NEWS & MEDIA
Statio Orbis of the Eucharistic Congress
Last Sunday 60,000 pilgrims gathered in Croke Park for the Statio Orbis of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. This gathering was the culmination of a week’s celebration of hope, exploration of faith and sharing of love. When people were asked what was so special about the...
Fr. Alan’s Interview with RTE’s Drivetime
One of the Eucharistic Congress' themes during the week was vocation to priesthood and religious life. During the course of the day a number of people, including myself, were interviewed by the national broadcaster, RTE. We talked about vocation and how God continues...
Something’s in the air at the Congress
I got a text from a friend earlier today asking me if the Congress was worth all the effort. After all it's taken years for planning, loads of work and hundreds of hours of sticking up bunting and stuffing envelopes. The answer though is a resounding YES! As...
Unity at the Eucharistic Congress
Ecumenism was the name of the game at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress (IEC2012) today Monday 11th June, with an extensive programme of events on the RDS campus and main arena focusing on the importance of Christian Unity. The theme of the day was Exploring...
Kick Off for the Eucharistic Congress
It was a day of football and faith. While the result from Poland wasn't great it was a wonderful day in Dublin. We had over 12,000 pilgrims from Ireland, England, Korea, Peru, Canada, South Africa, in fact from all the corners of the world for the opening of the 2012...
Bieber Fever in South Africa
You couldn’t have planned it if you tried. After a very long drive and a good night’s sleep I’m up and wandering around the Holy Family Centre with Sr. Susan. There are children running around, playing football or simply chatting with one another. As I turn the corner...
The Divine In Everyone
There's a clock on the office wall of the Tshwaranang Hospice and Care Centre that advertises the services of a local funeral director. It's a sombre reminder of the reality facing South Africa in light of the HIV / AIDS crisis. But in a place that could easily be...
Africa Here We Come! (Maybe)
By my very nature I'm not a nervous passenger. In fact I love travelling. I love the sights, trying the food, making new friends, and experiencing different cultures! But by any measure this trip has gotten off to a rocky start. I'm sitting in Cork Airport with an...
What is God asking of us today?
"If you don't have it, don't spend it." As far as common sense goes it doesn't get any more self evident than that. But are there certain things that are absolutely essential, things that we cannot abandon, without sacrificing values that make us who we are? This was...
Surge in Vocations in Spain
You'd be hard pressed to find a country which has been traditionally more Catholic than Spain. It's been at the centre of the story of the Church for hundreds of years, but in recent times it has faced many of the same challenges we have in Ireland and England. There...