Actor Rainn Wilson, best known for his role as Dwight in the hit TV series The Office, recently took to Twitter to criticise Hollywood’s “anti-Christian bias”. Wilson’s tweet responded to a depiction of a cannibalistic Christian preacher in a new episode of HBO’s popular zombie series The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal. “I do…
There has been a sharp decline in the number of people who are married in the North of Ireland from 61% in 1971 to 46% in 2021, according to the latest statistics. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency released the data this week. It found that 693,000 adults (aged 16 and over) are married…
A Commonwealth of Hope: Augustine’s political thought by Michael Lamb (Princeton University Press, £35.00 / US$29.99) Frank Litton We are told that the world is divided into those who see the glass half-full and those who report it half-empty. This seems to be the case with politics. For many, perhaps the majority, all goes well. The…
Well-known in Ireland for offering recordings of Catholic speakers on a variety of topics, Eist Audio Productions has introduced the new name of ‘Hearing God’s Word’ as they launch the website globally. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper, Eist owner Paul Daly said that the new website will enable customers to access their recordings via…
As our Lenten journey edges towards Holy Week, Sr Anouska Robinson-Biggin FCJ identifies three invitations in the Triduum In the final days of Lent, the liturgies of Holy Week issue each of us with an invitation to ‘be with’ Jesus in a special way. This time, described by Pope Francis as “the heart of the…
The St Vincent de Paul society has warned the Antrim Town community not to be fooled by people claiming to conduct door-to-door collections on behalf of the society. The warning comes as individuals posing as volunteers called at houses in the Antrim parish area, claiming to be taking up a collection. The SVP “do not…
Letter from Holy Land Tom Tracy The priest-director of the Cultural Heritage Office for the Custodia Terrae Sanctae, or Custody of the Holy Land, in Jerusalem opened a drawer of vestments and casually dropped an unexpected historical tidbit about a clerical chasuble he was showing a group of foreign guests. The chasuble was part of a…
Darkness Between Stars by John F. Deane and James Harpur (Irish Pages Press, Belfast, €24.99/£22.00) Thomas Macarthy This book is an entirely unexpected project. Two poets of seniority and assured reputation have come together to publish the poetic faith essence of their many-volumed careers. Deane is a Catholic poet who once studied for the priesthood and…
Notebook Fr John Harris Greetings from Assisi. I am here with a group of priests from different parts of the world on a spiritual retreat. Assisi is a place like very few in the world. The spirit of the person of St Francis permeates the medieval streets and it allows a person while walking in…
Dear Editor, I agree with Mary Kenny’s views that opting for simple guidelines for fasting and abstinence for Lent are the best way to respond to the challenges of Lent. In my youth, fasting and abstinence and making our Easter duty seemed to be essential for doing a good Lent. However, some clergy have since…