My mother-in-law Agnes used to hate the dark nights drawing in, the changing of the clocks, the prospect of winter. I can understand that many people may feel like that and that this year may feel even more challenging. Perhaps that is why the timing of Pope Francis’ new encyclical seems to me to be…
Sweet Treats This is a cosy, decadent dessert perfect for those cold evenings as the darker weather sets in. It isn’t as difficult as you might think to make this lightly spiced version of the sweet gooey classic. It is worth looking for Medjool dates, they have a rich caramelisedflavour compared to that of regular…
On October 4, the feast of St Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis released a new encyclical entitled, Fratelli Tutti – On Fraternity and Social Friendship. It can appear a rather depressing read because of its searing realism, except it plays the long game of Christian hope. Fratelli Tutti lays out reasons why there’s so much…
The Northern Ireland Mixed Marriage Association welcome Irish funding The chairman of NIMMA has welcomed “well-timed funding” from the Irish Government, one of the Associations most consistent funders. The Irish Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs has pledged a total of €5000 to help cover some of NIMMA’s running costs. Chairman Ken Dunn said, “We are…
Diagnoses of mouth and neck cancer to increase 30% in 25 years, writes Ruadhán Jones Here’s something that may have slipped by you – September 16 was Mouth Cancer Awareness day. I don’t think you would be alone, of course, and a possible explanation for this is that mouth and neck cancers are not as…
A Parent’s Perspective The line from the poem Easter 1916 by William Butler Yeats “all changed, changed utterly: a terrible beauty is born” has been in my head a lot recently. Queen Elizabeth famously referred to 1992 as her annus horribilis, a Latin phrase meaning horrible year. Like many other families all over Ireland and…
Personal Profile New Pastoral Manager at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) Chaplaincy, Shannon Campbell is rooted in both Catholicism and ecumenism. Having attended QUB to study post-primary education and having been actively involved in the chaplaincy’s pastoral team during her years there, time has shown Shannon its circular face. Speaking to The Irish Catholic, she attributed…
One size doesn’t fit everyone. This isn’t just true for clothing, it’s also true for spirituality. Our challenges in life change as we age. Spirituality hasn’t always been fully sensitive to this. True, we’ve always had tailored instruction and activities for children, young people and for people who are raising children, carrying a job, and…
All the fun has gone out of the pandemic. It’s not that I mean to be flippant about something which has cost a million lives globally, and which continues to cause economic devastation. Yet most people acknowledge that there were real positives to the sudden interruption to normal life imposed by the spring lockdown. This…
Expert children’s bookseller and debut author, Lorraine Levis releases a manual for parents and educators to help children develop a love of reading Of everything in this book, the opinion I express here could be one of the most controversial … I think children should play more video games. I hope you will stick with…
Bairbre Cahill
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Ruadhán Jones
Maria Byrne