If sacramental preparation moves out of schools, the first and hardest hit will be those on the margins—the children whose families are already struggling with poverty, instability or fractured relationships with the Church writes Roisín Coll   My final class of the semester met this week. It was a room full of soon-to-qualify Catholic primary…

The latest “no” from Rome on women deacons has landed with a familiar thud. For many, it is disappointing. For some, especially women who love the Church yet feel blocked by it, it is deeply painful. But if we’re honest, it is not surprising. The Vatican commission’s refusal to recommend the ordination of female deacons,…

Why do people leave religion? What happens to them afterwards? Why do people switch from one religion to another, and what happens after that? These are the main questions posed by a major new survey in Britain that polled almost 3,000 people who have either left religion or joined a new one in their lifetime.…

When I was growing up, there was nothing I wanted each Christmas more than a toy robot. Those were the days of TV shows like Lost in Space in which ‘Robby the Robot’ featured. Every little boy wanted a robot of his own. In would go the batteries, the thing would make some noise, walk…

The 30th anniversary of the 1995 divorce referendum has been recently commemorated, with, naturally, those opposed to divorce cast as the baddies. Yet it’s interesting to note how rare divorce or marital separation has been among Ireland’s political leaders. In a readable new book charting the lives and careers of the sixteen Irish Taoisigh over…

In a speech to the American Bar Association in July 2000 the then Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney, made a profound observation about Celtic Tiger Ireland. “Geographically”, she said, “we are closer to Berlin than Boston. Spiritually, we are probably a lot closer to Boston than Berlin.”…

Years ago, I had a friend in Belfast called Matt, who was known as Tracker. He was a prophet of sorts: the racing tipster for The Irish News. He has long since gone to God, but he came to mind this Advent. One year, Matt, in a moment of inspiration, decided to surprise his friends with a visit…

The Federation of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) has decided to withdraw its missionaries from Europe at the end of this academic year. This sudden and surprising decision will have a concerning impact on the services they provide on campuses in Dublin, Cork and Belfast. FOCUS (which is unrelated to the Irish housing charity founded by…

The National Primary School Survey recently launched by the Department of Education & Youth is an opportunity for parents/guardians, for school staff and for members of boards of management to have their say on three issues in Primary education, school patronage/ethos, the language of instruction, and co-education versus singlesex schooling. Whereas the questions around single sex/co-education or the language of instruction…