The real tragedy of sin is that often the one who is sinned against eventually becomes a sinner, inflicting on others what was first inflicted upon him or her. There’s something perverse within us whereby when we are sinned against we tend to take in the sin, complete with the sickness from which it emanated,…

Rhona Guidos Supporters of young people who came to the US without documents as children descended on Washington early this month, risking arrest and seeking attention from lawmakers during what they believe is the last window of opportunity this year to pass legislation to help them stay in the country. Supporters came from California, New…

Fr Vincent Sherlock Jack was a decent man!  The sort you’d enjoy visiting.  He lived alone – well not totally for he had an amazing connection with horses.  A man once told me that he could leave the wildest of horses in the field beside Jack’s house and within days, the animal would be tamed…

The former Abbot of Glenstal Abbey Dom Mark Patrick Hederman provoked the ire of the leadership of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) recently when he accused them of being too negative. It’s a charge that’s been levelled against the leadership of the group before and it’s one that they’re understandably sensitive about. It’s a…

Last Thursday afternoon I was grocery shopping with my children in our local Supervalu. Inside the shop, a tall man, who spoke rather loudly with an English accent, was positioned in front of an Amnesty International stand and stopping customers to talk to them. He appeared to be superficially-friendly and was clearly well-used to catching…

It is utterly shocking that an 11 year-old-child, Milly Tuomey, should have taken her own life by suicide. And utterly sorrowful and distressing for the child’s’s family. Following Milly’s tragic death, parents are being encouraged to talk to their children about suicide. Professor Brendan Kelly of TCD says that “There is no evidence that asking…

A pro-life princess would be frowned on, writes David Quinn   The second season of the much-praised Netflix series The Crown is being released this weekend. Over six seasons it intends looking at the entire reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reign in British history. One of the things the series is examining as…

Fr Conor McDonough “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil 4:8). This beloved passage often comes to mind when I’m struck by a…

In all healthy people there’s a natural reticence about revealing too much of themselves and a concomitant need to keep certain things secret. Too often we judge this as an unhealthy shyness or, worse, as hiding something bad. But reticence and secrecy can be as much virtue as fault because, as James Hillman puts it,…

Many people were irritated by Bob Geldof’s decision to return his Freedom of the City of Dublin as a protest against the current regime in Myanmar (still sometimes called Burma) and the treatment of the Rohingya people there. The Lord Mayor of Dublin felt, especially, that it was a graceless move, since this honour is…