A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of saying a few words at a Mass marking the retirement of one of our priests. Having served in the parish of Charlestown for twenty-two years, Msgr Tommy Johnston, had arrived now at retirement and a packed church bore testimony to the difference he had made in…
As we watch the news each night and see the latest images coming from Gaza, our hearts recoil in horror before the humanitarian disaster unfolding there. There is also the sense of powerlessness that leaves us feeling unable to do anything to help and yet our conscience tells us that indifference and doing nothing is…
Each pilgrimage has marked a turning point in my vocation. This Jubilee in Rome, my first as a priest, was no different, says Fr Barry White From July 28 to August 3, I joined thousands of young pilgrims in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth—a festival of faith, fun and friendship. From the vibrant opening…
Perhaps in its ideal form, innocence might be described as a human heart stripped of ego and lust, something akin to what James Joyce describes in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man when his hero, young Steven, sees a half-naked girl on a beach and instead of being moved by sexual desire…
When I texted my brother to ask if he would like to go to Lough Derg, he responded that he’d already been in 2015, and it would be still another ten years before he would go through that again. Lough Derg is trauma. I remember the first time I was there as I walked round…
In the two previous articles, we considered Knock as a uniquely silent apparition. We saw firstly the importance of silence as a necessary preparation to ponder and reflect. We focused on the absolute silence of The Lamb of God. But there is a third reason for the silence of the vision before us. Silence accompanies…
Q: Why would God allow Satan to torture and torment Job when he knew Job was a wonderful man and if God is, indeed, omniscient? A: First of all, it’s not known whether Job was a literal historical figure. Many Scripture scholars believe that the Book of Job in the Old Testament is essentially a…
The world lost a very special person last month, June 2025. Charlotte Anne Devine had a quiet and mild disposition, but she made a great impression on everyone she met. By worldly standards, there was nothing remarkable about Charlotte Anne’s life but in the eyes of heaven, she was a treasure. Native of the parish…
150 years of service by the Poor Servants of the Mother of God and their lasting bond with the village The history of Carrigtwohill and the Poor Servants of the Mother of God (PSMG) Sisters, has been closely intertwined over the last 150 years. Venerable Magdalen Taylor started her Carrigtwohill community in 1875, in response…
The new hub of Christianity is the Global South, especially Africa and Asia. A slumbering religious giant is awakening. Christianity is a religion on the move. Literally. Yes, African Christianity is on the move and moving outwards and upwards. Today thousands of Africans are moving north seeking new life. Among them are many professionals, part…
Fr Barry White
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Fr John McCarthy