It is not enough today to be merely a saint; we must have a saintliness demanded by the present moment. Simone Weil wrote that, and she is right. We need saints demanded by the present moment and I would like to propose someone whom, I believe, fits that description, Henri Nouwen, the priest and popular…
A report published by the Diocese of Limerick this week found “that challenges arise from the absence of formal ‘official’ recognition of the roles played by women in the Church and states that opportunities need to be created for women’s voices to be heard in our liturgies, in Church leadership and in Church life” (see…
Dear Editor, One wonders what is going to progress the synodal pathway from the hierarchy’s invitation to conversations about holding conversations to Breda O’Brien’s notion of “active connection?” [IC 06/05/2021] Do we have to reinvent wheels in a synodal pathway when strong examples of pockets of Catholic renewal already exist elsewhere in Europe? Can we…
Notebook During the great season of Eastertide, basking in the light of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost, the Church loves to read the Acts of the Apostles. One way to read Acts is to focus on the energy and enthusiasm of the apostles and their co-workers.…
A hundred years after Northern Ireland was established by an act of partition is a timely moment to look back over that historical development. And I think, if we are being honest, we on the southern side of the border had an ambivalent attitude over many decades. We deplored partition – naturally – and it was a…
The backlash to the bishops’ sexual education programme was eminently predictable, writes Ruadhán Jones Back in 2015, shortly before the passing of the Marriage Referendum which legalised gay marriage in Ireland, then Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan promised school curriculum would not be changed in the event of the Constitutional redefinition of marriage. She said: “Currently…
The View As churches begin to re-open, we are full of anxious questions. Will people come back? Will we have to close again? How are we going to live in a post-pandemic world, which has changed utterly? Everything that is revealed was always there but is only now fully visible” The greatest danger is that…
The landscape remains grim for those hoping to tie the knot with what remains of 2021, writes Jason Osborne Come Monday, 50 guests will be allowed to attend weddings, but indoor receptions will remain capped at six guests while 15 will be permitted for outdoor celebrations. It’s been alluded to that numbers for receptions will…
There is a real danger the Blessed Sacrament will be treated as if it were a magical instrument rather than the sacramental sign it is, writes Fr Fergus Ryan OP The Covid-19 pandemic has been a huge challenge for everyone. It has equally been an opportunity to develop new skills, especially in IT and online communications.…
The pause caused by coronavirus restrictions might be a moment to look again at how we celebrate important rites of passage in the Faith, writes Chai Brady The Government advice that Confirmation and First Holy Communion ceremonies should not be part of the plans when parishes re-open for public worship of May 10 creates quite…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Mary Kenny
Ruadhán Jones
Breda O'Brien
Chai Brady