Personal Profile The Catholic Church and healthcare have a long history, with the Church being one of the largest patrons of healthcare efforts in the world. It is into this history that Peadar Hand has inserted himself, a young, practicing Catholic and a nurse. Asked where the desire to enter healthcare came from, he cited…

Two weeks to go, Ruadhán Jones suggests some treats you can prepare in advance Christmas is a time to celebrate. We have good reason to, for our Saviour is come! While there is a strong ascetic tradition in the Church, there is another which sees the Earth’s bounty as a sign of God’s love. The…

Personal Profile Fr Ger Dunne is the man at the helm of the Catholic Chaplaincy in University College Cork. A Dominican, he appreciates the values a university and its culture engenders in students. “I’m always inspired by the goodness of students and they don’t get enough credit, to my mind, for their altruistic nature, I…

Ruadhán Jones explains how to protect yourself while shopping online It’s a truism at this point to say that online shopping has skyrocketed during the pandemic. Recently, the closure of non-essential stores, black Friday and Christmas’ imminent arrival have driven sales even higher. Many will be new to the world of online shopping and may be…

Personal Profile While the modern offices of Citibank and the humble carpentry workshop of Christ seem to many as though they couldn’t be further apart, Al Byrne informs me that they are really one and the same place, for one trying to live in imitation of Christ. “I see that through work, we can participate…

Advent is a period of anticipation and preparation, writes Ruadhán Jones Advent begins this Sunday, November 29. It’s no secret as to what it’s about – preparing for the arrival of Christ. Because it’s so obvious, because it happens every year, we can overlook the wonder of his coming. But this year we may be…

Personal Profile Recognised around the world for his extensive cycling around the parish, with pictures of his travels reaching America and Australia, parish priest of Headford, Fr Ray Flaherty has made every effort to remain connected despite the unusual year everyone has faced. “People are hugely important. The connection with people – I think that’s…

Superstition to many, but the Church recognises our connection with the dead, writes Ruadhán Jones At the beginning of November, the liturgical calendar turns our minds heavenward with the feasts of All Saints and All Souls. As many of our pagan ancestors did, we take the time to commemorate, pray for and commune with the…

Personal Profile A veteran of Youth 2000, Máire McAteer has seen the organisation grow and bear much fruit during her time there. “I’ve seen how it has grown. Like everything we have to be patient to see growth. Like, the mustard seed starts so small, but it takes time to grow into the huge bush,…

Autumn is passing and  it’s time to bed the garden down for winter, writes Ruadhán Jones Do you have a gardening calendar? It’s a useful item and can be purchased, home-made or simply looked up online. Anyway, if you were to consult your calendar, you will most likely be getting little hints that the growing…