The Carmelite nuns of Arlington do not recognise their dismissal from the order. The vows they have made to God can neither be cancelled nor taken back, writes the prioress, Mother Teresa Agnes, who is not recognised by the Vatican, in a statement published on the convent’s website on Wednesday. They have no intention of…
Traditional Christian faith is the resistance to despair, says priest The “collapse” of Christianity in Ireland is “leaving a dangerous vacuum that is not being left vacant but being filled with other forms of pagan spiritualty, religion and worship”, the Administrator of Wexford parish has warned. Fr Billy Swan said that “there is evidence that…
There is something brewing amongst the youth in the Church says, James Tourish There are many things associated with modern university life in today’s world, parties, drinking culture and a broad range of activities that are better left undiscussed. As a student at Queen’s University in Belfast, you soon come to find that ‘the…
Fr Adrian Crowley Eve Lavalliere was born in France in 1866. She had the worst, most tragic beginning to life which any child could have. Her father, an alcoholic, in a drunken rage shot her mother and then himself… and she saw it happen. As a teenager she ran off to Paris in pursuit…
“If assisted dying is legalised then the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities are vulnerable to cultural coercion, i.e., to messages of ‘you’re no longer useful or wanted, ….you are a burden on society’ Bishop Martin Hayes has warned. A member of the Irish Episcopal Conference’s Council for Life, he was responding to the…
Like many of you reading this, I remember Halloween nights of my childhood with ‘Trick or Treating’, songs, games, apples and monkey-nuts. It all seemed innocent fun. But things have changed. Today, celebrations of Halloween have taken a darker turn that ranges from exaggerated decorations and costumes in schools to clear evidence of the rise…
Christine Mako Many are familiar with the story of Judith. She is one of the well-known Biblical women, renowned for her courage in helping rescue the Israelites from the Assyrians. With her virtue and trust in God, she was able to deliver the head of Holofernes, the leader of the Assyrian army, to her people,…
Hotel Lux: An Intimate History of Communism’s Forgotten Radicals, by Maurice J. Casey (Footnote Press, £20.00 / €24.00) The Communist International, which became widely known as Comintern, was founded in Moscow 1919. In the tangled politics of the left since 1848 there had been two other international movements, which had failed; but this new organisation…
Independent Senator Ronan Mullen has described last week’s passing of the Hate Crime Bill in the Oireachtas as an example of “radical gender politics” entering the country’s Statute Law for the first time, saying that it “sets a bad precedent for the future” as the new broad definition of gender comes from “a very ideological…
Saint of the week Patron saint of bishops, cardinals, seminarians, and spiritual leaders, St Charles Borromeo’s life of sacrifice, devotion to pastoral care, and reform is a model for bishops and clergy today of holiness. Through his efforts, priests and laity were inspired to live as true disciples of Christ. Born near Milan in 1538,…
Brandon Scott