Personal Profile Sr Marie Cox holds music close to her heart. It brought her to where she is today and has connected her to people all over the world since she joined the Mercy Sisters in January 1979. Hailing from a small village called Arney in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, Marie was introduced to…
Chai Brady speaks to Fr Patrick Devine SMA about tackling conflict in Africa Conflicts caused by religious extremism are on the rise across Africa and are more difficult to deal with than violence between tribes, according to an Irish missionary priest who established a charity focused on peace-building and reconciliation. Fr Patrick Devine SMA…
I had intended writing about Irish National Opera’s new production of Bizet’s Carmen due at Dublin’s Bord Gáis Energy Theatre this week but, alas, Covid-19 stepped in and brought the curtain down. It promised to be an interesting staging with Kerry’s Paula Murrihy as the sultry gypsy temptress of the title role and Kildare’s Celine…
Mainly About Books by the Books Editor In times of crisis it’s natural that people should look to their Faith for reassurance. During the days of the ‘mad cow disease’ (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) the prayer in time of plague associated with St Roch was much sought. Now, with a new kind of plague striking fear into…
The Book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible tells the story of the enslavement of the Israelites in ancient Egypt, their liberation from captivity at the hands of the Lord, their wandering in the desert and the revelation of the Promised Land. Theologically, it is the story of God’s abiding and eternal presence with his…
Dear Editor, The local and global responses to the coronavirus are interesting, in that, here we have an invisible but real threat seen by its effects. Large efforts and vast resources are being deployed to counter this. I believe Christians and the Church particularly can learn a great deal from this fervour and realisation of…
Well, who would have thought that RTÉ would move to broadcasting Mass on a daily basis, and yet, in these strange times, that’s what happened last week. With the most unusual St Patrick’s Day in living memory I’m sure Catholics were very grateful to RTÉ for broadcasting the St Patrick’s Day Mass – slimmed down…
Notebook As I write from a preternaturally quiet Rome, Italy is about to enter the third week of her coronavirus lockdown and Ireland is ramping up her own quarantine measures to slow the spread of disease and avoid the harrowing experience of the North of Italy. That word quarantine has religious roots. It comes…
Sunday’s Gospel Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. The story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead begins with a puzzling situation. When Jesus is told that his friend is seriously ill, he remains distant and aloof. It’s so unlike him. When eventually he goes to the house, Lazarus has died. The sisters Martha and…
Indian parish sews and distributes free face masks A Catholic parish in India has stepped in to distribute free face masks in response to a huge shortage and surge in prices due to the panic caused by the coronavirus. Little Flower Latin Church is on a mission to provide materials free of charge to other…
Chai Brady
Peter Costello
Michael Kelly
Brendan O’Regan