Dear Editor, I must congratulate you on your editorial comment ‘The paralysing effects of negativity in the Church’ (IC 7/12/17). While if one counts numbers on pews with comparisons to the past, and if one reflects on recent scandals within our Church, one could be forgiven for being pessimistic. However if you get involved at…
Dear Editor, There seems to be a kerfuffle as to whether or not to revise the translation of the Mass in English. When I learnt Latin, I was told that Latin was a dead language because it never changes. Vernacular tongues are living and change, so when we use living languages in liturgy, we accept that they…
Dear Editor, I have noted your piece on the proposal to relocate some holy days to the nearest Sunday, that of All Saints on November 1 and that of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 (IC 16/11/17). I would see that as one more instance of an ongoing cave in or sell out to secularism.…
Dear Editor, it was good to see that the former Abbot of Glenstal Abbey Fr Mark Patrick Hederman OSB giving the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) a bit of a reality check at their recent meeting (IC 16/11/17). I was surprised, however, that the leadership of the ACP appeared to flatly reject Fr Hederman’s criticism…
Dear Editor, It was lovely to see at the weekend Pope Francis hosting a lunch for some of Rome’s vulnerable and needy people. It’s a beautiful witness to the Gospel imperative to reach out to those who society forgets. While the critics of the Church will often point to what they perceive to be the…
Dear Editor, Your lead story ‘Boost as research reveals Irish are “astonishingly religious”’ (IC 9/11/2017) was a real shot in the arm, especially given the constant moaning and gloating we hear about our Church being in decline. Sure, the picture’s not great – in many ways the European Social Survey figures seem to tell us…
Dear Editor, At a time when other news outlets – including, sadly, other Catholic ones – fill their online and paper pages with ‘fake news’ about the Vatican, it’s reassuring to see The Irish Catholic holding the line for responsible journalism. Only this week the Vatican had to quash rumours irresponsibly reported across certain elements…
Reformation is a live debate Dear Editor, Your special Reformation issue of The Irish Catholic (IC 26/10/2017) was remarkable for its breadth and depth, but its real value may lie in its relevance to current Church debates. Take, for example, the piece on the Catholic Counter-Reformation by UCD’s Prof. Tadhg Ó hAnnracháin in which he…
Prayers are becoming words without meaning Dear Editor, It is always sad, and even a bit disturbing when, as a couple stand before the altar, there is no obvious passion in that moment when the vows of marriage are pronounced. In a similar way, I am constantly disappointed at the way the Our Father is…
Loss of reverence part of Church decline Dear Editor, I note in Fr Joe McDonald’s interview (IC 05/10/2017) that he doesn’t hazard a guess as to why he thinks time is running out on the Church in Ireland. There is, however, one interesting passage in the article with which I agree wholeheartedly: “Instead of asking…