Although I collected these prayers in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, these three beautiful prayers are for spiritual strength and protection all year round. Before the days when the Church waned in the Emerald Isle, faith stirred a humble faith. Ireland had a bounty of vocations, even sending its priests and nuns abroad far and […]
It boils down to confession. Because when the confession lines grow short, sin prevails; first forgotten and then celebrated. Confession keeps us grounded in the truth, as we confront sin and root it out. Without it, we become blind to sin and begin to think and do stupid things. We knew that about Ireland, and […]
ST. COLUMBA, the apostle of the Picts, was born of a noble family, at Gartan, in the county of Tyrconnel, Ireland, in 521. From early childhood he gave himself to God. In all his labors—and they were many—his chief thought was heaven and how he should secure the way thither. The result was that he […]
“Erin Go Bragh,” the Gaelic for, “Ireland Forever.” Actually, that’s the corruption of the Gaelic, “Éirinn go Brách.” The term, brách, literally translates as, “until eternity,” or “until the end of time.” This more accurate translation shows the richer Catholic soil from which the sentiment springs. It is less a temporal, here-and-now forever, as it […]
For the Catholic Church and the pro-life movement, Ireland’s steadfast preserving of its laws defending the rights of the unborn has been a beacon of hope in Europe. Ireland has continued to hold the highest birth rate of other country in the European Union, and is one of the very few European countries whose population […]
I have elsewhere argued that Savita Happlanavar’s tragic death cannot be pinned on either Irish law nor on Catholic teaching. It may be that Irish law concerning abortion, miscarriage, and care for women who are undergoing miscarriage and who are in danger of Septicemia (or other life-threatening situations) needs to be clarified, though as it currently stands we have: The decision […]
Pro-life groups in Ireland fear that recommendations from a panel of experts appointed by Irish Health Minister James Reilly would be the first steps to introduce legal abortion in Ireland. The minister is expected to issue new regulations following the recommendations of an expert panel set up in January as a response to the European […]
The 50th International Eucharist Congress was held in Dublin between the 10th to the 17th of June 2012. The Congress was not confined exclusively to Dublin however but was in part celebrated at Ireland’s national Marian Shrine in Knock and at Saint Patrick’s Purgatory in Donegal. The overall theme of the Congress was “Communion with […]
The Irish Parliament has rejected a bill by a 109-20 vote that was aimed at making abortion more widely available to its citizens. While the measure purports to only legalize abortion “for termination of pregnancy where a real and substantial risk to the life of the pregnant woman exists,” the bill’s sponsor, Clare Daly, of […]
Scandal is developing around an American woman living in Ireland who claims to be a Catholic mystic but hides her true identity, misleads people, takes in millions of dollars and is protected by influential people. For the past several years, Kathryn Ann Clarke, going under the name of “Anne a lay apostle” has been travelling […]
Yesterday evening came a surprise announcement: Ireland will close its Embassy to the Holy See in a move the Irish governement says is needed to cut government costs. The Irish embassy to the Holy See, located on the Janiculum Hill near to the residence of the American Ambassador to the Holy See and near the […]
From the Irish Catholic comes news that confirms just how far Ireland has fallen from its tradition of being the “land of saints and scholars”: The Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Children are all indicating that a proposed new law will require priests to break the seal of confession if someone confesses […]
It’s St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, and everyone is Irish today — if not in fact, at least in spirit. Come on now, don’t be an old Druid! Regardless of your nationality, St. Patrick is a saint for everyone. It’s not just because I’m half Irish or that my parents named me after St. Patrick, […]
