NASA’s Crew-3 astronauts splash down safely The four members of NASA’s Crew-3 mission returned to Earth Friday after having spent six months on board the International Space Station (ISS). After a 38-minute freefall, the capsule slammed into the discernible atmosphere at nearly 5 miles per second. The SpaceX Crew Dragon carrying the four astronauts, three…
A parent’s perspective I’m delighted that, after two grim years, I can finally attend the annual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help this year in my neighbouring parish of Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Nothing replaces attending these parish events and celebrations in person and no Zoom login is ever comparable to being present at Mass…
Personal Profile Aidan O’Rourke, manager at Radio Maria, says it is a great blessing to serve people by bringing God to them over the radio. Having explored the ways God might be calling him, he feels that he is now fulfilling his vocation through his work with the station. The eldest of four brothers and…
Where can all of us believers come together beyond the divisions created by history, dogma, denomination, and religion? Where is there a place all people of sincere heart can find common ground and worship together? That place is found in the ecumenical and interreligious pursuit of spirituality, and our theology schools and seminaries need to…
Children’s Corner If a person was to say that you couldn’t get wet despite an upside-down bucket of water being above your head, you might think they have lost their mind. But what happens when the bucket is spinning quickly in a circular motion? This experiment examines something people may have already experienced in their…
The Sunday Gospel Where is the risen Lord to be met? The liturgy each Sunday in this Easter season directs our thoughts to the various situations where the Lord is present and active in our midst. Over the weeks we have reflected on his presence in the mission of forgiveness, in the faith of those who do…
A friend of mine, somewhat cynical about the Church, recently remarked: “What the institutional Church today is trying to do is to put its best face on the fact that it’s dying. Basically, it’s trying to manage a death.” What he’s suggesting is that the Church today, like a person struggling to accept a terminal…
The Sunday Gospel The Fourth Sunday of Easter is called Vocations Sunday, and each year the Gospel is about Christ the Good Shepherd and the flock of his followers. Today’s reading is short enough to quote it in full. “Jesus said: ‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow…
With Easter Sunday come and gone, it’s important not to forget to continue celebrating what God has done for us, writes Jason Osborne If you’re in any way like me, you’ll be feeling like you’re nearly at the end of your spiritual-attention span, having weathered a long Lent and embraced the Triduum, with all of its…
Astronomers discover new type of stellar explosion A newly-discovered kind of stellar explosion could be commonplace in the universe and may change people’s understanding of how eruptions in stars occur, astronomers have suggested. A micronova is a blast that lasts for just a few hours, which makes it very difficult to observe. These explosions take…
Maria Byrne
Ruadhán Jones
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Chai Brady