Bring Churches together

Posted on 09. Feb, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Refugees

The Reverend Helen Freeburn is a Presbyterian minister working at the United Methodist and Presbyterian Church near Eyre Square in Galway. The two Churches came together there in 1980. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, she talks about her ministry and her multi-cultural congregation, which includes refugees and many people from […]

Lá Féile Bhríde

Posted on 02. Feb, 2017 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Ecology, Feminism/Women in the Church, Saints, St. Brigid, Young people

Lá Féile Bhríde is a celebration of one of the most well-known and loved female Irish saints. She was a woman of the land, a spiritual leader, a peacemaker and a woman of legendary hospitality. Solas Bhride, the light of St. Brigid, is a Christian Spiritual centre and hermitage that opened two years ago in […]

Supporting Fr Flannery

Posted on 02. Feb, 2017 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Feminism/Women in the Church, Gospel Values, Sexuality

Redemptorist priest, Fr. Tony Flannery recently celebrated Mass after a five-year ban. “We are Church Ireland” say they fully support his decision to celebrate a public Mass on Sunday on January 22nd in Killimordaly,  Co. Galway. This conscientious decision taken by Fr. Flannery on the occasion of his 70th birthday ignores the sanction of the Roman Congregation for […]

Faith based education

Posted on 26. Jan, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Religious patronage, Schools

Bishop Kevin Doran has been the bishop of Elphin since May 2014. He was education secretary for vocational services during his career and faith based education is something that is very important to him. Here he talks with Conor Deane about why he still believes that faith based education has a role to play in […]

Prayer against Human Trafficking

Posted on 26. Jan, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Conflict, Crime, Gospel Values, Young people

Feb 8th is the feast day of St Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese-born former slave who became a nun. It is also the international day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. St Bakhita’s experience of being enslaved and sold continues today with human trafficking still being one of the largest illegal industries. Ruth Kilcullen from MECPATHS […]

Bishop Fintan Monahan reflects

Posted on 19. Jan, 2017 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Laity, Liturgy

Bishop Fintan Monahan was ordained Bishop of Killaloe in the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, Ennis on Sunday 25 September. At his ordination Bishop Fintan talked about his challenges and priorities, in particularly around the involvement of laity, youth ministry and safeguarding children in the Church. Now four months into the role he talks […]

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Posted on 12. Jan, 2017 in Christian Values, Church of Ireland, Church Teachings, Community

January 18th to 25th is known as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity around the world and it is now organised by the World Council of Churches and the Holy See. Martin Browne OSB talked to Marie Stuart about the origins of the week in 1908. This year is a particularly important year as […]

Making families work?

Posted on 12. Jan, 2017 in Community, Family

In an Amarach poll commissioned by the Iona Institute, it showed that given the choice only 17% of mothers with children under the age of 17 would work full-time, 35% of mothers would prefer to stay-at-home full time and 48% would work part-time. The figures for men were similar for part-time work, 45%, but almost […]

Dance, Music and Faith

Posted on 05. Jan, 2017 in Art, Caring for Children, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Music Therapy, Young people

Natalya Pakshyna is a Russian dancer who has been bringing her dancing passion to Ireland. Based in a studio in the Malahide Industrial Estate, she has a particular interest in working with students who have special emotional or physical needs. She believes dance and music to be a way to heal the person and allow them to […]

Preventing Trafficking

Posted on 05. Jan, 2017 in Christian Values, Community, Gospel Values, Human Trafficking, Prostitution

RENATE stands for Religious in Europe Networking against Trafficking and Exploitation. Mary Ryan rsm has worked with many others for some 30 years on all aspects of Trafficking & Exploitation. While she is engaged in working directly with people who have been trafficked into Ireland, she is also engaged in collaborating at National and International […]