Choosing the sex (or, as some say, the gender) of a child may have been an aspiration that parents have sometimes wished for, throughout history: think of a family with four girls wanting a son, or vice-versa. And now clinics in San Diego, California are offering this choice to men through a process of sperm…
Homeless services are in a worse state now than ever before, according to the Peter McVerry Trust which launched its 2012 annual report this week. After 30 years of working to eliminate homelessness, the trust said the problem is now worse than ever, perhaps even out of control. According to its 2012 annual…
Claims that priestly celibacy leads to sexual abuse have been rejected by a leading expert. US-based Prof. Philip Jenkins, who has spent decades researching the area told The Irish Catholic this week that there is “no evidence whatever that Catholic or other celibate clergy are any more or less likely to be involved in…
A Catholic layman from Co. Kildare has taken it upon himself to create a Catholic drive towards inviting Pope Benedict to visit Ireland in time for the International Eucharistic Congress. Liam Prendergast has written to every parish in Ireland requesting that parish priests and other volunteers gather signatures of Catholics over the age of 16…
John Waters By any normal intuitive or rational criteria, I think you would have to observe that the prospect of a papal visit to coincide with the International Eucharistic Congress in June is, at this stage, unlikely. The question is: should we be thinking about such a matter on the basis of normal intuitive…
This year’s Eucharistic Congress is a chance to ponder the depths of this mystery which is at the heart of our Christian faith, writes Rik Van Nieuwenhove The Synoptic Gospels and St Paul unanimously witness to the fact that the Eucharist was instituted by Our Lord himself. This took place during the celebrations of…
Professor William Reville examines the controversial philosophy of David Benatar My colleague Dr Tom Moore, senior lecturer in the biochemistry department, UCC, gave a public lecture at UCC on January 18 that attracted a lot of interest. Tom described a proposal outlined by the South African philosopher David Benatar in his recent book,…
Niamh Harley describes her experience of Medjugorje At the start of last year, I was picked to go on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje as part of a school group. We decided to go as we had heard very good reports. Medjugorje was described as ”a place like nowhere else”; not sure what this…
Fr Michael Collins All around the country, young musicians are busy practising. Some are getting ready for their Leaving Certificate and State exams. Others are getting ready for Third Level exams. But a great number are preparing for the Feis Ceoil. Founded in 1896, the Feis Ceoil has seen several generations of musicians…
The Course of Irish History Edited by T.W. Moody and F.X. Martin (Mercier Press, €20.00/£16.00) Felix M. Larkin This book, now re-issued in a fifth edition, has been one of the most widely read of our history books. Indeed, it can be said to be itself a part of our history. First published in 1966,…