In this article I would like to take a break from the bad news and focus on some good news, a light shining in the darkness, if you will. But let us begin by praying an Ave for our bishops. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. Sometime in either 2009 or 2010, my family and … Read More
No more for him, the joys of spring,Or summer’s gentle breeze,Or autumn’s hue, first winter’s snow,And elegant leafless trees. Or to sit and watch the setting sun,The Galaxies a-glow,The Great Bear, Plough, the Milky Way,Nature’s star studded show. No more the blackbird’s song to thrill,Soothing, serene, forlorn,The fox away, the bunny at play,In a field of golden corn. Nor to hear the cry of the infant babe,As the cleansing water is poured,Or young love’s boast,on their wedding day toast,To a … Read More
Due to the restrictions arising from the Covid 19 Pandemic, the sacraments of First Penance, First Holy Communion and Confirmation have been delayed. However many parishes are now beginning to celebrate these sacraments with the months of July, August and September being for the first time the months when children will receive the sacraments. When we take a look at their religion books and the things some children say, we might have some concerns as to what these boys and … Read More
When Her Majesty’s Secretary of State for Health was secretly filmed in an amorous embrace with someone who was not his wife, he gave as his reason for resigning his high office his failure, by that furtive embrace, to keep a safe and infection-beating distance from a non-member of his household in accordance with pettifogging, incomprehensible and no longer necessary rules that he had himself eagerly inflicted upon everyone else. However, there was not a word of apology from Mr … Read More
The Church has long been seen as the arch-enemy by totalitarians, who hate and fear the independent-mindedness and unwillingness to defer to any mere Party Line that are the glorious consequences of loyalty to God, country and family. The most effective tactic of totalitarian fanatics is organised reputational assault on all who have proven publicly successful in opposing their false ideology. Here, “false” has a particularly strong meaning: for the hallmark of totalitarianism, in all its forms, is its insistence … Read More
Is the Church to be understood like a great department of spiritual welfare? Is it where we go when we need the kind of nourishment that can’t be obtained elsewhere? This is now the time when we Catholics should know how to talk about Holy Mother Church when so many simply understand her as an institution and when she is so prone to being criticised. Like government departments and the Health Service Executive, we recognise our dependence on these institutions … Read More
Let’s start with some much needed good news! Readers may be aware that at the beginning of June a parish church in Dublin decided to fly the LGBT marxist rainbow flag. But after being up for less than 72 hours, the homosexual flag in the grounds of Our Lady of Assumption Church in Ballyfermot, Dublin, was removed due to popular outrage. The Archbishop of Dublin instructed the parish to remove the flag. However, reparation still needed to be done. The … Read More
PARENTAL WARNINGTHIS ARTICLE IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN We live in very dark times where the light of Christ is almost eclipsed by the evils rampant in our world. Our bishops, by and large, are following a worldly path where the laws of the secular State are given precedence over the laws of God and over the laws of the Catholic Church. This is why we must pray earnestly for our bishops and we must challenge them to restore the … Read More
Holy Scripture presents water full of meaning. It is associated with birth and fertility, suffering and conversion. Throughout the Bible, water is presented as a means of purification and ablution ultimately preparing souls for the indwelling of Divine Life by baptism. Among the three other elements (fire, earth and air), water is the first to be described as created by God Himself, who grants it to whomever He pleases. Genesis distinguishes “the waters that were under the firmament, from those … Read More
Recent years have seen a renewed interest in what is sometimes called “Celtic Christianity.” This is however, a very ill-defined term. In Ireland, where Christianity generally meant Catholicism, it seems to mean a brand of religion that has its roots in a spirituality that identifies with the natural world in the sense that the ancient druids did. This identification is always suspect as being pagan because, according to what we have learned about the druids, they were believed to have … Read More
