In her famous annus horribilis speech in 1992, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II described the fading year as one which “is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure”. Queen Elizabeth was reflecting on the fact that 1992 had seen her son the Duke of York separate from his wife, the Princess…
Have you ever wondered what it was like for Mary and Joseph to make the journey to Bethlehem? Or, for Jesus and his disciples to make the trip from the Galilee to Jerusalem? From the earliest times, Christians from all over the world have gone to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of…
Even in a country like Ireland where the story of the Nativity is well known, the humble narrative of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem still has the power to captivate the imagination. All but the most jaded and cynical of post-Catholics surely cannot find themselves unmoved at the thought of the Virgin Mary hearing the message…
As scandalous headlines go it’s hard to compete with ‘nuns spend $500,000 school donations in Casino’. While the secular media is having a field day reporting the details of the story and anti-Church commentators are dining out on the added discomfort and embarrassment to Catholics, the scandal is only compounded by the fact that the…
Minister for Health Simon Harris is part of a breed of politicians who get into the game at a young age. He has never had a job outside of politics. Before running for election himself, he served as an assistant to Francis Fitzgerald. At the tender age of 25, Mr Harris was elected to the…
‘Adveniat regnum tuum’ we pray in the Our Father – may your kingdom come. It is the heart of all Christian prayer since when the disciples pleaded with Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray”, this is the prayer that he taught them. So, what are we praying for when we recite the Our Father? In…
From a Catholic point of view, politics is always the art of the possible. Since all politics is limited, Catholics do not look to politicians to have the answer to everything. This is why the Church does not endorse any particular political party or political strategy. In the United States, for example, it is common…
Sunday was a tale of two different countries and two very different ceremonies. In London, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II presided at commemorations to mark the centenary of the Armistice that brought an end to World War I (1914-1918). The prayers were led by the female Anglican Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally. In Dublin, meanwhile, Michael…
This week marks the centenary of the Armistice that eventually brought an end to the Great War (1914-1918). It came into effect at 11 am on November 11, 1918 now famously remembered as the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was one of the deadliest conflicts in human history with…
We have become all too used to controversy in the Church. Whether it is reactions to the mishandling of clerical sexual abuse or disputes over whether or not divorced and remarried Catholics should receive Holy Communion, division sometimes seems everywhere. While it is important to stand up for what is true and beautiful, it is…
Michael Kelly