by admin | Mar 9, 2012 | Latest News

Prof. Richard Dawkins and Archbishop Rowan Williams
It was perhaps long overdue. The stage was set for a showdown between one of the greatest minds in the Church of England and Britain’s most famous atheist. Some even pitched the event as a philosophical / theological Frazer and Ali type match. The subject of the debate between Archbishop Rowan Williams and Prof. Richard Dawkins last February was the nature of human beings and the question of our ultimate origins. When all came to all though it was a pretty civilised affair, where biting invective was replaced by reflective banter. Afterwards The Guardian newspaper was at pains to state that there were no major punches landed between the two, which probably goes to show how well Archbishop Williams did!
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by admin | Mar 5, 2012 | Latest News

Students of Killinarden Community School along with Mr. Pierce Cuthbert, school chaplain, and Fr. Alan
Fourteen young people from the Community School in Killinarden received the Bronze John Paul II Award last Friday week. Starting in January last year Emma Jane Hearst, Kevin McCabe, Ciara Walker, Samantha Byrne, Shannon Corcoran, Shauna Holt, Jodie Curtis, Amy Ford, Shelly Buttner, Aaron McDonagh, Sarah Kilbride, Nathan Bracken, Keith Comerford and Carlee Chambers committed themselves to working for their community and helping out in their parish. (more…)
by admin | Mar 5, 2012 | Latest News
Newstalk’s Moncrieff Show National Priest Survey 2012

Sean Moncrieff
Last week I got a hurried phone call from a friend to switch on Newstalk, because Sean Moncrieff was doing a show on priests in Ireland. My first reaction was not again! Sometimes you can script these programmes, from the questions they raise to the issues they discuss, without ever having to listen to them. When I finally drummed up the energy to listen in, and download the full programme later, I found one of the most thoughtful reflections on the state of the Church in Ireland today. (more…)
by admin | Mar 3, 2012 | Latest News
Olympic Spirit

Students from our MSC school, Princethorpe College in Warwickshire who formed the Olympic Rings as part of their charity fundraising efforts.
We are hearing a lot about the Olympics these days as London prepares to host the 2012 Games. But it would be a pity if we only focused on the fastest, strongest, best and brightest who will bring home gold! There is much more to it than that. On school Sports Day one of our teachers would say, “It’s not the winning; it’s the taking part that is important!” We had no answer to that!! (more…)
by admin | Feb 29, 2012 | Latest News
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Oscar night is all about the stars and the fashion. But last Sunday night during the Oscars one of the people turning heads wasn’t wearing Gucci or Dior. It wasn’t the rapper Nicki Minaj either. It was Sr. Dolores Hart.
It is a story straight out of Hollywood. A beautiful young star walks away from a blossoming movie career to become a nun, and 50 years later she returns to the Academy Awards ceremony — as the subject of an Oscar-nominated film on religious life. (more…)
by admin | Feb 28, 2012 | Latest News

Dara O'Briain
A couple of weeks ago I managed to pick up a couple of tickets to see Dara O’Briain’s new show Craic Dealer. For those of you who haven’t come across him Dara is a stand up comedian from Ireland who has made a huge career for himself in the UK with shows like Mock the Week and Stargazing Live. His humour is sharp, original and genuinely funny.Ó Briain has said he sees himself as an atheist but ethnically Catholic. In one interview he said “I’m staunchly atheist, I simply don’t believe in God. But I’m still Catholic, of course. Catholicism has a much broader reach than just the religion. I’m technically Catholic, it’s the box you have to tick on the census form: ‘Don’t believe in God, but I do still hate Rangers.'” (more…)