Each time I meet someone new there are two things that shock them. One being that there are Catholics in India and the second being Christianity reached the shores of India before it reached Europe. History shows that St Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ reached Muziris (Modern day Kodungallur in Kerala)…
During the last years of his life, Thomas Merton lived in a hermitage outside a monastery, hoping to find more solitude in his life. But solitude is an illusive thing and he found it was forever escaping him. Then one morning he sensed that for a moment he had found it. However, what he experienced…
The Church dedicates the month of February to the Holy Family, an inspiring model of love. This time offers an opportunity for reflection on what love truly means. With St Valentine’s Day accompanied by chocolates, flowers, and idealistic films, it is easy to overlook the deeper meaning of love. But we are left with an…
Matteo Mazzariol Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death.” These words of GK Chesterton are probably the best to…
This week it was announced that Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Kevin Doran to be Bishop of Achonry. Kevin is Bishop of Elphin and now is bishop of both dioceses. Since last April he has been Apostolic Administrator in our diocese so, in many ways, this was an expected announcement and a welcome one. There…
One of my friends, Fr Michael Brady, devoted much of his life to missionary work in Brazil, offering his service for around 50 years. Recently, he shared with me that when he began his missionary journey, others mentioned a small fact about a tiny fruit. He remarked, “Most people wouldn’t really eat the fruit because,…
God has visited his people. He has fulfilled the promise he made to Abraham and his descendants. He acted far beyond all expectation – he has sent his own ‘beloved Son’. We believe and confess that Jesus is the eternal Son of God made man. For ‘the Word became flesh and dwelt among us’, full…
I still put barriers up in my soul to God, and He keeps breaking them down, says Ciarán Heelan I don’t think there was ever a time in my life when I didn’t believe in God, not truly. My story is more about how I placed limits and barriers in different areas of my life…
“If only life came with a user manual!” I once heard someone say. Today there’s not much emphasis on teaching rules of good behaviour. We’re free to express ourselves and make up our own minds about things. But ‘do what you feel’ very often ends up as ‘what do I do?’ Since I can do…
In today’s world of swiping left and right to find ‘the one’, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find true love – a desire everyone craves but can’t quite understand how to achieve. So, how can someone find love in a world dominated by instant gratification and constant change? February 14 is famously known as Valentine’s…
Fr Ronald Rolheiser
Renata Milán Morales
Fr Dominik Domagala