Posts By Date - Catholic Herald

November 03, 2023

Hannah Glickstein wonders whether canonization might obscure her more ordinary, human message. Dorothy Day was born in November 1897 and died in November 1980; already declared to be a Servant of God, she is a candidate for canonization. In 2015, Pope Francis singled her out as one of four Americans – alongside Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Merton

Our man in the Vatican: an interview with the British Ambassador to The Holy See

November 03, 2023

Chris Trott, HM Ambassador to the Holy See, talks to Amanda Bowman about his work. ‘The mission of the Ambassador to the Holy See is defined by the nature of the role. It’s important to start with and to recognise that I am at the Vatican as a British ambassador to another state, another member

Being just normal in a world of Perfect Catholic Mothers

November 03, 2023

Of all the recent commentary on the Middle East, what has been flickering irritably in my peripheral vision are the twinkling, pastel-coloured Marian devotions on the many Instagram accounts I follow of groups set up by and for Catholic mothers. I have stumbled onto these groups in the early hours, seeking help, support and solace

Unlocking the ‘prophetic vision’ of Flannery O’Connor, the writer who swam in Thomism

November 03, 2023

Understanding the Hillybilly Thomist: The Philosophical Foundations of Flannery O’Connor’s Narrative Art By Fr Damian Ference Word on Fire, £20.00 Flannery O’Connor succumbed to lupus inherited from her father at the age of just 39 after defying prognoses of imminent death for seven years. Her demise in August 1964 spelled not only the tragic end

Rheingold: Opera as life and death at the Royal Opera House

November 03, 2023

Michael White enjoys an environmental Rheingold, a quest for happiness and an epic celebration of Stephen Sondheim. As someone put it to me last month, Wagner’s Ring is “fairy tales with music”. But it’s more: a history of the world from start to finish, told by somebody with an agenda and some questionable prejudices, but

Whatever science can lead us to, we still need Jesus, and so do all the faithful departed

November 03, 2023

Along with taxes, death is one of the great certainties of life. However, the inevitability of death was not at all obvious to many intellectuals in the 17th century. Protestants like Francis Bacon believed that the only reason people died was that human nature had been corrupted by Adam’s Fall – if it hadn’t been for the

‘Mary will bring us together in love’

November 03, 2023

We can learn much from a true appreciation of the feminine. There can’t be many people who can claim to have shared a vol-au-vent with a saint, but if Brother Michael Strode is canonised (as those ad- vocating for his cause hope he will be) I may be the first. Br Michael was a doctor,

Iraqi Christians terrified of new regional war in Middle East, says archbishop

November 03, 2023

Christians in Iraq are terrified that the war in the Holy Land will engulf the region, according to a leading archbishop, who is calling on governments around the world to work to bring peace. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda said he fears an escalation of the conflict could trigger another wave of migration, with devastating

‘Do not be Canada’: Alberta physician warns Irish of lethal flaws of assisted death

November 03, 2023

Throughout last month the Irish parliament heard from interested parties on assisted suicide, covering a wide range of issues from the constitutional and legal implications, through the ethics of autonomy and the implications of changes on healthcare professionals. The Joint Committee on Assisted Dying was formed in January initially to consider and make recommendations for

How Baptists enlightened a devout Catholic to the unharnessed power of the Gospel

November 03, 2023

Rather exotically for a well-formed and serious Catholic believer, I am quite well embedded with my local Baptist community, a relationship which was the result of the interdenominational curiosity of my autistic son, resulting in our attending an Alpha course and joining a home group. Our relationship has been cultivated over a couple of years