Mary KennyThe Methodists pioneered the great temperance movements of the Victorian era – and were so successful at overcoming addiction to alcohol, especially among poor people who were being ruined by penny gin – that their campaigns have had many imitators since. Even the Pioneers learned from the Methodists (and from the great Fr Mathew). So…
Category: Opinion
Francis wants to shake the Church out of complacency
Michael KellyMichael Kelly examines the Pope’s ‘roadmap to reform’, Evangelii Gaudium
The Pope’s reform agenda
Cathal BarryThe Pontiff’s new exhortation is a powerful display of practicality, writes Cathal Barry
Tradition and Sacred Scripture
Cathal Barry reflects what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about the relationship between Tradition and the Sacred Scriptures
Year of Faith concludes after mixed success in Ireland
Mags GarganSome parishes embraced the opportunity to explore faith, while others did not
Year of Faith and opportunity
Andrew O’Connell assesses the event, which closed last Sunday
Beware misguided loyalties
Anyone familiar with the life and writings of Simone Weil will, I am sure, agree that she was a woman of exceptional faith. She was also a woman with an unwavering commitment to the poor. But, and this may seem anomalous, she was also exceptional and unwavering in a certain resistance she had towards the…
Fr Reid was a true hero
Dear Editor, – Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them (Shakespeare). A great man has passed in the person of Fr Alec Reid – though his characteristic humility would’ve undoubtedly seen him embarrassed as such sentiment. In a world that lauds multimillionaire football players and loose-living celebrities…
The faithful can find strength in the Gospels
Dear Editor, I found the Gospel message this week very life giving in a time when many in our Church are on the defensive and very angry. Luke 21:5-19 V.14 Jesus says “Keep this carefully in mind you are not to prepare your defence because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom…
We should defend the good people of the Church
Dear Editor, It is good that Sister Julie Rose of Roscrea has commented as she did on the portrayal of religious sisters in a recent film. We should expect that the Catholic Church as a whole would have come to the defence of sisters, brothers, clergy and others who acted honourably in the service of…