Greed and the “narrowness of vision” of caring just for our own town, city or country are part of an ‘old culture’ that must be changed to avert disaster, according to the keynote speaker at the Faith and Life Convention in Belfast over the weekend. Dr Michel Camdessus, former Director of the International Monetary Fund,…
The Pope John Paul II Award is merely a gong with no real value unless those doing it “take seriously how the Gospel can help us understand where our society is damaging itself”, Derry’s Bishop Donal McKeown told young people at Knock Shrine on Friday. Speaking at the National Pope John Paul II Award Pilgrimage,…
Over 60 missionaries and mission staff from across the world have been commissioned for another year of ministry in Ireland. Bishop Alan McGuckian of Raphoe celebrated a Commissioning Mass for NET missionaries who began their work last week. Hailing from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hungary, Northern Ireland, and the US with a strong Irish…
It’s been 40 years since Pope St John Paul II’s iconic visit to Ireland, which drew crowds of millions. Since then Ireland has changed dramatically, but his messages of peace and faith are as relevant today as if they were said yesterday. The Polish Pontiff, who was just 59 years old at the time, kissed…
Chai Brady speaks to an Irish missionary about the Church in South Africa, and what the Irish Church can learn from it After celebrating Mass in a church high in the South African mountains, an Irish missionary saw a man approaching him in a way that spelled danger; he had not seen him at the…
We have to keep hoping in the midst of crises and in the face of our fears, writes Fr Thomas Casey SJ “They’re not ornaments you know,” Padre Pio once exclaimed to a zealous pilgrim who grabbed his hands so firmly that the Capuchin saint began to writhe in pain. Padre Pio suffered from the…
Prisoners in Ethiopia have been shedding light on remarkable people who made a huge contribution to our world, writes Fr Paddy Moran CSSp Recently an exhibition of Irish prison art was put on display in the historic Kilmainham Gaol. The exhibition was entitled ‘Unlock’ and was described as a “showcase of the work of…
Ireland’s parents and principals are struggling to keep primary schools afloat, writes Greg Daly If there’s a silver lining in the Government’s banning oversubscribed schools owned by Catholic parishes from selecting on the basis of religion, it’s that it removed another distraction from the real story in Irish primary education, which is that the…
Field Hospitals Chai Brady hears from Irish charities living Pope Francis’ call to ‘go where they suffer’ The Church is a “field hospital” that cares for the sick and wounded no matter where they are, according to Pope Francis in 2016, a message that resonated with many Irish charities who continue to reach out…
Field Hospitals I am proud to say that Focus Ireland helped over 500 families to secure a home last year and to escape the nightmare of being homeless. I now sometimes feel there are no words left to describe the deepening homelessness and humanitarian crisis. Since I founded Focus Ireland in 1985 I never dreamt I…
Chai Brady
Greg Daly