According to Isaac the Syrian, a famous 7th-Century bishop and theologian, a person who’s genuinely humble gives off a certain scent that other people will sense and that even animals will pick up so that wild animals, including snakes, will fall under its spell and never harm that person. Here’s his logic: a humble person,…
A Parent’s Perspective A lot of Catholic events and organisations seem to cater for 18-35 year olds; others are geared towards children or married couples with children. Single people; widows and widowers, with or without children; other lone parents and those who are married and childless can often feel a little bit out on a limb.…
Watching too much television is a silent problem in Ireland, writes Colm Fitzpatrick It’s hard not to marvel at today’s technologically advanced world; the fact that we can connect with family and friends from different sides of the planet; find any desired information with a device that fits neatly in our pocket; or order items…
The first time I was eligible to vote was in the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. Marking an ‘X’ in the box to endorse the peace accord only took a second, but it remains one of the proudest moments of my life. Growing up in the North, our lives were characterised by…
School resource launched to help homeless children A charity and teachers organisation have produced a new resource for primary school teachers and principals supporting students and families who are homeless or at risk, it was announced this week. Focus Ireland and the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) produced the document which aims to highlight the…
Most of us still have vivid memories of our first day in school. My mother says she can still see, like yesterday, that morning in the mid-1950s, when she turned to look at her mother as she walked out the door of the classroom, leaving her alone in this new and unfamiliar environment for the…
Hungarian Church to set up abuse prevention system Hungary’s Catholic Church says those anyone “proven” to have abused minors has “no place in the priesthood”. In a statement released last Thursday, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference said the country’s Church is setting up a permanent system for reporting mistreatment or sexual abuse by people in…
Youth Space God also walks among us at youth pilgrimages, writes Siomha Magee I have recently returned from Medjugorje, where I attended the five-day Youth Festival with my mum, and a wonderful group of 38 other people. It was a fantastic experience! We stayed in a lovely family-run B’n’B, which was about 10 minutes walk…
Green Fingers October is usually the time of year that our temperature changes from warm to cooler, if not frost. This in turn signals a change in the look of most gardens, from full-on bursting with foliage and flowers to slimmed down or bare boned, even somewhat skeletal. Don’t be too tidy: leave the big…
St Patrick in his Own Words by Joseph Duffy with a new foreword by the author (Veritas, €12.99) This is not exactly a new book, but a reissue of a book for which there will be a noted demand, by both academics and general readers. It contains, with an appropriate introduction and notes, all the surviving…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Maria Byrne
Colm Fitzpatrick
Michael Kelly
Rory Fitzgerald