This book is a labour of love. At the outset the author reveals how he first became aware of the existence of Gordon Brewster.
A sharp eye on the Irish Free State
Month: June 2024
Trans-identifying monk risks ‘confusion’ in Church, experts say
Church leaders risk sowing scandal and confusion, experts say, by allowing a female monk who has been living as a male for years – and who recently publicly announced her transgender identity – to continue presenting herself as a man. Christian Matson, a hermit living in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, went public with her…
A transatlantic Rosary
Recent weeks have seen troubling incidents at the Dublin-NYC portal, but a recent initiative aimed to bring positivity. Collaborating with an American Catholic influencer –@FrancoTV-, three friars from the Order of Preachers – @irishdominicans – organised a Rosary prayer session spanning the Atlantic. The American influencer’s team explains on his ‘X’ (twitter) profile, “the idea was…
Youth of Raphoe Diocese “on fire for the faith” and one man’s story to getting there
We might hear a lot of doom and gloom when it comes to faith in Ireland, in particular when it comes to young people and their involvement, but various pockets of Ireland are “on fire for the faith” according to one youth minister in Donegal. The diocese of Raphoe has been one of those communities.…
Celebrating the class of 2024
Greg Erlandson It is always hard to predict how a generation is going to be judged by history. When my dad graduated in 1939, did anyone see that his would be the Greatest Generation? Yet perhaps the stress and pressure of the Great Depression and the nation’s response to that challenge helped forge the courage…
A wave of controversy
Letter from Rome After Pope Francis sparked a wave of controversy for using an off-colour gay slur, he now appears to be attempting to mend fences, offering reassurances to a homosexual man turned away from seminary and writing the preface to a book by a prominent LGBTQ+ activist priest. On June 4, the Italian version…
Italy’s Prime Minister tells bishops to back off over constitutional reform
After the leader of the Italian bishops recently appeared to throw cold water on a key constitutional reform backed by Italy’s conservative government, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni essentially told the bishops to back off, reminding them that “the Vatican state is not a parliamentary republic”. President Meloni made the comments in a May 30 interview…
We are better and worse than we think
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Our own complexity can be befuddling. We are better than we think and worse than we imagine, too hard and too easy on ourselves all at the same time. We are a curious mix. On the one hand, we are good. All of us are made in the image and likeness of God and are,…
The memory of the dead
Peter Costello
Glasnevin Cemetery is an important place, but at the same time one which is little known. How it came into existence has to be kept in mind.
What will become of the ‘anxious’ generation
Earlier this year, American social psychologist Jonathon Haidt wrote about ‘The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness’, arguing that the rise of smartphones has seen teenagers spending less time socialising, more time glued to their screens, with girls in particular most likely “to be sucked into…