We need to help teenagers to recognise their own value and that of everyone else, writes Alexander O’Hara We are currently experiencing not only an environmental crisis which threatens the future existence of our species, but an anthropological crisis that threatens to reshape and redefine the very nature of what makes us human. With massive…
The government has listened to ideological campaigners instead of parents, writes David Quinn The new Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) syllabus for Junior Cycle students aged 12 to 15 in the Republic has been published by Education Minister, Norma Foley, and it is a deeply ideological piece of work that will upset many parents.…
In a decision seen as an act of defiance towards the Russian Orthodox Church, which also has the effect of promoting closer ties with Roman Catholics and other Western branches of Christianity, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine has decided to move Christmas to December 25. Traditionally, Ukrainian Christians, the bulk of whom are Orthodox, have…
Gina Christian A film making its US and streaming debut recounts the life of a beloved 20th-century saint – and the movie’s star told OSV News he “fell in love with Christ” to prepare for the part. Actor Shia LaBeouf portrays St Pio of Pietrelcina in the new drama Padre Pio, which premiered at last…
Fr John Harris OP As you already know we are in the midst of the year for prayer for vocations to the diocesan clergy. Someone asked me lately if I had a problem with this since I am religious priest. I think it is a wonderful idea and absolutely necessary. A vocation to the…
Dear Editor, In a report by Jason Osborne [The Irish Catholic – May 11, 2023], Fr Enda Cunningham said that couples preparing for marriage should be made “aware that the Sacrament of Marriage can be celebrated in its own rite, aside from the celebration of the Eucharist”. Fr Conor McDonough OP argued that in certain…
What are we to make of the appalling report from the Central Statistics Office that a quarter of adult women in Ireland have experienced sexual violence from a partner? “The online acceptance of casual relationships must surely be a risk factor” According to the Sexual Violence Survey 2022, over half of the victims had been…
In March of last year, emails between senior officials in several Government departments discussing the preparations necessary for a surge in the number of people arriving in Ireland who would need accommodation, were released under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act. The expected newcomers under discussion in that instance were Ukrainian people displaced by the war,…
One of the good-natured grumbles I hear from priests about Pope Francis is the quip that it wasn’t the Argentine Pontiff who invented being nice to people. What do they mean when they say this? Well, the fact is that the overwhelming majority of priests – almost to a man, I would say – are…
Notebook Recently I spoke at the novena in the Parish of Graiguecullen/Killeshin and it was an honour to be asked. I realise now that I spoke for about twice as long as I was intended to speak! I might not be there again! I should have left out a few bits but, as the song…
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Michael Kelly