Women could be named Ministers Dear Editor, Dr Cerrato tells us women may not be ordained deacon for “fundamentally theological” reasons [The Irish Catholic – June 6, 2024]. Also, while there were “Deaconesses” in the past, he points out they were not “equivalent” to male deacons. He may well be right, but that need not…
Letter of the week People of solid faith would not divest any school… Dear Editor, The divesting of schools from Catholic management to other secular kinds of management is becoming a trend, so much so that I am wondering if we will have any schools under Catholic management in ten years’ time. I see this…
Letter of the Week A narrative which sees life, family, religion as dispensable Dear Editor, As we look back on a completely lacklustre European election campaign, we see that it ignored the most important challenge facing our continent, namely the impending social and economic collapse which is seen as inevitable by multiple demographic statisticians. No…
Letter of the week The extreme hatred of all things Catholic… Dear Editor, Recently in the media was a story of a local elections candidate and her querying of Dublin City Council expenditure on a statue of the Sacred Heart at a city centre location. Hardly a huge hole in the council budget, the reason…
Letter of the Week Highest honour bestowed on Dana Dear Editor, News that Ireland’s first Eurovision Song Contest winner in 1970 and former MEP Dana Rosemary Scallon has been conferred with a Papal honour, in recognition for services rendered to the Catholic Church, is cause to rejoice. Dana who regularly appears on EWTN, wrote and…
Letter of the week Not to sound sanctimonious, but…. Dear Editor, As communities enjoy the season of welcoming the children who have reached the age of reason to the table, and celebrate their young people answering an invitation to step forward either for Confirmation, or to be blessed, I wonder if, in our talk of…
Dear Editor, I was pleasantly surprised to read, ‘Don’t altogether dismiss ‘clericalism’’ by Mary Kenny [The Irish Catholic – May 9, 2024]. Mary articulated my sentiments so well. I too am attempting to discuss ‘clericalism’ with my priest confreres, on a somewhat informal basis. As a recently appointed co-PP, home from Zambia and formation ministry…
Dear Editor, Listening to the Gospel the other morning I was struck by the words “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me before you” (John 15:18). These words struck a chord with me because the previous day I was accused of lacking compassion by opposing assisted dying as a compassionate response to…
Dear Editor, I am writing to commend the courageous work of priests like Fr Ademir Marques OFM Cap., who selflessly minister to individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty, often facing dangerous situations in the process. The recent incident at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, where Fr Marques was attacked – thankfully not badly injured –…
Dear Editor, I’m delighted and welcome Dublin airport’s decision to reverse the ban on the blessing of planes airside. It’s unfortunate that the initial announcement was made at all. The sudden change, and then reversal in policy was bizarre, particularly considering the longstanding relationship between parish and airport. Fr Des Doyle’s remarks about the supportive…