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Portraits of the Artist…… Sporting Heroes: It is a sad and sobering morning. Clashmore-man Tadgh de Búrca is seeing the medics. Some of us – as Waterford dreamers, can delude…

Reopening churches is not the wisest move       Western People 8.12.2020 As I write I’m aware that those who read these words will know if Mayo will be…

 Association of Catholic Priests cordially invites you to a members Zoom presentation What can the Irish Church learn from Britain? with British academic, writer and theologian Tina Beattie on  Tuesday…

An Invitation and Proposal: Brendan Hoban has written a book – A Priest’s Diary. It is now into its second printing. Many have bought the book and presumably some have read…

  Jean Donovan ‘They Don’t Shoot Blond, Blue-Eyed Americans’: Remembering Jean Donovan on the 40th Anniversary of her Martyrdom. by Fr Liam Power, Waterford News & Star I was watching…

A monk of our time Chris McDonnell CT December 11 2020 In September 2015, Pope Francis addressed the US Congress and chose to mention four great Americans, one of whom…

 Association of Catholic Priests cordially invites you to a members Zoom presentation What can the Irish Church learn from Britain? with British academic, writer and theologian Tina Beattie on  Tuesday…

More Rumours of Angels The delights of a frosty morning: These mornings seem eerie. The Tolka River holds its breath. I am suspicious of the quietness. The heron appears sometimes….

Association of Catholic Priests statement on public Masses for Christmas Friday 4th December 2020 The go-ahead for public Masses given by the government, after the last lockdown was lifted, creates…

Some good news on the Lectionary translation front: 1. Publishing company Darton, Longman and Todd is producing a translation of the Lectionary which would avoid the non-inclusive English Standard Version…

Apologies are a dubious currency in Covid era Western People column   As we edge towards the end of a second COVID lockdown, we look back and look forward. Back…

From the outside, looking in Chris McDonnell CT Belonging to a social group, a sports club, a political party or a local community association involves accepting certain rules and patterns…

Michael Seán Winters from the National Catholic Reporter writes: At last week’s general audience, Pope Francis expressed his concern about Catholic groups that chart their own path. His words are…

Caritas Christi urget nos. (2 Cor 5.14) For the birds: The mornings are good. The river is hospitable. The ducks and herons sleep on. The swan- family fly in together…

  This was sent to me by a friend. Worthy of a repost here… https://vimeo.com/55083284

Brendan Hoban reading a reflection from his new book ‘A Priest’s Diary’ on Midwest Radio’s Faith Alive programme with Monica Morley.   https://soundcloud.com/monica-morley-858811797/grace-1?fbclid=IwAR2hfd1RRQy6B4kygZg3JJFhJuRK8FwaBnlMi9PmuGB2SnU-9G1Lhd7bjq8   Copies of ‘A Priest’s Diary’ are now available…

The man from Del Monte was one of our own           I’ve just published my new book, A Priest’s Diary. Not so much a diary as a series of…

This Advent Coming Chris McDonnell CT In the Northern hemisphere, the weeks before Christmas are often dark and dank, “the ways deep and the weather sharp, the very dead of…

  A Priest’s Diary Brendan Hoban The word ‘diary’, used to describe these jottings, is a bit of a misnomer. Usually a diary is a private document, written for the…

Every day is a blessing. The Eucharist of nature: The day was quiet. The river was mostly a whisper with some variations. And then there was the heavy flapping of…