Well of Living Water

Posted on 23. Jan, 2020 in Christian Values, Community, Family, Feminism/Women in the Church, Gospel Values, Humane Vitae

Well of Living Water: Jesus and the Samaritan Woman is the title of Messenger Publications’ latest book, written by Magdalen Lawler, a Notre Dame sister living in London.  In this, her latest book, Magdalen uses an inspirational icon of the Samaritan ‘women at the well’ to help the reader reflect on the significance and meaning […]

New Year, New Baby

Posted on 16. Jan, 2020 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Climate Change, Community, Family, Feminism/Women in the Church

Former Soul Waves editor Josepha Smith joins us again with her baby to talk about life as a new mother. She discusses how having a child has changed her vision of herself as well as her outlook on the world and how it makes her want to apologise to her parents. She explains how it […]

Controversy over Wooden Carving

Posted on 21. Nov, 2019 in Christian Values, Church of Ireland, Feminism/Women in the Church

“A moment of sheer joy”. This is how the author and theologian Gerry O’Hanlon SJ described the recent Amazon Synod last month (October 2019) hosted in Rome by Pope Francis. The recent Amazon Synod last October, hosted in Rome by Pope Francis was seen as a great moment of hope. It was described by Gerry […]

Sexuality and Salvation Part II

Posted on 21. Nov, 2019 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Relationships, Sexuality

Fr Bernárd Lynch recently received the Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad from President Michael D. Higgins on November 21 in honour of the work he did as a priest to those with AIDS/HIV. For fifteen years, he was Theological Consultant to Dignity New York – an organisation for LGBT Catholic and their friends. […]

Married Priests

Posted on 31. Oct, 2019 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

The meeting for the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian region has approved a final document which calls for the ordination of married men as priests and for women to be considered for diaconal ordination. Approved Oct. 26, it is the result of a three-week meeting in Rome. The document presents the synodal assembly’s reflections […]

Celebrating Women in the Church

Posted on 31. Oct, 2019 in Christian Values, Feminism/Women in the Church, Music Therapy

This week, we have an almost prophetic piece of music by Rev Noireen Ni Riain, In Paupertatis Praedio, In the Farmland of Poverty. Following on from the recent meeting for the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazonian region looking at environmentalism and the role of women in the Church, this piece looks at the kind […]

Coptic Sisters

Posted on 10. Oct, 2019 in Christian Values, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

  Sr Gabriella and Sr Philomena in St George’s Abbey. Sister Gabriella and Sister Philomena sometimes feel like they are living parallel lives. They were both born in Cairo, Egypt and graduated from the American University of Cairo with masters degrees in economics and worked in the business world after graduation. They have been friends […]

Ordaining Women

Posted on 12. Sep, 2019 in Christian Values, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

Dr. Bridget Mary Meehan is an ordained Bishop and Priest with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, ARCWP.org . While the Vatican has decreed formally that a woman who attempts to be ordained a Catholic priest and the person attempting to ordain her are automatically excommunicated, Dr Bridget argues that her ordination and those of […]

Examining Amoris Laetitia

Posted on 22. Aug, 2019 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Church Teachings, Community, Family, Feminism/Women in the Church, Gospel Values, Humane Vitae, Sexuality

In this piece from the archives we look at “Amoris Laetitia” – the reflections of Pope Francis on love in family. Many felt that it had a positive tone and a sense of inclusiveness. However We are Church claims that “the Synod recommendations did not reflect the voices of Catholic families who had no deliberative […]

Exploring The Call

Posted on 17. Jul, 2019 in Christian Values, Community, Faith and Justice, Feminism/Women in the Church, Vocation

Rev Ása Bjork Olafsdottir talks to Conor Deane about the origins of her calling in her rectory in Dún Laoghaire, where she lives now with her family. Ása is from Iceland and has been in Ireland for many years. She loves her work and her parishioners but in particular she describes how she felt she had […]