Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with a kidney failure sufferer Although organ donation is very rarely spoken about in a religious context, a parish priest is calling on all people to think about this worthy and self-sacrificing act. Fr Patrick Guilfoyle, who is now 72, has been a parish priest based in Tullaroan, Kilkenny,…
Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with a pro-life activist and campaigner Although Niamh Uí Bhriain is known for her passionate and vocal activity in the pro-life movement, her initial zeal and enthusiasm for activism has much deeper roots, originating from the influence of her parents when she was growing up. For them, it was…
David Kennedy In his letter on the joy of love, Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis calls on Catholic families to live their Easter faith and to recognise that at its centre one finds authentic Christian hope. In fact, he emphasises that “in our own day dominated by stress and rapid technological advances, one of the…
Parents can help protect their children online, writes Colm Fitzpatrick A few decades ago the most useful safety advice given to children was that when out and about you should never speak to strangers. This message was often summed up by the useful adage ‘stranger danger’, which stressed that all strangers can be potentially dangerous. This…
Youth Space Missionaries have to trust their labours will bear fruit when they’re gone, writes Kelly Koerwer “Hi my name is Kelly and I’m a recent graduate of the University of Notre Dame. I live in Dublin and I work at the Notre Dame-Newman Centre for Faith and Reason at University Church on St…
Although gaming brings joy to millions of people globally, it is important to remember that virtual reality can have real effects. The world of gaming has evolved rapidly in the last few decades; now it is an immersive online experience where gamers can communicate internationally with one another, create their own unique characters, and enter…
From a life of music to a life of silence, one chaplain is now listening to the voice of students. Born in 1967, Fr Gerard Magee was reared in a turbulent period when the “troubles were about to break out”. He received a Catholic education from St. Malachy’s College, North Belfast, which was also complemented…
Religious scrupulosity can be destructive, writes Colm Fitzpatrick Although piety is a virtue that should be extolled, there are circumstances when devotion can become neurotic and damaging. All of us have compulsive tendencies at times that take shape in either the form of thought or action. This may be as simple as wondering if…
Personal profile Colm Fitzpatrick learns about the power of the homily Although homilies at Mass can sometimes sound repetitive or even boring, one Capuchin priest is offering helpful tips on how to make the homily more interesting and thought-provoking. Cork-born Fr Silvester O’Flynn is well known for his reflections on the three cycles of…
Porn addiction can have longstanding effects, writes Colm Fitzpatrick With one in three Irish people viewing porn before turning 16, addiction can become a serious and harmful issue. In an age where sexually explicit images and videos are available at the push of a button, questions need to be raised about the negative effects…
Colm Fitzpatrick