Letter from Jerusalem Justin Robinson OSB Pilgrims who have walked Jerusalem’s Via Dolorosa will likely have visited the birthplace of the Virgin Mary at St Anne’s church, at the start of that hallowed route. The Crusader structure possess beauty in its noble simplicity, and it sits next to the Bethesda Pools where Jesus healed the…
Independent Senator, Sharon Keogan, has lambasted the Government’s safe access bill, insisting that the implications of the bill “are just as worrying as the hate speech bill in terms of their impact on civil liberties”. Speaking in the Seanad, Senator Keogan said that she had “raised concerns with the House about this bill’s draconian implications”…
My heart started beating faster and my face flushed when I glanced at the messages popping up in text bubbles on my phone one early morning last March. “Are you at work?” one asked. “Can you let me know when you are there?” another said. “Uh-oh,” I thought. “Someone died.” Stepping away from a conversation…
John Allen was in Los Angeles to give a talk to Catholics entitled ‘What’s Next? The Today and the Tomorrow of Francis’s Papacy’. The Irish Catholic sat down with John and asked him the question that will be on his audience’s lips – who’s the next Pope going to be and what will his style of governance be like? “Well, let me…
What is a monastery? How do monasteries work? St Benedict (480-547AD) who is considered the founder of Western monasticism, offered this counsel as an essential rule for his monks: Stay in your cell and it will teach all you need to know. Properly understood, this is a rich metaphor, not a literal counsel. When…
This is an original book. Whereas most books for young readers try to involve them in word and meaning, this is a book without words. But it still manages to speak volumes. Significantly it is dedicated by creator Tatyana Feeney to her own father, so the pages must carry for her a hidden level of…
Even for those who, as they say these days, ‘are not religious’, reading the New Testament is an experience which few set themselves to have. I also believe people should, in this day and age, have some acquaintance with the Torah and the Quran, and try to understand what they mean to Jews and Muslims,…
Laura Dodson shy Irish farm boy taught to be open to God’s gifts and opportunities in every harvest, egg clutch and milk bucket courageously responded yes to God’s call to priesthood. He ultimately became pastor of a sleepy central Florida parish ripe for awakening to God’s ways that would then transform not only their parish…
Dear Editor, I am writing in response to Mary Kenny’s thought-provoking article on modern parenthood, particularly its emphasis on ‘positive parenting’ and the potential consequences thereof [The Irish Catholic – February 29, 2024]. As a grandmother reflecting on the evolution of child-rearing practices, I’m particularly interested in Ms Kenny’s pertinent questions about the impact of…
After a disputed incident in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed while attempting to access humanitarian aid in Gaza, Church leaders in Jerusalem have condemned what they described as a “wanton attack” and called for a ceasefire. In a March 1 statement, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem pointed to the February…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Peter Costello
Brandon Scott