Dear Editor, I was glad to see our new nuncio has arrived in Ireland (IC 17/08/2017). Perhaps now the elderly bishops awaiting permission to retire can finally be replaced with some young bloods who can lead the charge of the mission of re-energising the Irish Church. And dare I say it, could we also maybe…
Category: Opinion
Jesuits’ amazing survival of atomic bomb
Dear Editor, In relation to the article of David Quinn (IC 10/08/2017) on the atomic bomb, your readers might like to know that when that bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945 four Jesuit priests were saying the Rosary in a house at the epicentre of the blast, where every building was demolished…
We shouldn’t limit avenues of faith formation
Dear Editor, I agree with Fr Patrick Seaver (IC Letters 03/08/2017) regarding the centrality of parents in the faith formation of children. The family, as a ‘domestic church’ is of crucial importance in the handing on of faith. I also concede that sacramental preparation may be best served solely in a parish context, once adequate resources,…
Be careful of wording of old prayers
Dear Editor, I would like through the columns of your newspaper to call on people to be careful about the prayers they use which belong to a different time and era. They reflect a bad theology. I would suggest that people stop using a prayer which contains these words: “O Jesus, forgive us our sins,…
The power of ritual
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
I don’t always find it easy to pray. Often I’m over-tired, distracted, caught-up in tasks, pressured by work, short on time, lacking the appetite for prayer, or more strongly drawn to do something else. But I do pray daily; despite the fact that I often don’t want to and despite the fact that many times…
The rise and rise of pro-choice militancy
David Quinn
We’re in something of a Catch-22 situation here. If you draw attention to sacrilege you might end up playing into the hands of the sacrilegious. They’re looking for attention. If you pay no attention to it at all, you could give the impression that you don’t really care when the sacred objects of your religion…
Every family can make the ideal of God’s love a reality
The purpose of the World Meeting of Families in Dublin in August 2018 is to fully present the teaching of Amoris Laetitia, the apostolic exhortation on love in the family, of Pope Francis. In the midst of certain controversies since its publication in April 2016, it is often forgotten that it was written after, and…
Romero and a century of transformation
Carlos X. Colorado Romero’s centennial coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Marian apparitions at Fatima, and it is useful to take Fatima as a guidepost to situate Romero’s life in the life of the Church. Indeed, the major thematic set points in the Fatima message – the World’s wars and the Church’s sufferings in…
The ordained priest acts in the person of Christ
Dear Editor, Mary Finegan (IC Letters 27/07/2017) believes that “banning women from being ordained priests is insulting”. At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles that, “the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all I have said to you” (Jn 14:26). Further, “when…
Stunts won’t win support
Dear Editor, I too was appalled when I saw the image on social media of a ‘repeal’ jumper spread on the altar of the Oblate church in Inchicore (IC 10/08/2017). This insult was intended to provoke the people of faith. However, I think it has back-fired on the pro-choice campaign because the people of the…