Cheques for £600 (€700) have been presented to representatives of each of the four charities who benefited from funds raised by 70 young people from across the Derry Diocese who participated in the recent Sleep Out/Stay Awake to raise awareness of, and money to prevent, homelessness in Derry. The Stay Awake/Sleep Out was held in…
Month: April 2019
Lemon tart – the perfect Easter bake!
Sweet Treats Laura Anderson This week’s sweet treat is a timeless classic – its bright yellow colour makes it the perfect centrepiece for your table this Easter. If you’re tight on time the pastry can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to three days. Ingredients Makes one 23cm/9in tart.…
A Church that both consoles and challenges our young people
“You’ll have to do something for the young people, Father!” If a priest had a fiver for every time a good-hearted and well-meaning parishioner offered this piece of unsought advice, he wouldn’t think twice about changing the car. The fact is that youth ministry is difficult and there’s no substitute for hard work. There’s no magic…
The kissing or not of the papal ring should be the least of our worries
Dear Editor, Mary Kenny describes how there has been “some comment” about Pope Francis being “disinclined” to have his papal ring kissed (IC 28/3/2019). I have been absolutely appalled at the amount of attention given in the Catholic press to the supposed ‘scandal’ of this. A short video appeared online of the pope pulling his…
When all seems lost, there is always greater Faith
The Notebook Fr Bernard Healy The alarm on my phone goes off at 5.50 am. I drag myself out of bed and try to say a prayer. After all, it’s Lent! Washed and dressed, I head downstairs and meet two of my companions here in Rome’s Irish College: fellow priests, one Nigerian, another Irish.…
The costly failure of our Faith’s leaders leaves a dire legacy
Catholic blogging is, in many ways, a thing of the past. My own thethirstygargoyle.blogspot.ie site was last updated a year and a half ago, for instance, with just two posts from the previous 12 months, while it’s been almost four years since the ‘Lux Occulta’ blog of the pseudonymous ‘Shane’ at lxoa.wordpress.com saw any new…
An island of calm shows its true worth
After last week’s review of the excellent programme on Fr Peyton, I’m in positive mode again. Last week BBC 2 Northern Ireland started a fine new series Oilithreacht (Pilgrimage), under the ‘BBC Gaeilge’ banner. Monday night’s episode was a warm treatment of the Lough Derg pilgrimage. It was promising that the focus was mainly on…
When emotion boils over into a desperate act
The Limit Of (15A) It’s often said that modern bank robbers don’t go into buildings with their guns blazing anymore. No, they stand behind the counter in sharp suits clicking keys. In other words, they’re the banks themselves. We all know how badly they behaved when they were throwing 100% mortgages at people during Ireland’s boom years.…
Fear division, not difference, Pope says
No one should be afraid that God has allowed there to be different religions in the world, Pope Francis has said. “But we should be frightened if we are not doing the work of fraternity, of walking together in life” as brothers and sisters of one human family, he said. As is customary, at his…
British brother’s death under investigation
Peruvian authorities are investigating the death of British De La Salle Brother Bro. Paul McAuley, whose burned body was found April 2 in a home he founded for indigenous students in Iquitos, in the northeastern Amazonian region. In a statement issued the same day, Peru’s bishops called for authorities to clarify the events surrounding his…