Tag Archives: News

A Day of Reflection in Memory of Thomas Merton. Date:  Saturday, 12th May 2018 – 9.30 am to 4.15 pm Venue: Mount St. Anne’s Retreat & Conference Centre, Killinard, Portarlington, (Co. Laois) This event facilitated by Dr. Melanie-Préjean Sullivan, is in collaboration with the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology, Cambridge, UK.   The year 2018 marks two significant anniversaries associated with  ...

Pope Francis has written a new apostolic exhortation on “the call to holiness in the contemporary world”. “Gaudete et Exsultate” is the Latin title of the text, which translated into English means “Rejoice and Be Glad”.  The words are taken from the Gospel of Matthew (5:12) at the end of the discourse on the Beatitudes.  Why should we “rejoice and be glad”?  ...

Reacting to the announcement that Pope Francis will attend the WMOF2018 in August, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said: “On behalf of the faithful of Ireland we warmly welcome today’s announcement, by the Holy Father himself, that he plans to visit Dublin in August for the World Meeting of Families.  We are deeply honoured that Pope Francis will come to our ...

‘Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of combating racial discrimination’  is the theme for this year’s International Day for the elimination of racial discrimination on 21 March. We only have to watch the local and world news to realise that racism, xenophobia and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies.  Discriminatory practices are widespread, particularly ...

Today, it is the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.  A time of rebirth. This marks the first day of the astronomical Spring.  At this  time of equinox the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal. Even if you didn’t already know this, there is a sense in these recent mornings ...

On International Women’s Day 2018,  as we look to  seek out ‘mighty’ women as inspiration, encouragement and torch-bearers for those most in need today, we need look no further than Nano Nagle – a woman for our times. “Meet a woman whose love was stronger than the viciousness, greed and violence that swamped her city and nation. She was a ...

In these days, as we emerge gradually from the challenges of  extreme weather conditions we are drawn to look at the world and those around us with different eyes and with an increased awareness that this is ‘our common home’.   Often when we hear the word ‘home’ we  may only think of a physical building and its rooms. But what ...

David Donoghue co-delivered the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a historic global plan to end poverty by 2030.  Ahead of delivering the annual Trócaire Lenten Lecture on March 6th, he gives his thoughts on how to deliver this ambitious agreement. This global agreement – signed by every country in the world – outlines 17 goals and 169 targets for delivering a world ...

Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants, and we advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability. In 2013, migrant ...

We are entering the season that begins with a smudge. That smudge is a testimony to what survives. It is a witness to what abides when everything seems lost. It is a sign that what we know and love may, for a time, be reduced to dust, but it does not disappear. We belong to the God who well knows ...