We are constantly surprised by time. We glance at the clock in the morning, realise we’re late, and make a panicked dash for the door, abandoning a half-finished cup of coffee. Each New Year’s Eve surprises us too, as we suddenly find ourselves thrust uncomprehendingly into an exotic new year that once lay in the…

Charlotte Gormley shares her experience of living and working with the Derry Youth Community The Derry Youth Community (DYC) is an exciting international gap year experience for young people between the ages of 18-25. The young people commit 10 months of their lives in order to live in community with each other in central Derry, ministering to young people…

A Parent’s Perspective I have a great interest in politics, political programmes and all the discussion and debate that surrounds it. Much to my children’s dismay, I’m monopolising the television in the run up to the general election and the minute yet another debate begins, they beat a hasty retreat. My 15-year-old, who often joins…

We had a wonderful homily from our parish priest a few weeks ago. I’m not suggesting that we don’t generally have good homilies – but this one stood out. I went to Fr Brian after Mass to thank him for what he’d said and laughing, he responded, “It wasn’t the homily I had prepared at…

According to my six-year-old boy, I am “like a rainbow”. His teacher brought me into his classroom the other day to see his little essay, proudly hung on the wall, where he was asked to use similes to describe a friend. I was touched that he chose me as that friend, and I was even more…

María Salto Galdón examines the impact of Pope Francis on young people’s attitude to the Church Pope Francis: a revolution in our Church nowadays but also in the vast width of our world. ‘The humble Pope’, ‘The Pope of the poor’ that is how the Pope is regarded by everyone. However, are young people today…

Chloe Mangan Chloe Mangan describes what it means to have a Catholic ethos in her school I feel really lucky to be a student in a Catholic school managed by the CEIST Trust. Our prayer room is a wonderful facility. It is a room of escapism, tranquillity and silence. Moments of appreciation, forgiveness, or sorrow…

Readers of this column will be familiar with a perspective that encourages strong self-awareness to promote positive parenting and good problem solving skill development in children. It is hard work being a parent and no parent I know gets it right all the time. The acid test of an excellent parent is getting it right…

We have just completed our fourth session of the Confirmation programme ‘You shall be my witnesses’ with over one hundred children who will be confirmed in our parish on February 13. Our fifth and final session will take place a couple of weeks after the children have been confirmed. I have really enjoyed these weeks,…

Science of life Happiness is that state in which one experiences joy, pleasure and contentment. Considerable research has been carried out on how to achieve happiness and many conclusions have been reached. One important conclusion is that wealth will not, in itself, produce happiness. Other things that do not, in themselves, correlate highly with happiness…