I’m never been much of a garden person – rather concurring with whoever described gardening as ‘outside housework’. That is, chores  done to maintain some kind of domestic order, rather than for any kind of fulfillment. But the Covid-19 lockdown did make me aware that there are people who have no gardens, and no access…

The View   Last week, the BBC and other outlets carried a report that a school in Hull had apologised after pupils researched porn on the internet for homework set for its pupils. Children aged 11-14 had been asked to “define” topics such as “hardcore porn”, “soft porn”, “revenge porn” and “sexting”. A mother of…

As the journey back to common worship continues, parishes will need to be ready to hit the ground running, writes Michael Kelly Archbishop Diarmuid Martin spoke for many when he said on Monday evening that “as Christians, we suffer through not being able to celebrate our faith through public worship”. The suspension of public Masses…

When the pandemic is finally over, the livelihoods of very many people will be harmed and the damage will be huge, writes David Quinn   The pandemic is increasing feelings of anxiety among the population, with a bigger effect on women than men. This has now been confirmed by new data from the Central Statistics Office…

Despite the changing times in which we are living, some things remain steadfast. This weekend we celebrate Pentecost, the recognition that the Holy Spirit has come and remains in the life of every follower of Jesus Christ. Pentecost is linked closely with Easter and with the mission of Trócaire, particularly this year as we all…

I grew up in a close family and one of hardest things I ever did was to leave home and family at the age of 17 to enter the novitiate of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. That novitiate year wasn’t easy. I missed my family intensely and stayed in touch with them insofar as the…

Notebook   Today I completed my 13th Facebook Mass (11 Sundays, Holy Thursday and St Patrick’s Day). As has often been said, it’s a whole new world, and it’s not all bad either. Online Masses show how amazingly adaptable we Catholics can be. Facebook supplies an amazing array of statistics. For each Mass celebrated live…

Surrogacy is a complicated issue – the demand for surrogacy services certainly indicates that while there have been so many well-financed pressures to get rid of babies, there is also a strong global demand to acquire babies. Surrogacy is big business. A recent drama on BBC TV, The Nest, broadcast in April, portrayed a wealthy…

The View   Memories of people and travel, repeat performances and modern systems of communication with family, friends and colleagues all help to maintain sanity. While the airwaves are dominated by just one subject, we all need occupations that can absorb our attention and lift our mind onto other things. The museum of the Vienna…

Why did the bishops go even further than the Government required by telling priests aged over 70 to strictly cocoon, asks David Quinn   A delegation from the bishops’ conference held an online meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week to discuss a return to public Masses. A statement was released by the bishops afterwards. It…