Paulina Guzik Every year on the feast of the Epiphany, January 6, Polish cities get flooded with joyful Three Kings Parades. Designed as theatrical performances that recall the historical event of Jesus’ birth and the visit of the Magi who worshiped him 2,000 years ago, the parades’ purpose is to familiarise their audiences with the…
Campus chaplaincies are growing rapidly across the island of Ireland, hears Ruadhán Jones When Census 2022 came out, the drop in numbers identifying as Catholic came as little surprise. However, when it came to the under 30s there was an unexpected revelation – the majority still identify as Catholic. This reality goes against the grain…
Q: Why doesn’t the Church allow women to be priests? A: The reason why women can’t be ordained priests is because of the pattern set by Jesus himself while he walked the earth. Pope St John Paul II mentions this historical fact as the fundamental rationale for reserving the sacrament of holy orders to men…
Pope Francis revealed his intention to be buried at Rome’s Basilica of St Mary Major, reflecting his intense personal devotion to Mary and the famed icon of Salus Populi Romani contained in its Borghese chapel. Francis thus will become the sixth pontiff to be interred in the basilica, joining Pius V, Sixtus V, Paul V, Clement IX…
Chasing tornadoes has shown storm chaser Tanner Charles a side of God that few ever see, writes Jason Osborne t’s a fascination many have, but few follow through on. The elegant – violent – twisting and meandering of tornadoes across endless plains speaks more loudly of creation’s grandeur than most other natural phenomena. I couldn’t…
Former NBA star Devin Harris recently revealed in an interview with US magazine The Atlantic that he and his three children converted to Catholicism. The move seems to have come following an academic interest in the Catholic Faith, with many commentators noting that Mr Harris’s university thesis was on the famous 15th Century Dominican friar,…
One of the oldest living Carry On actors and Catholic convert talks to Ruadhán Jones It’s hard to believe that Knock International Eucharistic and Marian Shrine has a devotee in a Carry On actor. Those British films, now considered national treasures, are known more for bawdy humour and innuendos than faith and morals. But with…
The Belgian spiritual writer, Bieke Vandekerckhove, comes by her wisdom honestly. She didn’t learn what she shares from a book or even primarily from the good example of others. She learned what she shares through the crucible of a unique suffering, being hit at the tender age of 19 with a terminal disease that promised…
Jonathan Luxmoore As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is celebrating its 75th birthday, the Vatican’s Permanent Representative in Geneva, Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, organised a symposium that aimed to focus on both human rights and care for creation. The December 8 symposium, co-sponsored by the Sovereign Order of Malta, Caritas in Veritate Foundation, and the…
Tributes have been paid to the “dedicated and faithful” Bishop Patrick Walsh who served as the Bishop of Down and Connor from 1991-2008, following his death on December 28. Bishop Donal McKeown, Apostolic Administrator of Down and Connor, described him as a “gifted academic” who taught Mathematics at St MacNissi’s College, Garron Tower (1958-1964), served…
Ruadhán Jones
John L. Allen Jr.
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Chai Brady