The example of the unfortunate aftermath of the closure of the Clonmel Friary offers us lessons for what to do when we close churches and when our church closes. There is no doubting the goodwill of the passionate volunteers that sought for the Church to remain open in Clonmel but in cases like this, we…
This year marks the 100th birthday of the legendary Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor. Her hometown of Milledgeville, Georgia, drew admirers from all over to take part in the festivities, which included a cake and a ‘Dress Like Flannery’ contest. Writers from all over came to her grave to place their pens, described Fr Damian Ference,…
‘I get down on my knees and thank God that I’m still standing’ North of the border, Hugo Duncan is a household name on the radio, an ebullient, sprightly entertainer who regales his listeners with funny anecdotes, quips about his inordinate love of cream buns, shout-outs to aficionados in far-flung parts of the province and…
Interview with Dr Anna Rowlands in Maynooth who was in Ireland to give the annual Trocaire Lenten talk GARRY How did you get involved with the Vatican and the preparations for the Synod on Synodality? DR ROWLANDS So, my involvement started just before the Frascati meeting and I think because the Pope wanted this genuine…
Joanne Savage The Reverend Bill Shaw is director of the 174 Trust, an organisation birthed 23 years ago that is dedicated to peace-building, reconciliation, dialogue and Christian community development. It is situated in the nationalist New Lodge estate, near loyalist Tiger’s Bay – working class areas that were both seriously affected by the Troubles. The…
Bishop Donal Roche, in an interview with Garry O’Sullivan, describes a love for the priesthood, and reflects on a way of life that is mixed in hope and a sense of fear for what comes next. So I asked you to reflect on Relentless Ministry, what are your thoughts? I don’t find ministry relentless, personally.…
The Spanish Camino has undoubtedly been the European tourism phenomenon of the 21st century. Seeking meaning beyond materialism and recourse, for a time at least, to a freer and less controlled way of living, the numbers completing this mystical Spanish trail have risen from fewer than 100 in 1967 to almost 500,000 in 2024. This…
This Lent season, a new animated film will retell the life of Jesus Christ. The King of Kings, featuring an all-star cast including Pierce Brosnan (Pontius Pilate), a Drogheda man, Kenneth Branagh (Charles Dickens), from Belfast, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, and Forest Whitaker, the film offers a new perspective on the biggest…
Louise Rosingrave Athlone came to a standstill on St Patrick’s eve, for a public reaffirming of faith in the from of a Eucharistic Procession. More than 1,000 Catholics travelled from all four corners of the country to accompany Our Lord Jesus Christ through the streets. The Procession, which follows similar events in Dublin last…
Seán Óg Ó hAilpín’s life has been anything but ordinary. Born in Rotuma, some 600km off the coast of Fiji, with a native mother and his father hailing from Fermanagh, he moved to Ireland as a child and carved out a legendary hurling career. Neither Fiji or Fermanagh a hurling stronghold as the old saying…
Renata Milán Morales