Taking a break from social media is an essential element of retreat in today’s world, writes Jason Osborne Life today can often feel all go, all the time. I’m coming to see that that’s a normal part of the human condition – God worked six days and rested only for one, after all – but…
Personal Profile When Karen Wynne left home to work in Dublin, her mother encouraged her to join a prayer group. But Karen resisted until a trip to Medjugorje open her eyes to the importance of prayer and work in community are to strengthen your faith. Karen always had a connection to the Faith due to…
The Covid pandemic seems to be followed by a pandemic of tired and stressed-out people, writes Jason Osborne A cursory google reveals that the number of people wondering whether they’re burnt out is at something of an all-time high. Anecdotally, chatting to friends reveals a general sense of lingering exhaustion or lethargy that started during the pandemic…
Personal Profile Aidan O’Rourke, manager at Radio Maria, says it is a great blessing to serve people by bringing God to them over the radio. Having explored the ways God might be calling him, he feels that he is now fulfilling his vocation through his work with the station. The eldest of four brothers and…
With Easter Sunday come and gone, it’s important not to forget to continue celebrating what God has done for us, writes Jason Osborne If you’re in any way like me, you’ll be feeling like you’re nearly at the end of your spiritual-attention span, having weathered a long Lent and embraced the Triduum, with all of its…
Personal Profile Just five years ago, Aontú candidate for Belfast South Luke McCann had fallen away from the faith of his childhood. Now, in the midst of his election campaign, he took a break “in the thick of it” to go on a retreat over the Easter weekend. He puts the change down to the…
Personal Profile Ruth Hogan grew up in a family that was both musical and Catholic, but it took some time for both these childhood realities to find their home in her life. After spending time in the Holy Family Mission and giving retreats herself, she realised that music is a gift God gave her to…
Almsgiving is about more than the material help we offer; it has an effect on our souls, writes Jason Osborne Prayer, fasting and almsgiving are the three pillars upon which a successful Lent stands. Many Catholics know of the spiritual benefits of prayer and fasting, but view almsgiving as a purely material practice that one…
Personal Profile Sr Agnes of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal in Drogheda faced many battles before finding her vocation. However, when she came to have a personal relationship with Jesus, she found he had the joy that would fill her heart. Born in Florida, Sr Agnes says that she grew up in a Catholic…
Reports suggest large numbers of people continue to leave their jobs in search of greener pastures, so how does one find them, asks Jason Osborne Research throughout the pandemic and since those uncertain days informs us that millions of people across the world have upped and left their jobs, often in pursuit of a better opportunity…