It’s hard to measure how good or great a film is, but when you’ve topped the premiere fan review site (IMDb) for more than 20 years, you must have done something right. What makes The Shawshank Redemption’s (1994) success even more remarkable is that it was a flop on release. It only came to fame…
Irish-born Bishop David O’Connell was remembered as a man “gripped by grace” and “at ease with movers and shakers and also with the moved and shaken” as nearly 5,000 attended a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on March 3. The Mass was the conclusion of a three-day tribute to…
A nun who was the first Irish woman to receive a doctorate in mathematics back in 1931 is set to be celebrated by a Wexford college. To mark International Women’s Day, South East Technological University’s (SETU) Wexford campus will launch a new funded PhD in the area of STEM (Science, technology, engineering, mathematics) to celebrate…
One of the more curious and eclectic sections on the Vatican’s 1995 list of important films is the ‘art’ section. At least one of their choices, however, is unlikely to be controversial as it is often considered the greatest ‘arthouse’ film of all time – Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 sci-fi extravaganza, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Although…
The three pillars of Lent – prayer, fasting, almsgiving – enrich our spiritual life during this penitential season. But they can also be challenging. Saints can shed light on our journey. So let’s begin with almsgiving and look to St Katharine Drexel as a profound example of the depth to which this practice calls us.…
Parishes in the diocese of Killaloe are being consulted on plans to cut the number of parishes from 58 to 15. In meetings held in February and March, two plans for the future of the diocese are being presented to parishes for consideration. Fr Albert McDonnell, the diocese’s chancellor, told the parishes that “radical” structural…
EXCLUSIVE The divestment of Catholic schools in the Republic must stop until the Government gives a guarantee that the State will not attempt to undermine the Catholic identity of remaining schools, leading education experts have warned. The “clock is ticking” for Catholic education because, as divestment – handing some schools over to State control –…
A recent report on conversion therapy is a “bogus” attempt to interfere with doctors’ discussions with their patients, a prominent psychiatrist has warned. The report, conducted by the Department for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, explores “conversion therapy practices” in Ireland as the Government mulls introducing a law banning the practice. The report includes…
Millions of people face the prospect of starving to death, Trócaire warned as it launched its 50th Lenten campaign. Repeated failed rains have led to nearly eight million people – almost half of Somalia’s population – struggling to find food, the charity said in a February 21 statement. “Millions of people are facing the prospect…
Irish-born Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles David O’Connell, was shot and killed on February 18 in his Hacienda Heights home, a neighbourhood east of LA. His death is being investigated as a homicide, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles early February 19. Bishop David worked tirelessly for peace…