The Church
“If Catholics were really acting on a proper understanding of their faith, Barack Obama would never have been elected” - Austin Ruse (President of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute)
Thursday, November 6th, 2008
Exit polls suggest that Obama captured the majority of overall Catholic votes - if Ruse’s logic, and the initial polls are right, then this majority vote must be seen as grand failure for the Catholic Church.
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Synod of Bishops proposes female Lectors
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008
The Catholic News Service reported this story over the weekend - proposition 17 from the Synod of Bishops on the Bible puts forward that
The synod fathers recognize and encourage the service of the laity in the transmission of the faith. Women, in particular, have an indispensable role on this point, above all in the family and [...]
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‘Over the pope…there still stands ones own conscience’
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
I have to admit that I was a little surprised when I came across this quote by the then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI:
“Over the Pope as the expression of the binding claim of ecclesiastical authority, there still stands one’s own conscience, which must be obeyed before all else, if necessary even against the [...]
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God save our gracious president!
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
I have some wonderful news! I was wrong. Not that this is a rarity, but this particular mistake is really quite sweet. The Poor Clare community in Ennis celebrated their golden jubilee this week and the celebration was marked by a visit from our belovéd President Maire McAleese. Last week I wrote with dismay at [...]
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“Love never fails” St Paul
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Yesterday was the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast recognises man’s desire to praise and exalt God and His love for us. It is by the cross however that all mankind was raised as sons and daughters of the living God…raised to eternal life. His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI used the [...]
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Opus Dei
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
The Irish media are tripping over themselves to get to the one of the juciest stories of the month. The archbishop of Dublin, Dr. Diarmuid Martin, has invited Opus Dei into a Dublin parish. Opus Dei…..!!! Just as the ink begins to dry from Dr. Martin’s last scuffle with the press he goes and does [...]
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Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Today, the 8th of September, we remember the birth of Mary, the mother of God, born without sin. What does God’s request of Mary tell us today. Something often overlooked is the place of women in our society which was inherent in God’s request.
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“After Barry there was nothing”
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Syriac tradition holds that St. Bartholomew’s name was actually Jesus but that he changed it out of respect for his extraordinary leader. Many scholars identify him with Nathaniel in the synoptic gospels. Some say he preached in India, leaving a copy of St Matthew’s Gospel there. Others say he travelled to Armenia, Mesopotamia, Persia or even [...]
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“Qui cantat, bis orat”- He who sings, prays twice!
Monday, August 18th, 2008
In ‘A Confident & Vibrant Church’ I wrote about what my experience at WYD 35 in Sydney says to me of the state of the catholic Church. As the title suggests the news was good.
Last weekend I explored the Irish Church’s version of a youth event, Youth 2000’s festival at Clonmacnois. What does this experience have [...]
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“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts”
Monday, August 18th, 2008
Unity, not uniformity!
What does it mean to be “One Catholic and Apostolic Church”? In particular, what does it mean to be ‘One’?
As one universal community of faith, members of the Catholic Church share a belief in certain tenets of the faith. These include everything in the Nicean Creed along with any dogmatic pronouncements such as [...]
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