Unless we remember how painfully the promises of economic growth were shown to be hollow we may have much more misery in store, writes Kevin Hargaden If we take a moment to recall what it is to remember, we quickly realise that memory is one of the great gifts of life. Consider the stories…
The Mary of Scripture and the Mary of Devotions There’s an axiom that says: Roman Catholics tend to adore Mary while Protestants and Evangelicals tend to ignore Mary. Neither is ideal. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, has, in effect, two histories within Christian tradition. We have the Mary of Scripture and we have the Mary…
A friend and colleague suggested to me a short time ago that I should consider writing a book about nuns – since the majority of nuns are now ageing, and in the fullness of time will depart this world. Had I but world enough and time, I would indeed embark on this endeavour. But because of…
The View No longer can Ireland be called a Catholic country. It may sound strange, but that comes as a relief to me. For years, those of us who are Catholic have been struggling against a notion that we are somehow part of a Catholic ‘establishment’, exercising great power and sway over the general…
Catholic hospitals must stand their ground on abortion, writes David Quinn In the Dáil last week, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed that Catholic hospitals will have to perform abortions under the terms of the upcoming abortion law. Let that sink in for a moment. Very few countries require such a thing because they know abortion…
Ed Condon The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met last week in Florida for its annual spring session at which the bishops had serious discussion about a number of issues, among them immigration. On Wednesday, their discussion took an unexpected turn. Speaking on the topic of the Trump administration’s immigration and asylum policies and…
Our culture doesn’t give us easy permission to mourn. Its underlying ethos is that we move on quickly from loss and hurt, keep our griefs quiet, remain strong always and get on with life. But mourning is something that’s vital to our health, something we owe to ourselves. Without mourning our only choice is to…
The Notebook June is Jubilee month for many priests. In communities all over Ireland, people in sacred ministry are being honoured this month, especially for Silver, Ruby, Golden and Diamond jubilees (25, 40, 50 and 60 years of priesthood). I went to one such celebration earlier in June. A special once-off Mass had been…
A retired nurse died last month in a small hospital in Deal, Kent and many local people paid tribute to her. She was Mrs Maureen Bane, aged 76, and she had been the team leader coping with the victims of the IRA attack on the Deal bandsman in September 1989. On the morning of September 22,…
The View The referendum defeat poses significant questions, not just for the pro-life movement, but for the Church. While abortion is not just a Catholic issue and some of the most active retain campaigners were atheists and agnostics, belief in the sanctity of life is a core value for Catholicism. Although I am completely sure…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Mary Kenny
Maria Steen
David Quinn
Breda O'Brien