Category: Your Faith

Time to prepare for the soil to warm up

Green Fingers In March, as the weather slowly improves and the soil warms up, it seems as if nature herself is stirred into action. If snowdrops have not flowered due to overcrowding or if you just want to increase your stock, now is the time to lift and divide them. Snowdrops have a very short…

New faces of mission

Mags Gargan talks to the CEO of Viatores Christi about lay missionary work While the profile of Irish missionaries may be changing, the legacy of their work continues to bear fruit through the work of young local missionaries and lay Irish missionary organisations such as Viatores Christi. Originally set up in 1960 by a group…

Raising children as concerned citizens

A Parent’s Perspective I have a great interest in politics, political programmes and all the discussion and debate that surrounds it. Much to my children’s dismay, I’m monopolising the television in the run up to the general election and the minute yet another debate begins, they beat a hasty retreat. My 15-year-old, who often joins…

Faith in the Family

We had a wonderful homily from our parish priest a few weeks ago. I’m not suggesting that we don’t generally have good homilies – but this one stood out. I went to Fr Brian after Mass to thank him for what he’d said and laughing, he responded, “It wasn’t the homily I had prepared at…

A dragon to fire up St David’s Day

St David’s Day is coming up on March 1. St David led a simple life and urged his followers to do the same. He abstained from luxuries which makes his feast day falling during Lent significant. As a vegetarian, he earned the nickname Dewi Ddyrwr which translates as the water drinker. Many miracles are attributed…

Headache is a common reason for visiting a GP

Dr Kevin McCarroll Headache is one of the most common reasons for visiting your GP and accounts for about 25% of new referrals to neurologists. Nearly 50% of adults suffer from headaches in the last year and it is attributed as a reason for up to 20% of work absences. In Ireland, migraine attacks alone…

Lent is a good time to address sugar intake

Lent is well underway and many readers may have even taken the opportunity to resurrect some of their long forgotten New Year’s resolutions. Among the more popular things to ‘give up’ during Lent are all things confectionary, including sweets, chocolates, cakes and buns. Those who have made such commitments may already be struggling to stick…

Activities for the Easter holidays

Mags Gargan looks at activity camp options across the country to keep children entertained during the school break Lent is upon us and while it might seem early, now is the time to start planning how to keep children busy during the Easter holidays. Easter Sunday can fall on any Sunday between March 22 and…

Dad’s Diary

According to my six-year-old boy, I am “like a rainbow”. His teacher brought me into his classroom the other day to see his little essay, proudly hung on the wall, where he was asked to use similes to describe a friend. I was touched that he chose me as that friend, and I was even more…

The ‘Pope Francis effect’ on youth

María Salto Galdón examines the impact of Pope Francis on young people’s attitude to the Church Pope Francis: a revolution in our Church nowadays but also in the vast width of our world. ‘The humble Pope’, ‘The Pope of the poor’ that is how the Pope is regarded by everyone. However, are young people today…