A parent´s perspective When you get a late-night phone call from one of your adult children asking “Did you hear what happened?”, the natural reaction is to go into panic mode wondering what disaster has struck. It’s amazing how many worst-case scenarios can be conjured up in a split second and when the next question…
Category: Family & Faith
Dreaded rust and an interesting chemical reaction
Children’s Corner The dreaded occurrence of rust is a fear held by car owners and anyone with appliances or tools made of steel or iron. It weakens steel and iron and is identified by a brown flaking coating. It often heralds the beginning of the end of an object that succumbs – unless action is…
Family News
NASA’s new Moon rocket to launch as soon as August NASA’s mission to return to the Moon, the Artemis programme, could launch its first uncrewed test flight as soon as August 29, the space agency said July 20. Artemis-1 is the first in a series of missions as the United States seeks to return humans…
The need to doubt our doubts
Everyday Philosophy Philosophy is having a bit of a moment in Ireland. It became a Junior Certificate short course in 2016, and there are moves afoot to make it a Leaving Certificate subject. The Philosophy Ireland organisation is running more workshops every year, in schools, workplaces and prisons. Our president made the promotion of philosophy…
Young Church
As the summer months continue, it has been a time to reflect, pause and even plan for the year ahead. For any of us linked to the school year – we are in the privileged position of having two new years to consider – both January and September. It always gets me thinking about what…
Travelling together while waiting for marriage
Helen Vysotska Can I share a hotel room with my boyfriend? Sharing a hotel room with your boyfriend/girlfriend is not the same as sharing a bed with them on holidays. If it is the latter then you are committing sin and lying with your bodies that you are both married and you are not. Even…
Family news
Free mental health services ‘vital’ with rising cost of living Turn2Me, a national mental health charity, has stated that free mental health services are absolutely vital, now more than ever, with the rising costs of living. The charity stated an increased number of users reported feeling anxious about the rising cost of living, and that…
Hidden hazards of air pollution
Medical matters The air we breathe and the environment around us have impacts on our health that in the past were unknown. In fact, air pollution as been described as the “invisible killer” and has been cited by the WHO as the new “tobacco” and a “public health emergency”. Up to 43% of lung diseases…
Developing cultures and policies to protect the planet
For the past seven months we have been exploring the Laudato Si’ Goals (LSGs) which are a blueprint for the Church community to live out the call of Laudato Si’, a roadmap towards achieving ecological sustainability. The LSGs help us to live out our vocation “to be protectors of God’s handiwork” (LS, 217). This month…
The ocean of God
Mindful Living To talk about what matters most in life we often have to turn to metaphor because words are inadequate to the task. James Finley has an evocative metaphor that captures an essential truth about the human condition. He suggests that we spend a great deal of time walking on the outer circumference of…

Maria Byrne

Chai Brady

Ben Conroy



Dr Kevin McCarroll

