Personal Profile For many religious communities, the coronavirus pandemic has been a time to discover the importance of an online presence. It’s something that the Oblates of Mary Immaculate have been wrestling with for some time, and has come into sharper focus during the crisis. Rebecca Roughneen, digital communications specialist for the Oblates in Inchicore,…

Weird dreams and disturbed sleep have been frequent complaints during lockdown, so now’s the time to consider your sleep hygiene writes Ruadhán Jones We’ve all heard how important good hygiene is to combat the coronavirus. Even before that, no doubt, the practice of washing your hands after going outside and always brushing your teeth would…

Personal Profile Music and faith are the two passions of Tom Conroy’s life, who believes firmly in St Augustine’s teaching “he who sings, prays twice”. Though as a child, Tom wasn’t too interested in music, it was something that was always in the background. “Music is in my family – all of them play, my…

Without a consistent routine, we may be eating more than usual or finding it difficult to think of what to cook writes Ruadhán Jones What’s for dinner, when can we eat, can I have snack now – all these questions have piled on top of us during lockdown. Many are cooking regularly for children and…

Personal Profile Father of six, co-ordinator of Síolta Retreats and co-founder of charity Another Pair of Hands, faith and good works has always been central to Armagh man Bosco McShane. “Faith was always a big part of my life,” Bosco said to The Irish Catholic. “A big influence on my life was Mother Teresa and…

The pandemic is a monolithic event, yet its effects differ from person to person writes Ruadhán Jones The pandemic has resulted in far reaching, monolithic difficulties for us all. It has reminded us that we are not invincible, that we are, in fact, incredibly frail beings. However, it has also underlined our common humanity, as…

Personal Profile A Polish priest based in Co. Dublin believes the Covid-19 pandemic is changing and deepening our understanding of what the Eucharist is about. Fr Dominic Zwierzychowski OMI from Poznan says the faithful, despite being kept apart physically, are feeling a greater sense of togetherness during these difficult times. In an interview with The…

We can do a lot to maintain a healthy heart writes Chai Brady   Many people are not seeing their family doctor as regularly as normal due to Covid-19. Most general practitioners are offering consultation via telephone or over the internet and people who are on regular medication are continuing to prescribe this. There have…

Personal profile A priest from Northern Ireland says a lucky escape from a Nazi German bombing in 1941 propelled him on his faith journey into priesthood. Canon Sean Rogan from Belfast, who resides in Carryduff, Co. Down, narrowly avoided being bombed during the Second World War and was evacuated with his family. The retired 81-year-old…

The first effect of the pandemic was physical,but a secondary effect was psychological and emotional writes Ruadhán Jones   The spread of the coronavirus is a new and a challenging event and can be worrying. It can affect our mental health, leading to a number of different outcomes such as increased anxiety, stress, and loneliness.…