Personal Profile Claire Devaney tells Colm Fitzpatrick about her youth mission   From exciting camps and clubs to vital school ministry, one woman is stepping up to the mark to give religious education a new lease of life. Claire Devaney is Primary School Co-ordinator with Scripture Union Ireland, an ecumenical Christian organisation which focuses on…

The people of South Sudan need Ireland’s help, writes Colm Fitzpatrick   With poverty, hunger and fear still rampant in war-torn South Sudan, a lay missionary is calling on all Irish people for support. Noeleen Loughran, who originally hails from the small village of Emyvale, Co. Monaghan, now helps suffering children in Africa, having sold…

We are all guilty of poor listening at times, writes Barbara Duff   Do you ever feel that your partner does not really listen to you? Well, don’t worry – you are not alone. And chances are that at times your partner feels the very same. For most of us, the art of true listening…

Colm Fitzpatrick explores relationship abuse in Ireland   With 40% of those women who experience domestic violence first experiencing it during pregnancy or soon after childbirth, it is clear that relationship abuse is a crisis in Ireland. Domestic violence appears in many shapes and sizes which can range from verbal and emotional abuse to sexual…

Youth Space ‘Cathy’ describes the transformative powers of a Dublin Catholic Youth Group   The ‘Transformer: Life in the Spirit’ seminar was an absolutely incredible experience. From the moment I walked through the door there was a most beautiful sense of welcome, joy and peace. As I entered the large spacious room jam-packed with young…

Life coach Eileen Hopkins advises Colm Fitzpatrick about tackling New Year resolutions   ‘New Year, New Me’ is a modern aphorism so entrenched into Irish society that personal transformation in January has become a sobering thought for many. From reading more and taking up gardening, to quitting smoking and finally making use of that harrowing…

A chaplain’s job is like a parent’s, writes Colm Fitzpatrick   As Catholic chaplain in Trinity College for the ninth year, Peter Sexton SJ is continuing to try and spread Gospel values and provide support for thousands of students year in, year out. Born in 1944 in Limerick, Fr Peter is the youngest of three…

Society needs to plan for the reality of longer life expectancies and an active older population, writes Catherine McCann   We age from the day we are born. Yet when the word ‘ageing’ is used, people assume it refers to the older years. What in fact are the older years? Those who are considered old…

Personal Profile Paul Ginnell tells Colm Fitzpatrick about his new role in fighting poverty   With thousands of people affected by consistent poverty in Ireland, a new director of an Irish-based anti-poverty network is stepping up to the mark to let his voice be heard. European Anti-Poverty Network Ireland (EAPN), established in 1990, is a…

Personal Profile Colm Fitzpatrick talks to an Irish band that worships God through music   Pope Benedict XVI once remarked that music’s origins lie in the experience of love, sadness, and the encounter with the Divine. Through music, we can, in some way, hear God speaking. One Northern-Irish band has taken on the challenge of…