Personal Profile The Church’s emphasis on older people as “treasures of the Church” and “teachers of wisdom and prayer” is a much-needed antidote to our age’s tendency to side-line the elderly. So says Catherine Wiley, founder of the Catholic Grandparent’s Association (CGA) and herself a mother and grandmother. She and the CGA have been on…

With Europe cautiously emerging from Covid, knowing the new terms under which we travel is essential, writes Jason Osborne Following a 16 month hibernation, Europe is slowly emerging into the bright light of day once again. The member states are slowly, cautiously emerging from their isolation to a new world, one in which people are…

Personal Profile On July 6, Mr Peter Dunn was awarded a Papal Honour by the Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Dermot Farrell. Archbishop Farrell said the award recognised Mr Dunn’s “tireless” work for the Radharc Trust “to ensure that the Radharc programmes and the essential Christian values they embody should not be forgotten”. Mr Dunn self-deprecatingly…

Acquired Brain Injury Ireland marks 21 years of service for brain injury survivors and their families across Ireland, writes Jason Osborne Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII) recently celebrated its 21st birthday, the organisation being set up in 2000 to meet a need to provide “life-changing, specialised neuro-rehabilitation” for people in Ireland whose lives have been…

Personal Profile Fr Colm O’Mahony OSA wears many hats: vocations director for the Augustinians in Ireland; student master for the pre-novitiate; and prior and bursar of the Drogheda community. But it was always the call of community life that attracted him to the Augustinians, and his zeal for work ‘on the ground’ is constantly renewed…

Between the glare of summer sun and screen, our eyes may be taking a beating these days, writes Jason Osborne An old adage has it that the eyes are the window to the soul. Regardless of how much truth there is to that, there’s probably some sense in the intuition that they’re one of the…

Personal Profile Emmet Thompson’s connection with St Eugene’s Cathedral and the nearby Long Tower parish in Derry go all the way back to his childhood. It’s a connection he has maintained through his work as pastoral co-ordinator for the two parishes, a role that was of great importance over lockdown, as Mr Thompson was heavily…

Living Laudato Si’ “To restore nature, we must first restore ourselves”, words from Pope Francis speaking at an event to mark the beginning of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. This global initiative is an effort to protect and restore the vast ecosystems of our planet. Biodiversity loss is at critical levels due to human…

The Catholic Church has upheld the Sacred Heart of Jesus for a long time, and it’s as relevant now as ever, writes Jason Osborne The month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was, and remains, one of the most widespread and popular devotions in the Church. In this hectic, scattered…

Personal Profile Included in the Queen’s recent birthday honours list, much to her surprise, was Ms Maureen Devine MBE of the Irish Pilgrimage Trust. Though she doesn’t consider herself a Holy Joe, her almost 25 years volunteering in a number of capacities for the trust were devoted to the works of mercy characteristic of the…