“Faith is the heart of the pilgrim, every pilgrim, the pilgrim’s modus operandi. Faith is our yes to what we know; but even more, it is our yes to what we don’t know—to all that is to come,” writes Matt Malone, S.J., in a homily he delivered in Ireland.
Ireland
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
The Catholic Book Club: From ‘Catholic Modern’ to ‘Say Nothing’
Kevin Spinale, S.J., the moderator of the Catholic Book Club, led discussions of two very different books this spring and summer. The first, ‘Catholic Modern,’ by James Chappel, is a heady look at how the church remade itself at a time of social and political upheaval. The second, ‘Say Nothing,’ by Patrick Radden Keefe, is a gripping account of some of the key players in the period in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
What Americans can learn from Northern Ireland: Walls make bad neighbors
The Troubles in Northern Ireland were worsened by the failure to build social bridges between Protestants and Catholics, write Joseph M. Brown and Gordon McCord. The lesson applies to divisions in our own time.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Northern Ireland Christian leaders: People weren’t consulted on abortion law
An ecumenical group of church leaders in Northern Ireland have come together to protest the British government’s edict for a more liberal abortion rights law to be applied in the province.
Posted inFaith, News
Church recognizes 1989 healing at Knock shrine
On Sept. 1, Bishop Francis Duffy of Ardagh announced to a packed basilica that the church had officially recognized 68-year-old Carroll’s healing.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
A Children’s Crusade: Patrick Radden Keefe’s ‘Say Nothing’
The Troubles in Northern Ireland were fought mainly by children—young men and women from Northern Ireland and young British soldiers from other parts of the United Kingdom.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
The collapse of Ireland’s ‘Green New Deal’ is a cautionary tale for the United States
In May, Ireland became only the second country in the world to declare a “climate and biodiversity emergency.” But was it only a “greenwashing” move to distract climate activists from more oil and gas drilling?
Posted inArts & Culture, Last Take
John F. Kennedy’s Irish trip that almost wasn’t
“That’s what I want, a pleasure trip to Ireland,” said the president. It proved to be the stop Kennedy needed after tense, Cold War–era conferences in other European capitals.
Posted inFaith, News
Irish archbishop wants ‘show funerals’ for gang members to end
In the midst of a bitter gangland feud in the Irish capital, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has moved to ensure that funerals of those killed are not used as overt shows of wealth or perceived influence.
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: Northern Ireland’s painful past is far from over
Patrick Radden Keefe delivers a searing portrait of Irish women and men struggling to make sense of their past and their memories.