Currently, we are not allowed to go to Mass again in the Republic. All public worship is effectively banned. From the end of March last year until the end of June, public worship was called off, and again in places like Donegal and Dublin from September until early December, and in the rest of the…
Fifty years ago, in 1971, a very fine Dominican priest (and philosopher), Fergal O’Connor, set up an organisation to support unmarried mothers, calling it ‘Ally’. In her autobiography, Political Woman the late Nuala Fennell, T.D. – the first minister for women’s rights – praised Fr O’Connor most especially for his pioneering and compassionate work in…
Today, the common question in spiritual circles is not, “What is your church or your religion?” but, “what is your practice?” What is your practice? What is your particular explicit prayer practice? Is it Christian? Buddhist? Islamic? Secular? Do you meditate? Do you do centring prayer? Do you practice Mindfulness? For how long do you…
Did you ever notice how days’ significance changes over the years? In my early years, those quiet days between Christmas and Epiphany had little character. One day was like another, merely time reserved for lolling around, eating sweets and watching television. Then one year my mother died, a couple of days after New Year’s Day.…
The idea of journey is a central motif in our Faith. Whether it is Abraham leaving his homeland to go to the Promised Land or Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt – the People of God on the move is a constant. The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) describes the Church as being on a…
One certainly can’t accuse the Vatican of being part of what Italians call the “no vax” crowd, meaning resistance to the Covid-19 vaccines. Not only did the Vatican nip a Catholic form of such opposition in the bud recently by signing off on the morality of the vaccine, but on December 2 the Vatican announced…
Dear Editor, It was with great delight that I received the announcement that Bishop Dermot Farrell was to become the new archbishop of Dublin diocese. Having been the President of St Patrick’s College in Maynooth and doing wonders in the Diocese of Ossory, I’m sure he has the experience, pastoral capability, courage, wisdom and gravitas…
Were I asked to do so, I think I would propose Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, as my Person of the Year. Leadership As the head of the operational side of the EU, she has shown leadership, grace under pressure, and when the EU-British deal was pronounced done, a cultural…
The Government should seize the moment and set a deadline for an end to homelessness writes St Stanislaus Kennedy RSC Focus Ireland has been working harder than ever this year in partnership with the State and together we have helped over 800 families to secure a home and leave homelessness behind. There has been great…
The View Year’s end is a time, when newspapers publish archival documents that may reveal discreetly hidden or long forgotten aspects of governance. Representatives of public institutions, even students, should have some minimal knowledge of their history, to avoid unnecessarily raising ghosts of the past. The report in The Irish Catholic (November 26) that the…
David Quinn
Mary Kenny
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
John L. Allen Jr.