A global tragedy such as the Covid-19 pandemic has made the already existing inequalities and inequities gain momentum almost exponentially. Humanity seems increasingly shaken by processes of massification and fragmentation. The tragic condition faced by migrants in all regions of the world shows how high and strong the barriers dividing the single human family still are. Indeed, the Encyclicals Laudato ...
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Mount St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre (Killenard, Portarlington, Co. Laois) is located in the heart of the Irish midlands. The very special surroundings and the closeness to nature contribute to the renewal that can be experienced through these Autumn Opportunities on offer through the Centre. All courses will run from 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm (GMT). Mount St. Anne’s ...
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The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU 2021) is traditionally observed annually from 18 – 25 January. However, in the southern hemisphere, where January is a vacation time, churches find another time during the year to celebrate it, for example around Pentecost which is also a symbolic time for the unity of the Church. The theme for this year ...
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Pope Francis signed his new encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, on Saturday 3 October 2020 during a visit to Assisi. The phrase ‘Fratelli Tutti’ is taken from the writings of St. Francis, one of the major inspirations for Pope Francis’ third encyclical, on fraternity and social friendship. The full text of the encyclical, the third of Pope Francis’ pontificate was released on Sunday ...
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In Ireland story-telling is embedded in the culture of who we are. As far back as we can remember there must have been story-telling and the sharing of ‘a good yarn’ in the dusk of an evening at the fire or in the coming together at the crossroads after a hard day’s work in the fields. This seems even now ...
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Today, 24th March is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Oscar A. Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in a small chapel in a cancer hospital where he lived. This prayer was composed by Bishop Ken Untener (1937-2004), drafted for a homily by Cardinal John Dearden in 1979 for a celebration of departed ...
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The focus of the World Day of Prayer (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) on 6th March 2020 (#WDP2020) is praying with the Christians of Zimbabwe. “This Friday, [when] millions of us – men, women and children – worldwide will be praying with and for them”. When reading the information about this day it struck me that prayer truly has ...
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The dialogue that God wishes to establish with each of us through the paschal mystery of his Son has nothing to do with empty chatter, like that attributed to the ancient inhabitants of Athens, who “spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new” (Acts 17:21). Such chatter, determined by an empty and superficial curiosity, characterises worldliness in ...
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We are at a ‘crossroads’ halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox on February 1st. A crossroads can be a good place to stop and refuel for the journey onward and outwards, and we can do this in no better company than that of Brigid whose feast day is on this day (Lá Fhéile Bríde). Brigid never ceases to ...
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Word of God Sunday is on Sunday 26th January 2020, falling close to the Day of Dialogue between Jews and Catholics and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a new annual observance announced by Pope Francis last year on 30 September 2019 on the Feast of St Jerome, the fifth-century saint who translated the Bible from Greek ...
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