Youth Space Colm Fitzpatrick reports from a conference for Catholic young adults In 1 Peter 3:5, all Christians are taught, “Whenever anyone asks of you to speak of your hope, be ready to defend it”. This was the key theme at a recent Catholic apologetics conference in Belfast which celebrated both faith and reason.…
Children’s Corner If you venture into the woods this time of the year, you’ll find the forest floor scattered with pine cones. So, bring a big bag with you to collect them for making some pine cone-based crafts this month. Don’t worry if your pine cones haven’t fully opened, as you can open them…
Wild Lights at Dublin Zoo Dublin Zoo is launching an after-dark event tomorrow (November 3) which will run until January 7, 2018. Wild Lights is a trail around illuminated animal sculptures including a pride of lions, orangutans, tigers, giraffes and monkeys. Other highlights include a 16-metre high porcelain elephant tower and a 30-metre long Chinese dragon. Visitors…
Each of us has a divine spark that can fuel our own happiness and brighten the lives of those around us, writes Martina Lehane Sheehan Research in positive psychology suggests that while around 50% of our happiness levels are influenced by genetic components, only 10% are attributable to external circumstances, despite the huge amount…
Splashtastic events for little swimmers The first-ever National Baby Swimming Week organised by Water Babies will run from next Monday, October 31. The goal is to encouraging mums and dads across Ireland to take their little ones to their nearest swimming pool or swimming class for some fun family time, while gaining a host of…
We all make mistakes and we all experience failure. Failure is a painful experience and the conventional psychological advice is that we should not dwell on failure and we should try not to feel bad. However, new research just published by Noelle Nelson and others in the Journal of Behavioural Decision Making found that, when…
Dorcas Lane was the village postmistress in a TV series called Lark Rise to Candleford which we used to watch on a Sunday evening when our children were younger. Any time that Dorcas was caught doing something she felt she shouldn’t be doing, like eating a cream cake, buying another new hat or reading a…
Colm Fitzpatrick speaks with missionaries about their impact in South Sudan In a place of despair, starvation and even death, Irish missionaries have begun to bring hope back into the down-trodden lives of thousands. South Sudan remains one of the world’s poorest countries, and continues to be ravaged by violence, illness and extreme poverty which…
When it’s October, there’s no such thing as too much pumpkin. So, if you’re planning an all-pumpkin menu this Halloween, then it’s got to include pumpkin bruschetta. It makes a delicious starter to a main course of pumpkin risotto or pumpkin curry or a snack to have at a Halloween party. And if you use…
Niamh Brady reports on Kilmore’s first Diocesan Youth Day I am currently participating in the John Paul II Awards. These awards recognise young people’s commitment to faith and community. I was told about the Kilmore Diocesan Youth Day and was encouraged to attend. My sister Caoimhe, who is a first year in my school Loreto…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Erin Fox
William Reville
Bairbre Cahill