Apologetics: the missing dimension of evangelisation Dear Editor, One necessary dimension of evangelisation seems absent from the articles of Fr Eamonn Conway and Fr Billy Swan in The Irish Catholic (March 12) – that of apologetics. Two scenarios indicate its necessity. Firstly, one quotation from Nicholas Cuddihy’s article (p. 17) concerning schools designated as Catholic:…
The immorality of the ‘triple lock’ Dear Editor, David Quinn is one of the finest writers in Ireland today, but I was surprised at the naiveté of his recent piece supporting the so-called ‘triple lock’ (IC, February 26). In simple terms the ‘triple lock’ requires the permission of the UN Security Council before the Irish…
Dear Editor, Garry O’Sullivan makes valuable points concerning the accountability of deceased clerical sexual abusers (in the February 12 edition of The Irish Catholic). From the perspective of our Catholic Christian faith, death is not the end for impenitent clergy who, for whatever reasons, evaded earthly justice. I am writing as a priest now who,…
The Rosary from the heart: the key to ending violence Dear Editor, The apparitions of Our Lady of Cuapa, Nicaragua in 1980 were fully approved by the local bishop in 1982. Our Lady appeared to a simple, poor, not very well educated 49 year old man called Bernardo Martinez. He served as a sacristan in…
Baptism is a non-negotiable gift Dear Editor, it is with shock and incredulity that I heard that Mary McAleese made a broadside on infant baptism. Baptism has been described as a gift that takes a lifetime to unwrap. I find it tragic that a woman of her standing, intelligence, and qualifications could conclude her adult faith formation in this way.…
What would Jesus say? Dear Editor, the Lord Jesus was Jewish, born in Bethlehem, which is now in the occupied West Bank of Palestine. One wonders if He were walking the roads of His native land today, what would he say and do? Judging by His life as recorded in the Bible, we know that…
Names of streets and parks are the least of Dublin’s worries Dear Editor, on a recent trip to Dublin, I was mulling over the obsession some politicians nowadays have over changing the names of roads and parks, which, according to them, do not reflect the Irish Republic. We discuss changing the names of roads, etc.,…
Congrats on Herzog, now reinstate Villa Spada Dear Editor, this is a letter to An Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence Helen McEntee. We wish to commend you on your opposition to the proposal to rename Herzog Park. As Irish citizens who place great…
A suicide on All Souls Day adds to parish depression All Souls Day is bad enough without a man going missing in the parish. He was absent for all of a cold winter’s night: “He never did that before”. A hardworking husband and father, he kept a low profile in the parish. After just…
Andrea was an 8-year-old girl in a town in Zambales when her parents separated, after which her mother moved in with Christopher, who became her stepfather. In January 2024, when she was 11, Christopher sexually abused her. She was afraid to tell anyone, lest he would hurt her and her mother. During a counselling session…