Through our relationship with Jesus, we too can make a difference in our world, our community and our homes, writes Fr Barry Matthews When we think of the Holy Land many of us have a romantic and somewhat nostalgic notion about the stories that we know so well from the Bible. On our recent pilgrimage…

The profound call of Vatican II not only still rings true, but is even more needed today says Archbishop Dermot Farrell The human path that we walk with its difficulties is the way to God. Our pilgrimage through time is God’s way of shaping us from within and without, by the events of history —…

Deacon Frank Browne Easter is almost in view, and it is the time of year that parishes are beginning to prepare our young people for the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation. I believe it is an opportunity for all of us who minister within our parish communities, to reflect upon how we can make…

To walk in the footsteps of Jesus is quite simply breath-taking, writes Elaine Noonan A trip to the Holy Land had been on my mind for some time. I had hoped to be able to go during the year of my 40th birthday, but then lockdowns happened and that birthday came and went. So when…

As faith communities we need to support those who feel afraid to express their faith writes Fr Barry Matthews As an eight-year-old celebrating pretend Mass in the sitting room of our Dundalk home I understood something of the importance of the role God played in my life. The innocence of childhood mixed with the innate…

Debate over John Paul II’s handling of abuse during his time as archbishop threatens to further tear Poland in two, writes Jason Osborne It’s hard to overstate the place St Pope John Paul II occupies in the Polish psyche and society, as few other countries have comparably titanic figures at all, never mind within living…

From Brazil to Ireland: Fr Bortolini Neto with a great devotion to St Patrick, writes Chai Brady Why would a Brazilian man have such a strong connection with Ireland’s patron saint? The answer is easy for priest and musician Fr EmílioBortolini Neto who decided to write his thesis on St Patrick and has recently brought…

Here is a timeline of some significant events in Pope Francis’ pontificate: 2013, March 13: Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is elected pope on the second day of the conclave becoming the first Pope from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European elected in almost 1,300 years. The Jesuit was also the…

In documents issued during his first 10 years in office, Pope Francis covered topics as diverse as strengthening one’s Faith, evangelisation, caring for creation, accompanying families and young people, and respecting indigenous peoples. He wrote a major document on reforming the Roman Curia, three encyclicals and five apostolic exhortations. Here is a list of his…

In the face of adversity, our patron saint’s deep trust in God grew even stronger, writes Fr Eamonn Conway St Patrick faced three major challenges in his life. The first was when he was captured as a slave; the other two, when he returned to Ireland as a missionary bishop. Patrick was 15-years-old when he…