Dublin’s Archbishop Dermot Farrell turns 70 later this year. At a time when most of his friends and contemporaries have been retired for several years, he continues to lead the country’s most populous diocese – and arguably the Irish diocese facing the greatest challenges. Soon, Dublin will have twice as many auxiliary bishops – Bishop…
Former Taoiseach John Bruton’s funeral saw a fitting send-off for a man well-known as an able and honest politician, “a man of integrity and truth,” as current Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said. However, those in attendance had their attention drawn by chief celebrant and homilist Fr Bruce Bradley, SJ, to an aspect of Mr Bruton’s character…
This week has seen the celebration of Catholic Schools Week in Ireland, which is running from Sunday, January 21st to Saturday, January 27th. Coming around with the unassuming regularity that they do, we often allow all but the biggest annual celebrations to slip us by, but when it comes to celebrating the contribution made by Catholic…
Ireland gave a warm welcome to China’s second-in-command this week, Premier Li-Qiang, in what was the first visit of a high-ranking Chinese official since Mr Li’s predecessor, Li-Keqiang’s 2015 visit. It isn’t a stretch to say that on this occasion, the red-carpet was rolled out ahead of Mr Li’s visit, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar saying…
Freedom, in many of its manifestations, is under threat around the world, whether it be freedom of speech, freedom of assembly or freedom of thought and conscience. We know only too well of the many instances in 2023 where governments shut down journalists and media and in some cases actually targeted journalists and campaigning citizens…
In just five years, we will mark the bicentenary of Catholic emancipation. Four years after that, in 2032, it will be 1,600 years since St Patrick’s mission to convert the Irish to Christianity. Catholic emancipation, of course, marked a turning point in the fortunes of Irish Catholicism after centuries of brutal persecution and repression by…
The year 2023 is not a year on which I will look back with undiluted pleasure. At this time of year, our thoughts naturally turn to those who are no longer with us. At a lot of our dinner tables this year, there will be an empty chair where there was unbridled joy and laughter just a year ago.
My colleague Fr Ron Rolheiser writes in this edition about connecting the dots between the crib and the cross. We’re not used to thinking about the cross at Christmas, but in one sense, Calvary always casts a permanent shadow over Bethlehem. Even today, it sometimes surprises pilgrims in the Holy Land that Golgotha and the…
Ask practising Catholics to tell you about their Church and their faith, and on the whole, you get glowing reports. There will be complaints, and stories of inadequacies, and reservations about this or that teaching, and no one knows the faults of the Church — collectively, and in this or that place — better than…
I think if we’re honest, none of us actually like waiting for things. Think of the tedium of waiting in the doctor’s surgery, or at the dentist. Or, if like me you use public transport, waiting on buses that never seem to arrive – and yet waiting is part of life. As is hope, as…
Michael Kelly