There is an old Irish toast that goes like this: ‘May you have warm words on a cool evening’. It makes the point that words are spoken with a certain temperature. They can be warm and loving or cold and cruel. Very often, it is not the words themselves that make the difference but 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…
Notebook As I write these words, two events coincide – the first, the re-opening of old wounds following the publication of the ‘Scoping Report’ into historical abuse in religious-run schools and the visit to Ireland of the relics of St Bernadette of Lourdes. Is this a coincidence and what does one have to do with…
“I believe in evolution. I’m an atheist” was the declaration of one man on meeting him recently. But is it a case of ‘either/or’ or ‘both/and’? Is it possible to accept the theory of evolution and still believe in a Creator God? ‘Both/And’, Not ‘Either/Or’ The ‘either/or’ choice of evolution or Biblical faith is based…
I spent the past two weeks on holiday in Assisi, home of saints Francis and Clare and now of Blessed Carlo Acutis – a young Italian boy who died aged 15 from leukaemia and who will become the first millennial saint probably during the Jubilee year of 2025. So, who is Carlo Acutis and why…
Notebook In recent weeks, I presided at the funeral of a young man who died by suicide. He was one of several who died in the same way in recent months here in the South-East. His tragic death was heart-breaking and devastating for his family. In preparing the homily for the funeral Mass, I was…
In the run up to the upcoming local elections and the next general election, a significant number of sitting TDs and local councillors have announced that they will not be running again. Many of them were Catholic. Who will replace them? Probably candidates who are less Catholic or not Catholic at all. If we don’t…
In a recent edition of The Irish Catholic, David Quinn pondered “Where the next Easter might come from” and wrote: “We might eventually have a social revolution, one that will point us once more in a pro-life, pro-family and very possibly a pro-religion and pro-Christianity direction again” [The Irish Catholic – March 28, 2024]. Here is…
Notebook I recently led a day of reflection with 30 people from my diocese who are in discernment about proceeding to the ministry of catechist or pastoral care worker. The brief I was given and the title of my talk was ‘An Introduction to Theology’. For most present, this was their first formal introduction to…
Notebook In last week’s notebook, Fr Bernard Cotter raised some interesting questions about the Sacrament of Confirmation. His reflections followed on from a recent meeting with parents of the candidates for Confirmation and parish personnel. The meeting seemed to lack any enthusiasm from the parents to such an extent that the person who chaired the…