A Parent’s Perspective After the year we’ve endured, it may seem strange to focus a bit more on Sunday being a day of rest. Some of us have had our fill of sitting at home resting on the couch, with one day seeming to merge into the next and weekends spent catching up on grocery…

A Parent’s Perspective I’ve detected an increasing sense of despondency and dismay with the realisation that any chance of life going back to normal seems a long way off. My daughter was watching an anime film recently; its themes of love and romance made her sad because she said it just reminded her of her…

A Parent’s Perspective I was chatting with my family about what we are all doing for Lent this year. My 10-year old son was adding more and more tough penances onto his list including daily cold showers, giving up all sweets and treats, saying more prayers and a schedule that even the most saintly would find challenging.…

A Parent’s Perspective I was speaking to a young Catholic father recently about the difficulties and challenges he faces in trying to pass on the Faith to his four young children. He was feeling a bit overwhelmed and ill-equipped for the job, wondering how he could be more proactive and involved. He’s feeling the increasing pressure…

A Parent’s Perspective A quote I saw on Pinterest says: “Dear God, I’m placing 2020 in your hands.” I’m not sure if it was written at the start of 2020 or as the year progressed but, it’s a very good prayer for what was a strange, strange year. As we head into 2021, we have high…

A Parent’s Perspective Christmas is rapidly approaching, one of the most exciting times of the Church year for Catholics. We already have Christmas adverts competing to achieve that much desired place as the one advertisement that most captures the spirit of what Christmas is all about. Many of the central themes involve the excited anticipation,…

A Parent’s Perspective One of my favourite hymns is ‘Where Your Treasure Is’, with its lines based on the words of St Luke’s Gospel “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be”. When everything else is stripped away and we’re forced to re-examine our priorities, what is most important to us? For…

A Parent’s Perspective The line from the poem Easter 1916 by William Butler Yeats “all changed, changed utterly: a terrible beauty is born” has been in my head a lot recently. Queen Elizabeth famously referred to 1992 as her annus horribilis, a Latin phrase meaning horrible year. Like many other families all over Ireland and…

A Parent’s Perspective I watched a short, gripping video recently presented by the priest and author, Fr Mike Schmitz. Well known for his internet presence, especially his YouTube videos, this one really grabbed my attention, with the title: ‘Why Are Some People So Annoying?’ His basic premise is that being annoyed is a choice we…

A Parent’s Perspective Reading about the death of John Hume, Nobel Peace Prize winner and prominent Northern Irish politician, what stood out was his persistence and unshakeable commitment. Many commentators have mentioned his courage, charisma and kindness and how he spoke out for what he knew to be right. He was a firm believer in…