An ailing Church needs to be bold if it’s to return to leadership, hears Jason Osborne The Church in Ireland has been ailing for some time, and the results of the 2021 LIFT index ought to provide the Faithful with food for thought. LIFT Ireland – an initiative to develop the level of leadership nationwide…

Respecting and supporting migrants and culture is key to protecting against racism, Chai Brady hears Racism is sadly part of every society, mostly due to fear of the unknown, although fortunately it exists relatively to a lesser extent in Ireland as the country is more tolerant than many others according to a Jesuit sociologist and…

The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. If you have access to a streamed Mass this Sunday, you will notice that we have returned to the green vestments of Ordinary Time. Green is the colour of growth and we can call it the default colour of the year when our journey is inspired by…

Carol Glatz   Even though the baptisms the Pope celebrates most years in the Sistine Chapel are better known, the most important place to be baptised in Rome for the past nearly 1,600 years has been the baptistery of St John Lateran. Baptistery The ancient baptistery was built in 440 AD just behind the Basilica…

Séamus Dooley When the novelist Benedict Kiely died in February 2007 Msgr Tom Stack, who had received his remains at the Church of the Sacred Heart, wrote an incisive tribute in the Donnybrook parish bulletin. Benedict Kiley, he wrote, “was above all else, a storyteller. The need we all have to hear the ‘story’ was fulfilled…

The monumental decision taken by Pope Francis to visit Iraq in March will no doubt be one for the history books. Although the current pontiff is no stranger to visiting territories plagued by conflict and seemingly perpetual violence, this will be the first time a Pope has ever visited Iraq, a country which is the…

An online exhibition highlighting the histories of the unique and rare collections of the library of Trinity College Dublin is available online and represents 3,000 years of “creativity, memory and knowledge”. The Library of Trinity College Dublin dates back to the establishment of the college in 1592 and is the largest library in Ireland. Its…

Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap The baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. He came out of the years of hidden life. There was no need for Jesus, being without sin, to participate in the ceremonial washing that John the Baptist offered people. But by submitting…

Dispelling myths and prejudices, Chai Brady hears about young people and their relationship with God Schoolchildren have a “great hunger” to discuss and engage in discussions about God and they must be given this opportunity, according to a retreat facilitator that has worked with multiple schools. Anita Phelan, who has a degree in applied psychology,…

Controversial pundit George Hook talks to Chai Brady about faith, the politics of outrage and advice for modern Ireland Undoubtedly the year 2020 will go down in history, with the extent of the worldwide response to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic unprecedented and severe. For that reason there has been an abundance of…