Category: Family & Faith

Is it bigoted to be sure we’re right?

Everyday Philosophy How open-minded should a Christian be? On the one hand, open-mindedness is generally a good thing. Being open to the possibility of learning new things, and to the possibility that one is mistaken, is a mark of a healthy mind. It’s also a sign of humility. Openness to being wrong is an acknowledgement…

Faith in the Family

Gerard Gallagher Without a doubt, restrictions and measures employed during the Covid-19 pandemic have had a lasting impact on our parishes and our families. For 18 months we were unable to physically gather in our parishes. It was the same with families, many were unable to meet during this period. Clearly the Church missed the…

Family News

Minority pupils more likely to have negative school experience Pupils from Muslim minority backgrounds are more likely to have a negative relationship with their teacher, new research from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) shows. The study, lasting three years and involving more than 3,000 students, showed that 94.5% of majority students experienced positive or moderately positive…

Lift voice of vulnerable and sign petition

Laudato Si’ The Season of Creation continues through September up until October 4 (the feast day of St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of ecology). This year many parishes are engaging in prayer, reflection and action, growing in deeper awareness of what it means to protect our common home. I was delighted to read Archbishop…

Dad’s Diary

Can the tooth fairy get Covid? That was the perplexing question I had to ask myself, when my 7-year-old Covid patient lost a tooth. She and I recently spent 10 days isolating in the apartment at the side of our house, to protect the rest of the family. It was strange to spend all day…

Family News

Outcry as 1,400 dolphins killed in Faroe Islands hunt The government of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous Danish territory, is facing an outcry over the culling of more than 1,400 white-sided dolphins in a day, in what was said to be the single biggest hunt in the northern archipelago. “There is no doubt that the…

Be still and aware of God’s presence

Mindful Living Thinking hinders the coming into awareness of the unconscious, including our awareness that the spirit of God dwells in us. It is through contemplative prayer that we are able to experience, albeit to a very different degree, the kind of experience Jesus had in prayer with his father. Christian dogma and doctrine, important…

Faith in the Family

Gerard Gallagher One of the daily rituals and traditions we have as a family is saying grace before meals when we gather at the table. This has continued over the years from when my children were young. It took place regardless of who was at the table, friends, grandparents, visitors and now girlfriends! There is…