This has been the longest January in recorded history. The month began about ten years ago, as I watched as Big Ben ominously ticked down the seconds to 2021 with my wife and our two oldest kids. Instead of our usual cheerful New Year’s gathering of friends and family, it was just the four of…
Lying is the most pernicious of evils, the most dangerous of sins, the worst of blasphemes, and the one sin that can be unforgivable. Perhaps we need to be reminded of that today, given our present culture where we are in danger of losing the very idea of reality and truth. Nothing is more dangerous.…
Homeless people receive Covid-19 vaccine in the Vatican Pope Francis is working to ensure that poor people who are assisted by Holy See facilities for the homeless be offered the possibility of being vaccinated against Covid-19. A statement released on Wednesday by the Holy See Press Office said that 25 homeless persons were inoculated with…
Notebook The report on the mother and baby homes is the latest in a line of painful spotlights to be shone into dark areas of our society during the decades following the setting up of the Irish Republic. One of the questions the report sought to answer was, why there had been the need to…
There’s a terribly jarring advertisement on the radio at the moment. The trite catchphrase goes something like “this is us…staying at home…keeping away from one another…this is us”. It’s undoubtedly well-meaning and designed to affirm people in their persistence in observing pandemic-related restrictions. But, there is something desperately sad in it because this is actually…
You’ve probably all seen The Crown by now. I enjoyed it but like many of the mini-series on Netflix it was anything but ‘mini’. I also thought John Lithgow was far too tall for Winston Churchill though his performance is solid. We’ve been so spoiled by some of the recently brilliant depictions of Churchill on…
Nigerian priest abducted for ransom found dead The body of Fr John Gbakaan, a Catholic parish priest in Nigeria, was found dead with machete wounds on January 16, a day after armed men kidnapped him and demanded ransom. Fr Gbakaan, the parish priest of the Saint Anthony Church in Gulu in Minna diocese, was kidnapped…
Biden returns US to Paris climate accord Joe Biden has reinstated the US to the Paris climate agreement mere hours after being sworn in as president. The US president is pursuing this amid a number of executive orders aimed at tackling climate change, with the issue being one of the Biden Administration’s top priorities. President…
The Sunday Gospel Fr Silvester O’Flynn OFM Cap. Last Sunday we had the dream of Jesus as he launched his mission to establish the kingdom or reign of God on earth. “The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent and believe the Good News.” This meant repossessing the world…
Children’s Corner There is quite an easy science experiment which is great for helping kids learn about static electricity. Static electricity is a familiar electric phenomenon in which charged particles are transferred from one body to another. For example, if two objects are rubbed together, especially if the objects are insulators and the surrounding air…
Rory Fitzgerald
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Michael Kelly
Aubrey Malone
Chai Brady