One Christmas Eve, a young Mexican boy was walking to his local church. Because he was very poor, he couldn’t afford a present for the baby Jesus in the crib. This made him really sad. All of a sudden, while on his way to the church, an angel appeared to him and told him to […]

We may think that we give glory to God only by our worship and prayer, or simply by following certain ethical norms. It is true that the primacy belongs to our relationship with God, but we cannot forget that the ultimate criterion on which our lives will be judged is what we have done for […]

When the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his word, proclaims the Gospel. Therefore, the readings from the Word of God are to be listened to reverently, for they are an element of the greatest importance in the Liturgy.

The feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated on 21st November.  This celebration commemorates the presentation of the child Mary in the Temple in Jerusalem when she was three.  The feast was first kept in the eight century.  It symbolises the consecration of her life to the Lord.  It is the […]

Give Me the Heart of a Child by Margaret O’Neill, Wicklow   Give me, O Lord, the heart of a child, Simple and joyful and free. Give me, O Lord, the love of a child, Trusting and faithful to Thee. Don’t let my age make a difference, Lord If I’m middle-aged, young or old: What matters […]

In the journey to the light The dark moments should not threaten. Belief requires that you hold steady. Bend, if you will, with the wind. The tree is your teacher, Roots at once more firm From experience in the soil made fragile. Your gentle dew will come And a stirring of power to go on […]

The Rosary is a Catholic prayer devotion that draws us closer to Jesus and Mary by reflecting on key moments in their lives.  According to Catholic tradition, Mary gave the Rosary to St. Dominic when she appeared to him in 1214.  In 1520, Pope Leo X approved it for use by lay people.  In those […]

The Meaning of Lent The English word ‘Lent’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Lencten, meaning ‘Spring’.  In other languages the word comes from the Latin, Quadragesima – a period of 40 days.  In the Christian tradition the forty days is understood to refer to a time of intense prayer and preparation; we remember the biblical […]

Facts about Lent: Lent is a time when Christian people get ready for Easter. Lent is a sacred time within the Church calendar.  It is a time of fasting, prayer and almsgiving. Lent lasts for forty days reminding us of the forty days that Jesus spent in the desert doing penance and fasting.  It begins […]

In Lourdes, France, in 1844 a baby girl named Bernadette Soubirous was born.  Bernadette’s family was very poor, and Bernadette was responsible for looking after and caring for her brothers and sisters. Bernadette was a good natured girl with dark eyes and a round face.  The only education Bernadette received was the Catholic teachings which […]