Dear Editor, Without doubt the two most powerful prayers of the Catholic faith are the Angelus and the Rosary. Both are of very long standing and recited all around the world, so what could possibly be missing from them? The exact same thing that had been missing from the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass, i.e.…
Dear Editor, In the autumn 1944, the Western allies had the deluded idea that the Wehrmacht was beaten and that it was only a force of old men and children. What shocked them with their defeat at Arnhem in September 1944, and the Ardennes attack two months later, was the transformation of a supposedly defeated enemy into…
Dear Editor, The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference must be congratulated on their excellent pastoral statement on the ‘Meaning of Marriage’. However, it is a pity the illustrations used were of the stereotyped family so beloved of the advertising industry: a handsome guy with a beautiful wife, but not more than two children, preferably one boy…
Dear Editor, While I enjoyed Prof. Reville’s article ‘Science vs Religion’ (IC 04/12/2014), I was bemused to say the least that his view of “the function of religion is to teach us how to live good lives”. Maybe this is the function of certain religions but to me, as a Catholic, and based on Christ’s…
Dear Editor, It’s the season of giving, when we remember how God sent his son to live among us. The Church’s sacraments are administered to us by the hands of our local priests. Why not show them how much their sacrificial vocation and care is appreciated, with a card or small gift, e.g. book token/invitation…
Dear Editor, We regularly hear biblical references to the ‘goodness’ of wheat, but for coeliacs wheat is not all it is cracked up to be. What are the chances of ‘no gluten’ or ‘low gluten’ breads being used for Mass? I have had challenging encounters both in Ireland and abroad as my teenage daughter and…
Dear Editor, The shortage of priests, already a reality, is no excuse for denying the Sacrament of Holy Communion to the faithful. Indeed the Code of Canon Law seems clear (Canon 918). It is most strongly recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion in the course of a Eucharistic celebration. If, however, for good reason…
Dear Editor, Margaret Hickey in her letter (IC 20/11/2014), commenting on the apparent confusion on the synod and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s comment on the “longing for certainties”, asks for “the greatest charity from bishops to instruct the faithful in their faith”, saying that the issue is that of “teaching and fidelity to teaching”. I have…
Dear Editor, three years ago, the new more correct translation of the Novus Ordo Mass was introduced. Many of the changes have been accepted and commonly used here in Ireland. But it is so sad to see that the Irish generally have not been willing to give up the frightening image of a God of power…
Dear Editor, in relation to your article on the female boxer Katie Taylor (‘Katie Taylor thanks God for world boxing title, IC 27/11/2014), are we to believe that God takes side in boxing competitions? That Christ approves the idea of girls punching the face off each other? To pray to God to win in any sport…
Courtney McGrail