Editorial In his Prison Journal, Cardinal George Pell offers a sobering yet steadfast reflection on the state of the Catholic Church, particularly in Australia and the West. His observations, written in the solitude of his prison cell, are not those of a man bitterly lamenting the Church’s struggles but of one who sees hope in…
Dear Editor, I agreed 110% with Fr Chris Hayden ‘Be quick to listen’ [The Irish Catholic – March 13, 2025]. Irish Catholics really need to move on from the stereotypical desire for ‘quickie’ Masses and homilies. It’s quite immature, minimalistic and lacking in generosity to the God to whom we owe our very existence. It…
Michael Sanfey reflects on a fast-paced first 50 days of Donald Trump President Trump’s strongest opponents could hardly deny that he has started out of the blocks of his second term at a blistering pace. A sign of this is how analysts and media commentators chose to assess his first 50 days rather than his…
A recent report in The Irish Catholic described a study by the Universities of Vienna and Sussex on spiritual boredom. When lead author, Thomas Gotz, and his team decided to investigate spiritual boredom, they discovered that there was a surprising lack of previous research. They chose five spiritual practices – yoga, meditation, pilgrimage, silent retreats…
Bishop Donal Roche, in an interview with Garry O’Sullivan, describes a love for the priesthood, and reflects on a way of life that is mixed in hope and a sense of fear for what comes next. So I asked you to reflect on Relentless Ministry, what are your thoughts? I don’t find ministry relentless, personally.…
Last weekend, a conference was held in the Clayton Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin, hosted by the Life Institute, Family and Solidarity, and Doctors for Life on the issue of assisted suicide. All around the world, there are moves to introduce assisted suicide, and Ireland is no different. Last year, a majority of TDs voted in…
Tánaiste Simon Harris has come to attention of Andrew Tate of all people. You might not be familiar with who Andrew Tate is, so let me explain. He is a ‘social media influencer’ with millions of followers, overwhelmingly teenage boys and young men. He promotes an extremely aggressive form of masculinity that basically tells his…
It was the summer of 2014 when I first heard the harmony. It was so flawless, I thought it must have been a recording. In fact it was the sweet sound of seminarians from St Bonaventure’s, a Francisan college, in Lusaka, Zambia, located next to the orphanage, where I was volunteering. At the time, St…
I was married on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25, many moons ago, back in the 1970s. Friends said “You’re mad! Getting hitched at the end of the tax year – such bad timing!” I have always borne in mind, ever since, that money and fiscal policies often have quite an influence on matrimonial…
This year, the Christian churches can celebrate Easter together. But that is the exception. All efforts to find a common date have come to nothing. Bonn (KNA): The calendar provides a steep template: this year, the churches are celebrating the 1,500th anniversary of the Council of Nicea – and thus also the establishment of the…
Breda O'Brien
Maria Steen
David Quinn
Martina Purdy
Mary Kenny