Celebrating Eastertide

Posted on 16. Apr, 2020 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Easter, Feminism/Women in the Church, Seasons of the Church Year

Walking to Emmaus © Mary Stephen CRSS Eastertide is the period of fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. Celebrated as a single joyful feast, known as the “Great Lord’s Day”, it is one of the most exciting times in the Church, so says Luke Macnamara OSB, monk of Glenstal Abbey and lecturer in Sacred Scripture […]

Women of the Cross

Posted on 09. Apr, 2020 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Gospel Values

As we continue through Lent towards Holy Week, Good Friday and Holy Saturday we are asked not to rush, not to start preparations for the resurrection, but to wait, to understand our own powerlessness. Beginning this week and continuing through Eastertide, we will run this series looking a six prominent women who featured in the […]

Response to Querida Amazonia

Posted on 02. Apr, 2020 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis’ official response to the Amazon Synod, demonstrates that the “Roman Catholic hierarchy lacks the courage and vision needed to address the real needs of the world and its people”, says We Are Church International, an advocate for structural change in the largest Christian denomination. In this second part of our two […]

Querida Amazonia’s view on Women

Posted on 26. Mar, 2020 in Church Teachings, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

“Francis’ dream for women in latest papal document is more like nightmarish vision”, so says Soline Humbert from “We are Church”. In an article for the Irish Times, she wrote, “I have heard several people talk of frustration, anger, devastation, dismay and even tears at the description of women and their roles in the church […]

Querida Amazonia critique

Posted on 05. Mar, 2020 in Church Teachings, Community, Faith and Justice, Feminism/Women in the Church, Sexuality

Professor Tina Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at Roehampton University, delivered a lecture entitled “Listening to the Essence of Things”: Theology, language and meaning in the context of Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonia on 19 February 2020 at The Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin. In this first of a two part series, we hear her […]

Mary Magdalene

Posted on 05. Mar, 2020 in Church Teachings, Feminism/Women in the Church

As the topic of women in the Church comes to the fore, we take a look back at this piece about Mary Magdalene from March 2005, around the time of the publication of ‘The Da Vinci Code’. She has been referred to the second most important women in the New Testament after Mary, the mother of Jesus. […]

John Paul II and the Role of Women

Posted on 27. Feb, 2020 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Feminism/Women in the Church

In this piece from the archive we take a look back at Pope John Paul II, who was in many ways the   He has been considered quite radical in social areas but quite conservative in areas regarding women and sexual morality. Gina Menzies talks about Pope John Paul and his very contradictory views, from […]

What does it mean to be Catholic Today

Posted on 13. Feb, 2020 in Christian Values, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

‘What does in mean to be Catholic today?’ was the title of a talk given by Fr. Roy Donovan for We are Church Ireland. In the talk he likened the Church to an old car that has gone off the road and “sunk into the bog and is stuck”. “The engine is still running, but the […]

Women in the Church

Posted on 06. Feb, 2020 in Church Teachings, Community, Ecology, Feminism/Women in the Church

In this second piece with Shiela Curran RSM, we look at the importance of women in the Church and ways in which they can achieve full inclusion. Shiela talks about the important role that women have always played in the Church since the very beginning, highlighting the the first witnesses to the resurrection were women. […]

Caring for our Common Home

Posted on 30. Jan, 2020 in Christian Values, Ecology, Feminism/Women in the Church

February begins with St Brigid’s day, the patron saint of ecology reminding us of our need to live sustainably and in harmony with nature. In this piece Shiela Curran RSM talks about the importance of ecology and how Laudato Si’ helped to change our spiritual vision of the world around us. Sheila’s ministry and research […]