Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today The issue of closing churches has been grappled with so far in a seemingly haphazard way that needs to be tackled sooner rather than later.…
Category: Feature
Traditional approaches versus newer realities
Relentless Ministry – In a new series written by Priests, we will explore what most priests describe as “Relentless Ministry” and the challenges of being a priest in Ireland today Listening to priests around the country – and reading what some have written – there is a discernible sense of the ‘end of an era’…
‘Pray for strength, receive trials’ – All-Ireland winning goalkeeper
As an athlete, being second choice is never easy. But when the man ahead of you is often regarded as the greatest of all time, the challenge becomes both humbling and motivating. Now retired, thirty-five-year-old Barry Hennessy had spent nearly a decade as part of Limerick’s golden generation, a key member of one of the…
Lament for Melleray
It takes time, they say, to get used to an idea. It is now two or three months since I heard of the closure of Mount Melleray and like many others, I am still trying to get my head around it. The closure is, I suppose, inescapable but the final, definitive announcement of such an…
‘We’re killing the guys we have’, Fr Rolheiser
For our new series on priests and the challenges in their busy lives, Garry O’Sullivan sat down for an exclusive interview with Fr Ron Rolheiser speaking on this topic. Fr Rolheiser, could you speak a little bit about the state of priesthood, the challenges for priests these days? “Well, one of the big challenges is…
The fundamental role of the family
Society has lost touch with the importance of the family. In a world increasingly driven by individualism, the community once nurtured by family networks has faded, leaving behind a sense of “fragility and isolation,” explained Vincenzo Bassi speaking to The Irish Catholic. The president of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) and…
The Polish priest who says Mass in Portuguese in Cork
When thinking about the nationality of chaplains to foreign communities, it is usually assumed they are a native from that community’s country, however, this is not the case with the Brazilian Chaplaincy in Cork. Fr Bernard Morawski OFMCap is a Polish priest who worked with Spanish speakers for many years and today says Mass…
Social media is ‘biggest challenge’ for youth, GAA star and teacher warns
‘My two priest uncles were a great example of the Faith and priesthood,’ Gary Brennan tells Chai Brady Gary Brennan, Clare GAA stalwart and respected secondary school teacher, has warned that social media poses one of the greatest challenges to young people today. In a wide-ranging interview with The Irish Catholic, he shared how his…
Sr Clare Crockett and the dusty diary of a Derry nun
The story of a nun’s diary, found in the dust of a derelict house, captured my attention the other day. It came from a rather unexpected source: the author and republican, Danny Morrison, who I first met as a political correspondent in Belfast, long before I ever considered entering a convent myself! Mr Morrison had…
Irish women religious, in their Synod submission, came across as passionate, hurt, and angry at their marginalisation, not just in society, but more importantly, within the Church
In their document ‘Experience and Dreams as Religious Women in the Catholic Church in Ireland’ which was included in the submission of the Church in Ireland to the Synod in Rome, Irish women religious come across as passionate, hurt, angry at their marginalisation, but hopeful that some good will come of the Synodal Process. It…