Posted on 31. Dec, 2015 in Uncategorized
In many cultures religious beliefs can create divisive opinion which drive people apart. In previous times it was issues around money or the differing teachings around communion and sainthood that drove communities apart. In todays world the divisive issues are largely around sexual morality. Miriam Gormally met Donal Casey, an atheist turned Christian, who has […]
Posted on 31. Dec, 2015 in Uncategorized
More than 350 volunteers helped serve Christmas dinners and deliver food to those in need for the 91st Annual Knights of St Columbanus Christmas Day dinner in Dublin in the RDS. They provided a place for the many poor and homeless people who are left with no resources and no where to go. More than 450 […]
Posted on 22. Oct, 2015 in Christian Values, Church Teachings, Community, Death, Gospel Values, Humanitarian Aid, Refugees, Uncategorized
Dr. John Newton with Miriam Gormally Persecuted and Forgotten? A report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2013-15 was compiled by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The report assesses countries where there are violations of religious freedom. It concludes on the warning that if the exodus of Christians continues from Iraq and Syria that […]
Posted on 17. Sep, 2015 in Celibacy/Sexuality, Christian Values, Church Teachings, Married Couples, Sexuality, Uncategorized
Pope Francis has authorised the most far-reaching reform of the Church’s marriage annulment process in three centuries. The Pope has not changed the criteria under which the Church grants annulments, but has streamlined the process to make it faster, easier and less expensive. Francis’ reforms remove the need for all judgments to be reviewed automatically, getting rid […]
Posted on 16. Apr, 2015 in Uncategorized
Mary Aikenhead, born in Daunt’s Square in Cork in 1787, was one of seven people to be declared venerable this year, March 18th at the Vatican. It is the second of four steps in the Catholic Church’s canonisation process. It comes after the Pope approved permission for the person to begin the path to sainthood […]
Posted on 02. Apr, 2015 in Uncategorized
Holy Week is a time when we reflect on the meaning of life and suffering. Viktor Frankl wrote one of the most profound and best selling books on the matter, Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl, who was Jewish, suffered incredibly during the Holocaust. He lost everything, family, possessions, faced extermination daily and yet found that […]
Posted on 12. Mar, 2015 in Christian Values, Poverty, Uncategorized
Austerity policies in the EU have contributed to intense economic suffering, particularly for young people and other vulnerable social groups, a new report has found. Inequality is on the rise, with growing numbers of extremely rich people alongside growing numbers at risk of poverty. 123 million EU citizens – one in every four – are at […]
Posted on 12. Feb, 2015 in Church Teachings, Lent, Prayer, Uncategorized
Lent is a time of preparation for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Starting Wednesday, February 18th, it is a time when people make a renewed attempt to be better Christians and to understand their religion better. Thanks to Stephen Fry’s outburst, religion and God have been much […]
Posted on 22. Jan, 2015 in Church Teachings, Faith and Justice, Gospel Values, Uncategorized
“À la carte Catholic” was often a derogatory term used to describe somebody who selectively picked the pieces of Catholicism that suited them while not being fully committed to the religion. Angela Hanley turns the term À la Carte Catholic around in her new book, “Whose à la Carte Menu?” In it she argues that essentially everybody […]
Posted on 15. Jan, 2015 in Uncategorized
The hope for iCatholic.ie is that it will become the equivalent of the RTE player or BBC iPlayer for the Irish Church. Founded by Fr. Bill Kemmy as a way to share the visuals of the Church, it has also recently created an app for iPhones and tablets and will shortly also be available on […]