An invitation which I extended to students in Navan to join me as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ with Pioneers at Lough Derg this summer developed in the space of a few weeks from two to twenty – a case of beirt … triúr … seisear… deichniúr … fiche. Each pilgrim joined the group at the invitation…

The core of greed is fear for oneself. It reflects a lack of trust in God, writes Fr Dominick Domagala Readings: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:21-23 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11 Luke 12:13-21   At a time when many people use their holidays to regain physical strength for work, the Church reminds them of what is essential. It thus…

The summer months bring an increased flow of pilgrims to the Eucharistic and Marian Shine at Knock in Co. Mayo, one of the encouraging signs of Irish people’s enduring faith. Devotion to Our Lady in particular has always been a feature of Irish piety and a day in Knock is a means of revitalising that…

Imagine spending your life contained inside an opaque bubble. Everything that you need – or, at least, everything that you think that you need – is there in the bubble with you. You were placed within the bubble when you were born, and since the day of your birth you’ve never had any interaction with…

God’s presence inside us and in our world is rarely dramatic, overwhelming, sensational, impossible to ignore. God doesn’t work like that. Rather God’s presence is something that lies quiet and seemingly helpless inside us. It rarely makes a huge splash. We should know that from the very way God was born into our world. Jesus,…

Is laughter good medicine? Maybe, but it’s rare that we hear about the laughter of a saint. In our current historical moment, I think we need a saint’s laughter. This month we’ve been celebrating 31 days of St Ignatius of Loyola, leading up to the anniversary of his death July 31, 1556.  People who love…

Q: When I was in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (commonly known as RCIA, now the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), the instructor said normal weekly Eucharist counts as a ‘confession,’ and reception counts as ‘absolution.’ She said in most cases, most people “don’t need to bother” the priest with their sins,…

Bookshelves are being emptied, boxes packed, and removal vans crisscross every diocese in the country. Yes, it’s that time of year when priests are on the move. If there were an appropriate dish for these moments of transition, it would involve sweet and sour sauce—there’s always both elements when a priest moves from one parish…