Faith Development The Dominican tradition grew out of a desire to know and love the truth, writes Fr Conor McDonough OP Dominican friars, also known as friars preachers, belong to a global movement with roots stretching back to the 13th century. In 1216, in response to widespread confusion in the south of France concerning the…
Saint of the week November 24 sees the Church remember and celebrate 117 martyrs, killed for their commitment to the Catholic Faith in Vietnam between the 17th and 19th Centuries. Fr Andrew Dung-Lac, a priest, gives his name to the feast, and the 116 other martyrs he’s remembered alongside stand in for a multitude. Among…
Faith Development Faith in film Films are, first and foremost, meant to entertain us. We go to the cinema – or more often, watch on our TVs or phones – to laugh and to cry, to be inspired and overawed, to fall in and out of love. But that’s not a film’s only purpose. From…
With COP27 coming to an end, how to care for creation is on more minds than ever, writes Jason Osborne The 2022 United Nations Climate Change conference, COP27, is drawing to a close in Egypt, and whatever else about it, these yearly gatherings continue to spark conversation and debate about how best to address the…
Personal Profile Sometimes we expect a ‘voice from the cloud’ moment when it comes to vocations, according to Fr Dave Twohig O.Carm. But for him, there was no clear line to his own vocation. Instead, it gradually evolved until he realised that he wanted to serve people as a priest. “Believe it or not, that’s…
There are more distractions than ever before and so we must develop our concentration if we’re to thrive, writes Jason Osborne We live in a world awash with distraction. Living in mega-cities (by historical standards) as we do, we’re surrounded by more stimulus every day than your average person was exposed to in a year. A…
Personal Profile When Eric Cooney was young, he had a sense of a vocation to the priesthood. However, he recognised that celibacy would have proved difficult for him and put it aside. But when the possibility of becoming a permanent deacon arose, he took the chance and says he feels blessed in his ministry. He…
The internet has exacerbated our tendency to veer to extreme views so it’s important to be on our guard, writes Jason Osborne I spend a lot of time on Twitter and other social media platforms by virtue of the line of work that I’m in, and it has opened my eyes to the level of detachment…
Personal Profile A ski trip might seem a strange way to engage young people in the Faith. But that’s how Áine Blake got involved in the Legion of Mary. Now volunteering in the women’s homelessness hostel, the Regina Coeli, she says the work has helped mature her faith. After college, Ms Blake moved to Dublin…
Greater choice than ever before has made it more difficult to make a decision and stick with it, writes Jason Osborne Have you ever stood in a packed supermarket aisle and struggled with what should be an easy choice? Which type of cereal? Which type of milk? Which type of bread? Nearly every item in…
Ruadhán Jones