Wristbands to help find missing people with dementia Wristbands which can help locate missing people with dementia have given families “peace of mind”, according to a BBC report. The bracelets, developed by emergency services and charities in Somerset, store essential information about the wearer including their name and next of kin. The information can be…
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…
Medical Matters Our lives have changed in so many ways as a result of the pandemic, which has impacted negatively on health-related behaviours such as alcohol consumption, smoking, diet and physical activity. This will not come as any surprise given that surveys suggest that up to half of the population have experienced moderate levels of…
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…
Hibernia is in hibernation. Outside the window, torrents of rain gush from grey November skies, while the wind groans through drunken trees. The stream is a torrent of white water cutting a path towards the distant sea, as though trying to escape the onslaught. The summer foliage has been torn violently from all but the…
Maturity has various levels. Basic maturity is defined as having essentially outgrown the instinctual selfishness with which we were born so that our motivation and actions are now shaped by the needs of others and not just by our own needs. That’s the basic minimum, the low bar for maturity. After that there are degrees…
In the middle of a nail-biting US election this month, an event occurred which may have passed people by, but which has huge consequences for our common home. Three years ago, the Trump administration announced that it was pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, a decision which came into effect on…
New vaccines showing positive signs There’s hope on the horizon as two major pharmaceutical companies have announced successful tests of vaccines for Covid-19 Vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna have both proven more than 90% effective in preventing Covid-19, based on interim data from a late-stage clinical trial. Pending more safety data and regulatory review, the…
Does the Earth feel pain? Can it groan and cry out to God? Can the earth curse us for our crimes? It would seem so, and not just because ecologists, moralists, and Pope Francis are saying so. Scripture itself seems to say so. There are some very revealing lines in the exchange between Cain and…
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…
Ruadhán Jones
Dr Kevin McCarroll
Fr Ronald Rolheiser