Hopes that new Jesuit Centre can be a hub of welcome and faith formation, Ruadhán Jones hears While most of the news about religious orders in Ireland of late has been about closure and retrenchment, the Jesuit’s in Belfast have launched a new venture with high hopes. The Jesuit Centre, which opened officially on Saturday,…
Month: October 2022
Changed, changed utterly: Poland’s embrace of Ukraine
Polish society has been transformed forever by the number of refugees it’s accepted from neighbouring Ukraine, writes Jason Osborne A stroll around the streets of most Polish cities now will see your ears pick up nearly as much Ukrainian as they do Polish. In my case, the city of Szczecin in Poland’s north-west, a walk…
Deciding to be decisive
Greater choice than ever before has made it more difficult to make a decision and stick with it, writes Jason Osborne Have you ever stood in a packed supermarket aisle and struggled with what should be an easy choice? Which type of cereal? Which type of milk? Which type of bread? Nearly every item in…
Priests abducted in Cameroon plead for release
A video has emerged on social media that shows five Catholic priests, a nun, and three others who were kidnapped last month in Cameroon’s Mamfe Diocese pleading with their local ordinary to secure their release. On September 16, unidentified gunmen attacked St Mary’s Catholic Nchang Parish of Mamfe Diocese in Cameroon. Nine people were abducted and buildings on the…
Pope hails new Catholic-Jewish study centre in Poland
Pope Francis expressed his hope that a new centre for Catholic-Jewish relations in Poland will “foster appreciation of the common heritage, not only of the two religions, but also of the two peoples”. Speaking to Polish pilgrims at his weekly general audience October 19, the Pope noted the inauguration two days earlier of the Abraham…
Vatican movie night: Popcorn, beer, rosaries and Russell Crowe
As soon as the lights dimmed for the start of the show in the tiny Vatican movie theatre, the crack of beer cans being opened joined the quieter crunch of popcorn. After all, when there is a private showing of The Greatest Beer Run Ever, starring Zac Efron and a green duffel bag full of…
Vatican and China renew their agreement on appointing bishops
by Cindy Wooden Saying it is committed to “respectful dialogue” with China’s communist government and to “fostering the mission of the Catholic Church and the good of the Chinese people,” the Vatican announced it has renewed its agreement with China on the appointment of bishops. In the past four years only six bishops have been…
A spiritual journey on a rainy day in Knock
A Parent’s Perspective For the second year running, my daughter and I got up at the crack of dawn to head off on the annual Dominican Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo. I’m sure others who are more used to the early rise would laugh at my definition of an early start but, in…
Family News
Maradona ‘hand of god’ football to go for over €2.8m The football that was at the feet – and hand – of Diego Maradona as he shocked the world with acts of both gamesmanship and breath-taking skill in Mexico 36 years ago has been put up for auction and is expected to sell for at…
In Brief
US bishop renews plea to launch mental health ministry After announcing Bishop John Dolan lost his sister to death by suicide, the Diocese of Phoenix renewed his “urgent plea to get mental health ministry underway”. “Our hearts are breaking as we make known the loss of Mary Elizabeth Dolan, youngest sister of Bishop John P.…