irish media have reported on transgender-related issues, arguing that activist guidance has too often been treated as settled fact without sufficient scrutiny. Writing in this edition of The Irish Catholic, Dr O’Malley writes that what came to be presented as a broad social and legal consensus “was not…