Fr Ronald RolheiserAn American humourist was once asked what he loved most in life. This was his reply: “I love women best; whiskey next; my neighbour a little; and God hardly at all!” This flashed in my mind recently when, while giving a lecture, a woman asked this question: Why did God build us in one way…
Category: Opinion
Cemetery Masses a unique part of Irish summer
Embracing the elements for Cemetery Mass reveals the power of enduring love, writes Fr Martin Delaney
Making cold cash from those ‘cheatin’ hearts’
Mary KennyAdultery sites only seek to demean a serious sin, writes Mary Kenny
Forgiveness always impresses and attracts
Even in times of tragedy, faith in God can help us forgive, writes Andrew O’Connell
Words work strongly to shape attitudes
Just because something is politically-correct doesn’t mean that it might not also be correct. Sometimes we have to swallow hard to accept truth. Some years ago, I served on a priests’ council, an advisory board to the bishop in a Roman Catholic diocese. The bishop, while strongly conservative by temperament, was a deeply-principled man who…
The sacraments of faith
Cathal BarryThe Church teaches that the sacraments confer the grace that they signify, writes Cathal Barry
Religious could donate buildings to house homeless
Courtney McGrailDear Editor, Heartbreaking events dominate our news now. Homelessness for families in Irish cities, likewise homelessness for thousands of refugees fleeing war and violence in their own countries, many dying on their journeys. May I suggest a way which we Irish people could help? Some years ago, Sister Stan, founder of Focus Ireland, persuaded her…
New catechetical structures must be set up
Dear Editor, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin has warned that the Church in Ireland will only have a future if a new generation of “strong and articulate” lay people can make their voices heard (IC 30/07/2015). For that to happen we need to know our Faith, more so now than in the past, when society generally was…
Bishops right to speak up on collections
Dear Editor, Bishop Doran of Elphin and Bishop Cullinan of Waterford are to be applauded for tackling political parties who do church gate collections and consistently advocated policies and introduced legislation which undermines marriage and the right to life of the unborn child (IC David Quinn 23/07/2015). I wonder will our other bishops and parish…
Catholics are taxpayers too
Dear Editor, I am always bemused by the fact that the chattering classes constantly trot out the idea that the State should not fund teachers’ salaries, capitation grants and other supports in denominational schools because taxpayers’ money is involved! It is conveniently forgotten that the majority of the population belong to these denominations, including the…