Columban missionary Fr Liam O’Callaghan describes an indifference to religious extremism in some sections of Pakistani society, writes Jason Osborne January 30 this year saw another deadly blast in Pakistan, this time at a mosque located inside a high-security compound that includes police headquarters and a counterterrorism department. The attack’s final toll saw 101 dead and hundreds more wounded.…
Questions of Faith Recent polls in the US have indicated that belief in Jesus’s presence in the Eucharist is at a historic low. A famous 2019 survey found that 69% of all self-identified Catholics said they believed the bread and wine used at Mass are not Christ, but rather “symbols of the body and blood…
British author Paul Kingsnorth has found a home and outlet in both Ireland and the Eastern Orthodox Church for his eco-concern, writes Jason Osborne The wilds of the west of Ireland have become home to English writer, Paul Kingsnorth, in a move that sees him better embody that prophetic voice “crying out in the wilderness”.…
Accord has released its latest attendance figures for couples undertaking Sacramental marriage preparation courses throughout Ireland. The 2022 figure of 4,610 couples hosted through 297 marriage preparation programmes is equal to 2019’s pre-pandemic figure of 4610 couples hosted at 285 programmes. Speaking at St Valentine’s shrine in the Carmelite church on Whitefriar Street Monday, Director of…
Lined up to narrate the Concerts in Aid of the Capuchin Day Centre for the Homeless, former RTÉ presenter Aonghus McAnally has described Brother Kevin Crowley as a “living saint” and the work of the Capuchin Day Centre as more vital than ever. Speaking to The Irish Catholic newspaper about the event and its cause,…
The goal of Lent is nothing other than freeing ourselves up to follow God more faithfully, writes Jason Osborne Lent begins Wednesday, February 22, this year, and so in preparation it’s worth turning our mind to it in advance. At least in my case, it often comes upon me like a thief in the night,…
Despite the singular name of this column, this week we’re focusing on two saints: February 14 the Church esteems Ss Cyril (originally Constantine) and Methodius, who were declared co-patron saints of Europe by St Pope John Paul II. These brothers were born in the Greek city of Thessalonica in the early ninth Century, but it’s…
A near age-old accusation levelled at the Catholic Church is that it encourages and actively worships Jesus’s mother, Mary. The same accusation is applied when it comes to saints – Catholics are accused of being polytheistic, essentially: of worshipping saints as gods, rather than God alone. The short answer to this is no, Catholics do…
Sr Miriam James Heidland SOLT tells Jason Osborne about her love of sports and reluctant online ministry Well-known in Ireland for her internet appearances and for her books Loved as I Am, Behold, and Restore, US-based Sr Miriam James Heidland of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity tells me with a laugh that…
In reply to a Parliamentary Question from Cork South West TD Michael Collins, the HSE revealed that it had compiled a list of 21 events since the introduction of abortion in January 2019 that had taken place in the vicinity of abortion centres. Responding to Deputy Collins’ inquiry, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that…