Fr Martin’s life is a proof of the Church’s missionary spirit that continues to inspire priests, religious, and laity, says Renata Milán Morales “May that missionary spirit never decline in the hearts of Irish priests, whether members of missionary institutes or of the diocesan clergy or of religious congregations devoted to other apostolates,” said St John…
Brenda Noriega-flores Have you ever found yourself pondering the meaning of life? If so, you’re not alone! Most people, especially between 13 to 30 years of age, frequently wrestle with these big questions. Wonder is part of what it means to be human and, as St Thomas Aquinas wisely noted, it’s a deep desire for…
Jackie Whelan My brother, Paul McLeod, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of twenty-five. He died eighteen months later, in March 1990. He was the youngest in the family, loved by everyone. We were totally devastated, but our parents’ faith was strong. They spoke about ‘God’s will’. I questioned how a loving…
‘Choose your battles’ is generally good advice. It’s wise to acknowledge that not every fight can be won; that we may not have the resources to sustain a war on many fronts; that victory sometimes costs us more than we can afford. But if you’re born (or baptised) on the battlefield, things become more complicated.…
D.D. Emmons In Church history, few lay people have had more positive effect on the success of Catholic worldwide missionary activities than a Frenchwoman named Pauline Jaricot. Born into an aristocratic family in 1799, she used her influence to not only help spread the Gospel but rejuvenate devotion to the rosary and highlight deplorable conditions…
Gerald Korson The family that prays together stays together” has been an international Catholic catchphrase for 80 years, a truism that is instinctively self-evident even if it admits of exceptions. Another popular slogan, “A world at prayer is a world at peace,” likewise proposes prayer as a prevention or remedy for conflict and disunity on…
Sr Hosea Rupprecht Think for just a moment about the pace at which digital technology has grown over the past 20 years. Saying ‘fast’ would be a bit of an understatement. Most of the time, the expansion and innovations of the digital culture leave our heads spinning. Now, with generative artificial intelligence, or AI, there’s…
Gabriel Dupén A brief testimony of St Therese of Lisieux showering down roses You gave birth to a late-born child in our Lord Jesus Christ. A shadowed soul exhaustingly downgraded by its sins, thirsty for the truth, light, and salvation, surrendered to you. Thus, in Jesus. Overwhelmed, doubtful, hopeless, empty, you have found me. Accidentally…
On a dusky fall evening, I take a walk down a familiar neighbourhood street. Ahead of me, a small deer looks my way at the same moment I spot him. Freezing, I realise he’s being followed by seven companions. They dash across the street and disappear into a backyard. I gaze into the yard, where…
God has been gently guiding my little boat along the stream, taking the greatest care of me despite my spontaneous actions, says Michelle Kelly I want to begin by saying that God has been gracious to me. Oftentimes I fail to acknowledge His gifts and grumble over the difficulties in my life, but when I…