New papal nuncio from Nigeria has Irish faith line
On the feast of Our Lady of Fatima, May 13th last, Pope Francis was at Fatima to mark the centenary of the apparitions. On the same day, his press office …
Living in a disappearing priesthood
My historical sense of catholicism in Ireland, which I learned in school, was speckled with events that were depicted as reference points in Irish history. The Wild Geese, Cromwell, Fr Murphy of …
‘They’ve taken the Lord’
The women who were the first witnesses to the empty tomb and the Resurrection of Jesus summarised the situation in this way for the Apostles. “They have taken the Lord …
Life is an ocean, and the church is a boat
I’ve been doing a lot of twisting and turning in my mind of late, trying to describe accurately what it’s like being a priest in the Irish Catholic Church these …
Among the ways to wed
I don’t remember how many times I have participated in the Rite of Marriage at non-Catholic churches but there have been several. I have always experienced hospitality and kindness from the …
The Holy See’s new directive on funerals and cremation
I heard a few minutes of two radio programmes today and both were dealing with funeral related topics! Then into my Facebook status comes an update from the Tablet magazine …
When sport and faith compete
There are a lot of Sundays at Mass time when some truths may not be spoken out of fear of being devoured on social media or on a radio programme. …
Enrolling for First Holy Communion means a lot more
On Oct 16th, at Enniskeane Church, fifty-one children were presented to prepare for their First Penance and First Holy Communion. This is the text of my me message to the …