A child’s first words are a huge milestone. At first, amongst the babble that emerges from a baby, something resembling a word occasionally emerges, like “da” or “yeah”. Yet, you cannot be quite sure if was merely accidental. Perhaps, you think, she is also inadvertently saying the occasional coherent word of Swahili or Russian, as…
One step forward, two steps back for kids writes Róise McGagh In a modern life, the average Irish person lives quite well. The shops are full of food, people are safe from conflict, rarely face severe weather in comparison to many other countries and the world is at our fingertips; with free travel and technology…
Mindful Living Children take to meditation very easily – they have a natural disposition for silence because they have an infinite openness to life without expectation. Adults can quickly tire of meditation because they feel they are getting nowhere. It seems – on the surface of things – that nothing is happening and that can…
Once during a baseball game in high school an umpire made a very unfair call against our team. Our whole team was indignant and all of us began to shout angrily at the umpire, swearing at him, calling him names, loudly venting our anger. But one of our teammates didn’t follow suit. Instead of shouting…
Personal Profile “I just feel I’m here to help bring people closer to God in the wider sense, and that is my work.” Marie Evans hails from Castleblaney in Co. Monaghan but has now settled, among the trees with her dog Millie, in the remote townland of Lurganboy, Co. Leitrim. She was once a…
Sweet Treats Macarons have a reputation for being tricky but don’t fear! If you follow the recipe carefully these red velvet flavoured versions will make an impressive gift this Valentine’s day. A top tip is throughout the recipe, make sure that all the ingredients are at room temperature. Ingredients Makes about 12 filled macarons …
Time to welcome spring’s snowdrops With the coming of spring, flowers are beginning to break through the soil and it seems like the whole environment is coming back to vibrant life with a huge variety of colour. What better way to enjoy the season than to take a walk in nature and enjoy one of…
I am going to be doing some work over the coming months with social enterprises. A social enterprise addresses challenges or needs in the community through an entrepreneurial business approach. An example of a social enterprise could be a bakery which employs people with learning difficulties or a community venture which provides classes, activities and support…
Questions of Faith Every year in the lead up to February 14, shops are replete with heart-shaped cards, elaborate bouquets of flowers and endless boxes of chocolates. On this special day, couples express their love for each other in a more explicit way than normal with many viewing it as just another secular, commercial event…
A parent’s perspective An article on The Catholic World Report website discussing Pope John Paul II’s vision of marriage and the family describes love in marriage as the union of one man and one woman to form “a communion of persons, through a sincere gift of self”. It talks of love forming the inner dynamism…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Bairbre Cahill
Colm Fitzpatrick
Maria Byrne