The sacraments cannot be treated as mere rituals that can be approached regardless of one’s beliefs or morality, writes Fr John McKeever Many have described the landslide in the abortion referendum result as ‘a wake-up call for ‘the Church’, presumably meaning ‘the hierarchy’. However, the Church in reality is all the baptised, including those…
A prominent pro-life group has criticised proposals made by Labour MP, Stella Creasy, to remove any criminal sanction for those involved with abortion. Commenting on the June 5 Westminster emergency debate on abortion, Dawn McAvoy, co-founder of Both Lives Matter said: “Stella Creasey wants full decriminalisation which would leave abortion largely unregulated. It could allow…
National Gallery of Ireland Print Gallery Drawing Dublin exhibition curated by Anne Hodge (Curator of Prints and Drawings) and Niamh MacNally (Assistant Curator of Prints and Drawings) The three rooms of the Print Gallery in the NGI are currently devoted to a most interesting exhibition, one filled with unusual and little seen images of the…
The 15th annual report on the implementation of the US bishops’ ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People’ shows a decrease in allegations of clergy sex abuse from the two previous years. It also indicates the need for continued vigilance since charges were raised by more than 650 adults and 24 minors. The…
Attacks on the Church in the aftermath of the abortion referendum are misplaced, a yes-voting senator has said. Speaking in the Seanad last week, Senator Marie-Louise O’Donnell said while she had voted to repeal Ireland’s constitutional protections for the unborn, talk of how “we will batter” the Church should cease. “I was educated and minded…
Wisdom at the Crossroads: The Life and Thought of Michael Paul Gallagher SJ by Thomas G. Casey SJ (Messenger Publications, €12.95) Anthony Redmond The well-known writer, educator and theologian, Fr Michael Paul Gallagher SJ died from cancer on November 6, 2015. He was a brilliant, kind gentleman in the true sense of the word. I had…
WMOF2018 Brenda Drumm The Amoris Parish Programme has concluded, plans are advanced and dates have been selected for the last few diocesan and parish family gatherings and, with the exception of the local opening for WMOF2018 in each diocese on August 21, all eyes are now on Dublin for the five days on the…
A Wexford priest has warned public about the many hazards related to water he sees each summer as temperatures rise. Fr Tom Dalton, volunteer at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) highlighted the need to be vigilant around water which can often appear safe but is actually very dangerous. “The thing about our coastline is…
Colm Fitzpatrick explores Faith camps being offered this summer With the summer holidays now here, it can be stressful for parents to try and keep their children occupied and entertained in lieu of the normal daily school routine. This can be even harder to combat with young teenagers who aren’t old enough to be…
A new Vatican document cautions against the dangers of highly competitive children’s sports, political and economic pressures on athletes to win “at all costs” and the unsportsmanlike or violent behaviour of fans. The document on sports also calls on every group or institution sponsoring sports programmes to have expert-guided child protection policies in place and…
Peter Costello
Colm Fitzpatrick