Jenna Marie Cooper Q: When I was an Evangelical I was told there was no such thing as ghosts and that paranormal phenomena were likely demons. What does the Church say about this? Doesn’t the Church teach that there are no such things as ‘apparitions’? A: The word ‘ghost’ can refer to several different concepts.…
The FBI handed over to US Congress July 25 internal documents relating to the bureau’s now-withdrawn leaked memo that recommended investigating devotees of the Traditional Latin Mass. The leaked memo, dated January 23, which originated from the bureau’s Richmond office, claims that racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists will likely become more interested in “radical-traditionalist…
From a dark past of once allowing and ordering the censoring, banning and burning of the Talmud and other Hebrew texts, the Vatican has deepened its decades of fruitful dialogue and cooperation with Jewish leaders with a new interfaith study programme. Some 20 Jewish and Christian scholars began a three-month hybrid course in mid-July at…
The 13th Century Persian poet and Sufi mystic, Rumi, once said that this is how faith moves in our lives: We live with a deep secret that sometimes we know, then not, and then know again. New York columnist David Brooks says something quite similar. In his book, The Second Mountain, he shares how he…
This is a question many people must ask themselves from time to time. To answer it we have to have clearly in mind who the full complement of Apostles called by Jesus were. Matthew (10:1-7) provides a list of the original apostles. “And the names of the 12 apostles are these: The first, Simon who…
The dangers of evil are “prowling” Ireland, and at a time when individual choice is seen as the ‘gold standard’, it is more important than ever to know good from evil according to the Primate of All Ireland. In his homily for Mass on the summit of Croagh Patrick, Co. Mayo, Archbishop Eamon Martin of…
Catholic bishops in Kenya appealed for end of violence and dialogue, as scores died in anti-government protests. The opposition has rallied around new taxes and a rising cost of living. The bishops are worried that escalating protests called by Raila Odinga, the main opposition leader against President William Ruto’s government, have been turning too violent…
I just celebrated a wedding Mass. By any standards it was a ‘big wedding’ with around 250 people in attendance. It was heartening to look down the church and see so many people gathered to celebrate and share the day with the young couple and their families. I like days like these. At Holy Communion,…
Elvis Presley, as I mentioned in my review of Baz Luhrmann’s movie Elvis last year, feared he would be forgotten after he came out of the army in 1960. The rock ‘n’ roll boom of the 50s had passed its peak by then. He thought he would be irrelevant to the new generation about to…
Dear Editor, It would be foolish not to have deep concerns about the Irish Government’s draft Social, Personal, and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, particularly in regards to a sentence that promotes an ill-conceived concept of ‘allyship’ [The Irish Catholic – July 20, 2023]. I believe it is essential to address this issue with utmost urgency,…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
Chai Brady
Aubrey Malone