Dear Editor, I was relieved to read in last week’s The Irish Catholic of the strong pro-life presence Fianna Fáil will be bringing to the new Dail. For years now, people who hold pro-life views have been neglected by politicians, even those in Fine Gael who actively courted our vote in the previous election and…
There is a concerted campaign to relegate religion to the shadows of Irish society, writes Fr Martin Delaney Recently I watched a US television interview with President Obama in the Oval Office of the White House. The interviewer from CBS mentioned to the president that she had heard he carries in his pocket some mementoes…
Dear Editor, I was intrigued to read a report in last week’s edition of The Irish Catholic (25/02/2016) describing how faith and sport were the “matrix” for strong and healthy parishes. Physical Therapist Gerard Hartmann hit the nail on the head when he described how faith and sport are “intertwined”. It’s a pity that more…
The Church teaches that Penance can take place in the framework of a communal celebration, writes Cathal Barry Like all the sacraments, according to the Church, Penance is a liturgical action. The elements of the celebration, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, are ordinarily these: A greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the…
Dear Editor, In the Trinity College Long Room lies an original copy of the 1916 Proclamation. As I read the words that helped establish a Republic (on the Irish model) I could not help but reflect on the deep irony of parties like Sinn Féin and in particular the Labour Party calling for abortion based…
What most moves your heart? I was asked this question recently at a workshop. We were asked to respond to this question: When do you most naturally feel compassion in your heart? For me, the answer came easily. I am most moved when I see helplessness, when I see someone or something helpless to tend…
Dear Editor, Many years ago I asked a group of boys to name their favourite television show. The vast majority named The Incredible Hulk as the one that most took their fancy. In order to satisfy my curiosity I had to sit and watch a programme. The essence of what was to come was spoken…
“Our time needs credible people who can speak of God in a way that makes God real”, writes Andrew O’Connell While the rest of the country was engrossed in election tallies last Saturday morning, I was at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin where all one hundred seats were filled for a private screening of…
Dear Editor, To cope with the diminishing and ageing celibate priesthood, there is an urgent need to lift as much as possible from some of the many liturgical duties that we expect them to lead us. Once such duty is funerals. Even in his diminishing strength and health we ask our beloved priest to come…
Dear Editor, Your news item about the death of US Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia (IC 18/02/2016) gave the impression that he was an exemplary Catholic. If Catholic values are to be understood as trying to live like the compassionate Jesus of the Gospels, it is difficult to see how the late judge stood out…
Cathal Barry
Fr Ronald Rolheiser