During a hot and sunny week in June, Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare was packed with energy, friendship and prayer for Camp Veritas’ week-long Irish summer camp experience. Accompanied by founders Ryan and Elizabeth Young and 100 volunteers, the 150 campers enjoyed sports, crafts, and activities along with robust catechetical sessions and daily Adoration.…
One time, on a flight to Mostar ultimately bound for Medjugorje, a ‘first-timer’ was spotted with a yoga mat attached to her backpack. This caused a flutter of consternation among some, with the hope quietly expressed that she would have lost the yoga mat by the time we returned home. Were they judgmental or extreme?…
‘A grain of rice will tip the scale.’ It remains one of the most enduring lines ever uttered in GAA circles. Coined by the legendary Páidí Ó Sé during his spell as Westmeath manager in the early noughties, the phrase perfectly captures the fine margins that define championship sport. More often than not, it is…
At noon Mass in St Malachy’s Church, Bishop Eamon Martin remarked, “Our presence here in Belfast today will touch the hearts of many people…we thank God for the tremendous witness by so many of you – both to the preciousness and sacred nature of human life.” Bishop Kevin Doran’s en pointe homily asked, “How is it then that…people…
For Fr Laurence ‘La’ Flynn, the memory of his ordination is full of light. It was July 4, 1976, the day the United States was marking the bicentenary of its independence. “I wasn’t invited to the celebrations in America,” he laughs, “so I went ahead with my own.” The summer itself, he remembers, was “particularly…
This year’s race for the Sam Maguire Cup has, by some distance, stolen the limelight from its hurling counterpart. Week after week, the championship has produced thriller after thriller, dramatic twists and genuinely remarkable performances and outcomes. The introduction of the new rules has completely transformed Gaelic football, opening up the game and injecting a…
While there are not as many Irish missionaries working in Latin America as there were a few decades ago, their number – and their importance within the Church across the region – remains significant. Football is the dominant sport in most Latin American countries, and many Irish priests and religious have been following the World…
All eyes will turn to South Korea in August 2027, when the World Youth Day takes place in Seoul. Just over a year from the anticipated week, young people in Ireland are being invited to prepare and join this celebration of faith. South Korean Andrew Kim has been living in Ireland since 2022 and is…
Pender Island is part of the island chain that includes Vancouver Island off the city of the same name; Pender is a relatively small island of three thousand souls. These 3,000 doubles in summertime, when people return to their summer homes, made accessible by car ferry. This large population of people of all faiths and…
The final four standing in the race for the Liam McCarthy Cup will lock horns this weekend as the championship reaches its penultimate stage. In truth, hurling desperately needs two high-quality semi-finals to inject some life into what has, for long periods, been a surprisingly underwhelming summer. For years the Munster Championship has been regarded…
Renata Steffens