Last Sunday I sat in the pews for a change, attending the 11.00 am Mass at the Cathedral in Porto. Walking oh so slowly up the steepest set of steps I’ve ever climbed I wondered if the option of watching…

I bumped into three mums outside the school one day during the week. They were chatting, keeping an eye on their kids playing nearby and waiting for the others to finish school. I’ve often found this to be a fantastic…

At every funeral Mass, we pause and welcome the remains of the deceased at the Baptismal Font as we enter the church. Standing there with the family around and the friends and neighbours gathering in we recall the beginning of…

Capodanno, is the word you might see in Italy on posters advertising the New Year celebrations. Until I spent one end of year holiday in Amalfi I had no idea what an exuberant and joyful celebrations the Italians enjoy. I…

The last days of the year will follow our Christmas celebrations and soon 2022 will begin. It’s impossible to say farewell to 2021 without first saying a strong word of thanks to all who have given time, energy and support…

When I was in Clonliffe College, studying for the priesthood, my dad asked me to call into a fishmongers, in Chatham Street, and bring home a side of smoked salmon for Christmas. I did that year after year and always…

One evening after Mass a parishioner slipped me an envelope, with the brief comment, ‘something nice for yourself.’ I was delighted to open it when I got home and find inside a single ticket for “Jack B Yeats: Painting and…

Turn on the lights! Well, as we are now into December, and it is so dark and cold, I for one love to see the seasonal lights appearing. The big bright lights which transform the city centre, ripple through the…

Energy! Every parish needs plenty of energy. The energy that comes from the sun certainly gives us a lift and makes the church building and environment more pleasant, the energy that comes from the Spirit leads our hearts and minds…

I can’t remember the last time a week passed by and I didn’t say at least one funeral Mass. Free from that obligation I’ve been busy this week with some of the practical things that need to be attended to…

I don’t often catch the bus early in the morning when students are on their way to school. Yet there I was the other day, just after 8, waiting and watching as bus after bus disgorged boys and girls, all…

I have a grandniece called Cleo, a beautiful girl, with long curly hair, a magic smile and a happy disposition. When I heard that a little girl with the same name had disappeared from a camping site in Australia, during…