A Parent’s Perspective November can be a dark, bleak month, situated between the mellowness of October and the excitement of the lead up to Christmas. With all its dreary days and inclement weather, it is a month I quite enjoy as the wind and rain provide the perfect excuse for snuggling up on the couch…

A Parent’s Perspective For the second year running, my daughter and I got up at the crack of dawn to head off on the annual Dominican Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine in Co. Mayo. I’m sure others who are more used to the early rise would laugh at my definition of an early start but, in…

A Parent’s Perspective There’s a lot of worry and concern about the dwindling numbers of young people attending Mass. Reactions to this often fall into two broad categories – one stance is to brush over the facts and take the focus off the issue by praising the efforts of teenagers and young adults in other…

A Parent’s Perspective As summer ends, I always get a little bit of that melancholy back-to-school feeling even though it’s years since I set foot in a classroom. By the end of August the days are a bit shorter, many crops have already been harvested and there’s that undeniable hint of autumn in the air. I…

A parent´s perspective When you get a late-night phone call from one of your adult children asking “Did you hear what happened?”, the natural reaction is to go into panic mode wondering what disaster has struck. It’s amazing how many worst-case scenarios can be conjured up in a split second and when the next question…

A Parent’s Perspective Pope Francis is a great champion of mothers. I’m sure his latest advice brought a smile to many faces. Speaking at a Mass to mark the conclusion of the 10th World Meeting of Families, he urged mothers to stop ironing their sons’ shirts and to encourage them to get married. I don’t…

A parent’s perspective I was really excited about the recent launch of the Pray for Life Novena running from May 23-31. An initiative of the Council for Life of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference, it was a great opportunity for the people of Ireland and beyond to join in praying for respect for all human…

A parent’s perspective I’m delighted that, after two grim years, I can finally attend the annual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help this year in my neighbouring parish of Newbridge, Co. Kildare. Nothing replaces attending these parish events and celebrations in person and no Zoom login is ever comparable to being present at Mass…

A parent’s perspective I was reading a Facebook post recently about a woman who wanted to scale back on her working hours due to chronic illness. She was hoping for some sort of flexibility and understanding of her position having been an exemplary employee in the past. Her boss was not too eager to facilitate…

A parent’s perspective Pope Francis’ Lenten message to get off our smartphones and do good for others face-to-face is more relevant than ever. Sitting in our homes glued to the unfolding horror in Ukraine, or checking the constant updates on our phones can almost make us feel like we’re really there. We post up Ukrainian…