John Callanan tells how a bargain struck between a mother and her daughter changed the daughter’s life and faith.

Fr Peter Sexton writes about Taizé, that in itself is a ‘parable of community’ and brings reconciliation between divided Christians and separated peoples. He explains how it brought healing to one of his students.

Stephen Redmond SJ has written a book about saints – from Peter and Paul, Felicity and Perpetua right through to contemporaries of our own, like King Bedouin of the Belgians and Tom Doyle of the Morning Star Hostel, both of whom died in the 1990s. He highlights bits and pieces [...]

Dr. Stephen J. Costello, philosopher, describes himself as a seeker, searching for God within the Catholic tradition. He explains his optic

Dermot O’Brien wrote this book of haikus while staying in a monastery in Wexford. The haikus capture ‘moments of awareness’ — moments of grace which act as a pointer to God. Below is a selection of the haikus taken from various chapters of the book.

Mary Kearney tells how she experienced God in the difficulties she had in her marriage.

Do the Godparents need to be Catholics?

Brian Grogan, S.J. finds God busy behind the scenes as the haphazard events of each day unfold.

Kathleen Coyle SSC, who lectures in theology in Manila, considers the full cosmic significance of the incarnation and the sacramental character of creation.

Blessings are an important part of our faith, writes Sascha T. Moore; it’s time we made them an important part of our lives.

In June 2001, Bishop Nicholas Charnetskyj was one of five Redemptorists among 27 martyrs beatified by Pope John Paul during his visit to the Ukraine. Fr Brendan McConvery, C.Ss.R., who lectures in scripture at Maynooth University and the Kimmage Institute, tells the story of Bishop Nicholas’s heroic suffering for the [...]

Henry Peel OP sketches the events of December 8, 1854, when Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Immaculate Conception a dogma.

You don’t have to be long in the tooth before forgiveness may become a real and demanding issue in your life. Many young people are confronted with friends or adults who are disloyal to them or who hurt them in other ways. Below are some stories of young people coming [...]

This book explores the theme of preserving and protecting fresh water around the world and describes it as part of our Christian responsibility to care for God’s earth.

Henry Peel OP describes the conscription crisis in Ireland in 1918, how the Irish hierarchy’s firm opposition helped to end the British government’s attempt to extend the draft to Ireland.

Edmond Grace SJ offers a helpful response to a woman who wonders if joining in a ‘healing circle’ to help her deal with depression is compatible with her Catholic faith.

Gerry Bourke SJ recalls his experience of devotion to Mary in Japan; he notes that it has been hugely important to Japanese Catholics going all the way back to the time of St Francis Xavier.

From the Veritas ‘Into the Classroom’ series: Philip Barnes provides a thorough introduction to the tenets and beliefs of all the major world religions. This series, edited by Eoin G. Cassidy and Patrick M. Devitt, is designed for teachers of the new Leaving Cert religious education syllabus.

Tony Flannery CSsR writes that the fallout from the sex abuse scandals has had a traumatic effect on priests, who feel isolated, vulnerable, and wonder who will stand up for them if they are falsely accused.

Peter McVerry SJ reviews the first report of the Inspector of Prisons in Ireland, and is glad to see that it has not missed the shameful reality of life for many criminals in the prison system.

From the Veritas ‘Into the Classroom’ series: Eoin G. Cassidy looks at how we derive and process the great questions concerning the meaning of life at large and one’s own life in particular. He discusses both secular and religious sources of values which emerge from this questioning.

Tim Quinlan describes his personal key to survival, a spiritual perspective which helps him to bear the high stress levels which secondary school teaching induce in him.

Michel de Verteuil CSSp explains in a practical way the prayer method of Lectio Divina, a manner of contemplating scripture and integrating it with all the goings-on of one’s life.

Henry Peel OP tells the sorry tale of the suppression of the Jesuits in 1773, not one of the more glorious moments in Catholic Church history.

A wider view of religious education shows it can make a major contribution to establishing right relations among peoples within nations and between the nations of the world. Three contributors, Oliver Brennan, Finola Cunnane and  Kieran Scott explore the context and the vision of this wider view of religious education.

“An eye for an eye leaves the whole country blind,” said Gandhi. People who despite tragedy and atrocity have found in themselves the freedom to reconcile or forgive is the focus of an exhibition discussed here by Michael Fogarty.

Sean Mc Donagh writes about dangers to the marine habitat.

2005 marks the 50th anniversary of Einstein’s death and the centenary of the theory of relativity. Fritzsch and Helge explain how Einstein revolutionised physics by reinterpreting space and time.

Eamonn Bredin invites all who wish to be disciples of Christ to look again at the Jesus of the New Testament and at the struggles of those first disciples who saw Jesus die as a criminal on the cross, and then to embark on a journey of re-assessing their own [...]