Daria Sockey During his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI said that there was one prayer that he wished all Catholics would learn to use. Can you guess what it is? Guess again – not the rosary. Nope. Not the Divine Mercy Chaplet either. Here are some hints. This prayer is nearly as old as the…
The Church understands that demonic possession is very rare, writes David Quinn The most famous horror movie ever made is probably The Exorcist, which was released in 1973 causing a worldwide sensation and drawing huge crowds to watch it. The director of the movie, William Friedkin, died last week aged 87. Mr Friedkin himself was…
The Youth 2000 summer festival saw hundreds of young faithful flock to Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare to enjoy a weekend of faith and fellowship. Those in attendance were encouraged at the Sunday Mass by Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Denis Nulty to be open to vocations and to foster them, in a culture…
Jenna Marie Cooper Q: I’m reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church and have a question about ccc 460. Can you please fully explain the lines: “For the son of God became man so that we might become God” and “… might make men gods.” I am to become God? That doesn’t seem right.…
All Desire is a Desire for Being, Essential writings of René Girard selected by Cynthia L. Haven (Penguin Classics, £12.99pb/€15.50pb) Frank Litton We cannot get away from the ubiquity of violence in human affairs. The wars in Ukraine, Yemen, Sudan – the list goes on and on. The slaughter of Jews during the Second World War…
Cindy Wooden With the approach of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops, a major event in the pontificate of Pope Francis, it was surprising that the Pope did not use the word ‘synod’ or ‘synodality’ in any of his talks to the 1.5 million young people gathered in Portugal for World Youth Day. If…
Sacraments in a Synodal Church, by Noel O’Sullivan (Veritas, €19.99) This is a book intended to be very much of the moment. With many years of work in both primary and secondary education, Dr Noel O’Sullivan lectures in systematic theology at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth. So, he knows how things are meant to work and also…
At Jesus’ first miracle in Cana Mary told the servants to “do whatever he tells you”. This was the pastoral theme in Lourdes a few years ago and was echoed recently at a meeting in Graiguecullen/Killeshin parish in the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, where 11 young adult parishioners prepared to set off to Lourdes…
The bigger job of synod organisers is to engage young people in the first place, writes Chris Altieri For an entire generation of young people – some of them misfits and some cool kids, some convinced Catholics but also plenty of folks on the fence and free-spirited seekers – Pope Francis at the recent World…
Andrew Greeley once suggested that we might profitably meditate on the following vision of heaven: The condition of physical ecstasy and emotional satisfaction which results from sexual intercourse between two people who are deeply in love is the best anticipation currently available to us of our permanent condition in the resurrected state. “The powerful inspirational…
David Quinn
Peter Costello
Fr Ronald Rolheiser