Dear Editor, It was with great sadness that the Padre Pio prayer groups noted the passing this year of the late Fr Michael Duggan CSSp of Whitestown, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford Fr Michael became involved in the early years of the formation of the Irish prayer groups and was coordinator of the Padre Pio Prayer Groups…
Dear Editor, Can I commend you on your fascinating coverage of clerical salaries in your issue of July 21? It was extraordinary to see how much variance there was across the country, but even more extraordinary to see the variance in how dioceses cooperated with your efforts. The Diocese of Elphin, which publishes its clerical…
Dear Editor, The recent attempt by The Irish Catholic (21/07/2016) to survey priests’ incomes across Ireland should cause those who argue for married clergy to think again. With married priests would come clerical families, and it is hard to imagine priests – even with a spouse’s second income – supporting children on the income they…
Dear Editor, Mary Kenny, under the heading “Why we must change this fatal phrase” (IC 14/07/2016), reminded us of the writings of George Orwell, who said whoever controls the language controls the political power. Today, she says, we are presented with the hurtful, and harmful, phrase “fatal foetal abnormality”. She rightly criticises the use of…
Dear Editor, Mary Kenny hits the nail on the head when praising the peaceful, legal and constitutional paths of the Liberator, Daniel O’Connell (IC 21/07/2016). Her description of the scenes of blood running on the streets and heads on pikes along the roadsides which the young O’Connell saw during the French Revolution in 1789 is…
Dear Editor, There is a lot of discussion at present as to whether President Michael D. Higgins will – or indeed should – seek a second term as Uachtarán na hÉireann. Indeed, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is 16 years older than the President is now and shows no sign of slowing down. Pope Francis is…
Dear Editor, Paul Gracey (IC 14/07/2016) writes that describing the EU as a stable and accountable body is “like passing off a broken-down old Volkswagen as a Rolls Royce”. It’s an amusing image, but even if it were fair, it doesn’t for one moment tackle how post-Brexit Britain is preparing to embark on a journey…
Dear Editor, Your stories of July 14, ‘Irish nuns defy danger to stay in South Sudan’ and ‘Dublin football star praises ‘powerful’ work of priests’, were welcome reminders of the continuing and vital work of missionaries to Africa. Far from being a thing of the past, as we are often led to believe, the reports…
Dear Editor, It was refreshing to read the thoughtful comments of Fr Hugh Kennedy and the Latin Mass Society’s Michael O’Donovan in response to Cardinal Robert Sarah’s call for priests to celebrate the Mass facing East (‘Back to the Future?’ IC 14/07/2016). Too often debate on these matters has a kneejerk character that’s dogmatic in…
Dear Editor, Text may be the substance of a newspaper but a picture is still worth a thousand words. So thank you for the beautiful photograph you published on page 2 last week (IC 14/7/16) of the newly-ordained Fr Conor McDonough OP giving First Holy Communion to his nephew, James, while his parents looked on.…
Courtney McGrail