Mar 14, 2012
What do the vows offer to our world today?
Very often I’m asked “Should priests be allowed to marry.” “Only if they really love each other,” I reply. It’s an old joke in response to an increasingly popular question. The evangelical counsels or the vows, as they are popularly known, are seen by society at large as increasingly anachronistic. We live in a world that values money, sex and power above all, so we must ask do the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience have anything to offer? (more…)
Mar 12, 2012
Flash Mob Outside Notre Dame de Paris in January
‘Flash mobs,’ said Fr. Jim, our resident artist and proud Kerryman. Thus started another lunchtime conversation in the community of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We tend to follow a stream of consciousness approach to mealtime discussions, which is a polite way of saying that we go all over the place. Over mashed potato and bacon we could end up talking about how Ireland and Wales ( in deference to Fr. Roger – our resident Welshman by way of Australia ) are doing the Six Nations, the Republican primaries or just about anything really. (more…)
Mar 9, 2012
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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Mar 5, 2012
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…)
Mar 5, 2012
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…)
Mar 3, 2012
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…)
