Haunted by a wounded soul

When a parishioner became obsessed with and abusive toward her parish priest, that priest, who writes anonymously here, turned to his ecclesial superiors for help – and got none. The entire disturbing incident raises questions about how similar situations should be handled...

Hard-wired for social justice

The influence of faith on the career path of some of the leading figures in the caring professions and charities is often key. In the first of a new series Terry Philpot meets Clare Tickell, leader of Britain’s biggest children’s charity...

Art for God’s sake

With great fanfare Glasgow Archdiocese has announced what it says is the biggest commission for a Scottish Catholic cathedral since the Reformation. A massive canvas of the martyrdom of St John Ogilvie is to be painted by Peter Howson...

Still on the road to hope

Vietnam’s Catholics are well used to persecution. But the latest stand-off with the clergy and parishioners of Hanoi has prompted a fearful Government into a far more brutal crackdown than has been seen for some time...

The monsignor’s ark

The debate about Pope Pius XII’s wartime record has been revived following the fiftieth anniversary of his death, but he tacitly approved the courageous efforts of an Irish priest at the Vatican who risked his life to rescue thousands of Jews and fugitive prisoners of war...

Naturally blessed

Every blessing is a reminder of the original blessing – that of life itself. To administer one is to divine a wellspring of sacred presence, already secure below the surface of everything – and in that lies the true meaning of Incarnation...

Maturing towards God

The Prayer Over the Gifts this week takes as its theme the divine-human exchange, by which God’s self-gift elicits a human response and enables one to rise to serve freely. As Daniel McCarthy explains, by our nurturing within ourselves this divine-human exchange, we are purified...

Fair dues to eco-living

Activity to conserve and protect Creation has been endorsed and encouraged by the Holy See, and one of the most useful ways of engaging in this work is to raise consciousness at parish level with a 'green fair'...

A great favourite with the ladies

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