A parent’s perspective I was reading a Facebook post recently about a woman who wanted to scale back on her working hours due to chronic illness. She was hoping for some sort of flexibility and understanding of her position having been an exemplary employee in the past. Her boss was not too eager to facilitate…
Children’s Corner Solutions are not just what you try to achieve when you’re stuck on a problem. A solution can also be a liquid mixture. You can learn all about solutions and their significance by adding more and more sugar cubes to water. To make it more interesting, why not also change the temperature of…
Over the past few weeks, parishes all around Ireland have been organising listening sessions to give as many people as possible the opportunity to share their thoughts and experience of the Church as part of the synodal path. At the same time many parishes are back to the ‘conveyor belt’ mentality for Sacraments of First…
This was supposed to be a happy family gathering. My granny turned 98 at the end of February. Like most years we travelled to Germany to visit her and celebrate another milestone in her life. I love what Pope Francis says about grandparents: “…because they have the strength and are of the age to carry…
A parent’s perspective Pope Francis’ Lenten message to get off our smartphones and do good for others face-to-face is more relevant than ever. Sitting in our homes glued to the unfolding horror in Ukraine, or checking the constant updates on our phones can almost make us feel like we’re really there. We post up Ukrainian…
Children’s Corner Music is an extremely powerful force in the world. It has the power to make us laugh, cry, become nostalgic, fearful and every emotion under the sun. Very often it is used in film, theatre and more to create a certain mood whether that be tension or levity. National anthems are created to…
“I wish it was Tuesday already. Can we please skip the days in between?” It is my daughter’s birthday next week and while her excitement is nearly too much for her to handle, hearing those words nearly creates a knot in my stomach. Skipping a day or two, even a year or two brings back memories…
For some reason the last week felt very long. When Friday night, February 4, finally came last week I found myself sitting at the kitchen table, in front of the laptop, watching the live stream from the synodal path in Germany. It was the third out of four major gatherings taking place in Frankfurt/Main. I…
A Parent’s Perspective If you were to believe some of our popular media, you could be convinced that Confirmation is just a mere rite of passage, a cultural or ceremonial ritual that marks the passage of childhood into adulthood. It’s often presented as a Sacrament involving a decision to embrace or choose the Catholic faith,…
Children’s Corner Bacteria have unfortunately got a very bad name due to their association with spreading sickness and causing food to decay. However, despite the ‘bad eggs’ bacteria are pivotal when it comes to how our body work. It helps humans digest food, neutralise toxins and even helps us get nutrients. It is a fascinating…
Maria Byrne
Chai Brady