Parenting Matters
Category: Your Faith
An oasis of calm in a busy city
Mags Gargan
Mags Gargan visits a counselling service in Dublin’s North inner city for its 20th anniversary celebration An oasis is defined as fertile ground in a desert or something that provides refuge, relief and is preserved from surrounding unpleasantness. There is no better description for the Oasis Centre in Seville Place in Dublin’s North inner city.…
Don’t be fooled by warmer weather in May
Paul Gargan
A wet and windy May fills the barns with corn and hay. Now that May has almost arrived, let’s hope we have seen the last of the night frosts. The possibility of late frosts occurring, however, must always be expected and planned for. No matter how warm the weather is in early May, don’t be…
A floral cross to celebrate May Day
Erin Fox
May Day is nearly here, officially marking the arrival of summer. The first thing to do for the celebration is to set up a mini grotto with a small statue or portrait of Mary, surrounded by May flowers. After setting up your mini grotto, you can take part in the May traditions celebrated in some…
I believe human life is special and is endowed with the right to life
William Reville
Spokespersons for conservatism, and for Christianity, find it difficult nowadays to gain traction in the mainstream media. Left-liberal positions are in the ascendancy across a wide range of issues – reproductive rights, euthanasia and assisted suicide, religion in schools, immigration policies and more. Liberalism, as opposed to conservatism, traditionally prided itself on its greater tolerance…
Dad’s Diary
Seán came home from school the other day with a fanciful tale: “I won thousands of pounds for my school today. Thousands! My drawing was the best in England and I’m going to be in the newspaper. It’s amazing. I can invite anyone I like to come to a special party when I get the…
Sharing the gift of faith
Participants at a youth gathering in Dublin to celebrate the Year of Mercy describe their experience Last week Dublin’s RDS hosted a gathering of more than 500 Transition Year students from all over the island of Ireland, along with teachers, chaplains, priests, religious and volunteers, who came together to celebrate the Year of Mercy. This…
A small school with a big heart
Mags Gargan visits a rural Tipperary school for a special celebration to mark its students’ commitment to social justice The modern, bright and newly renovated Presentation Secondary School in Ballingarry, Co. Tipperary can be found tucked away on the outskirts of the village. With just over 200 students, the co-educational school is a small community…
Children experience grief differently to adults
Maria Byrne
My dear father, Joseph Louis Conroy, Joe to most of his family and friends, died a month ago. No matter what age a parent is or how long they’ve been battling illness, whether sudden or unexpected, nothing prepares you for that final farewell. Although my father had been diagnosed with cancer some years ago, had…
Obesity must be tackled on individual basis
Cathal Barry
This columnist was shocked yet unsurprised to hear that Ireland is on course to become the most obese country in Europe, with Britain, within a decade. The perilous prediction outlined in a study published in The Lancet was reported by various news outlets recently. Irish men already have the highest body mass index (BMI) –…