Questions of Faith When criticising religion, it’s common to hear the expression: “Faith is believing in something without having proof.” This accusation is usually thrown at people who adhere to a particular religious or spiritual belief in an attempt to show the irrationality of their thinking. In others words, while you may think it’s noble…
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has announced that a local Jesuit high school will no longer be recognised as a Catholic school, due to a disagreement about the employment of a teacher who is in a same-sex marriage. “All those who minister in Catholic educational institutions carry out an important ministry in communicating the fullness of…
Our society demands productivity, but we can’t let our faith conform to this, writes Ben Swanson A little while ago I found a little golden ring. I was going up the stairs in my house and it was there sitting on one of the steps. It was thin, it had a break in it, and…
Australian bishops have written a pastoral letter denouncing Victoria state’s “new, and deeply troubling chapter of health care”, as voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide became legal last Wednesday. The Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 took effect on June 19. In a letter earlier this month, the bishops of Melbourne, Ballarat, Sale, and Sandhurst wrote that “we…
Growing up as a Roman Catholic, like the rest of my generation, I was taught a prayer called, The Act of Contrition. Every Catholic back then had to memorise it and say it during or after going to confession. The prayer started this way: “Oh, my God, I am truly sorry for having offended thee…
Mary Jenning If you are not a runner (yet), you may wonder what the attraction is. From the outside running must seem like a very boring hobby indeed. Constantly putting one foot in front of another for minutes and possibly even hours? How is that in any way exciting? But talk to any runner…
The California Catholic Conference commemorated the fourth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home’ by issuing a pastoral statement calling for heightened attention to ecological issues in the state that could affect future generations. The document from the conference, which includes all of California’s bishops, focused on the encyclical’s…
Burundi’s Catholic bishops have expressed their concern at rising political intolerance in the east African country. “We are worried about the progressive increase of political intolerance which, in different parts of the country, provokes clashes,” the bishops said in a statement at the end of their four-day plenary meeting in the capital, Gitega. Burundian authorities…
A Tipperary priest has urged the government to tackle the country’s current suicide and mental health crisis. In a meeting with mental health minister Jim Daly, Fr Michael Toomey of Clonmel raised serious concerns about the lack of resources in the county to address this epidemic, stressing that the county has had a higher than…
Mindful Living Dr Noel Keating We have seen that meditation is a universal practice which has a particular expression and meaning in the Christian tradition. Many who practice meditation have been drawn to do so because of its pragmatic benefits. Indeed, the spread of mindfulness as a secular practice in health and other secular…
Colm Fitzpatrick
Fr Ronald Rolheiser