Articles tagged with: Liam MacDaid

“Some years down the road, the question will no longer be whether we have a local priest but whether we have active Christian communities witnessing to and passing on the message of Jesus,” stated the Catholic Bishop of Clogher Liam MacDaid at the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass in Monaghan’s St Macartan’s Cathedral. Bishop MacDaid invited priests and lay people in the Clogher diocese “to look outside the traditional understanding of parish in order to put in place the formation, and structure, required to enable parishes to be places of connectedness and ...

For mothers and fathers Christmas has to begin early. There are a lot of preparations to be made and expectations to be met. There is a general awareness of the times being tough but children don’t find it easy to see how that could affect Santa Claus and his legendary bag of plenty. No one wants to leave children with the fear that the current economic situation could decimate the Christmas tree and wreak havoc on the Christmas table. It may be a frightening and stressful reality ...

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news.” Luke 2,8-10 Those words are probably very familiar to you. Perhaps some of them are even more familiar than you may think.  If someone asked you what were the most frequently repeated words in the whole Bible, what ...

When Elizabeth went shopping in preparation for Christmas this year she had to be careful. Albert, her husband, is on a three day week and her own part-time hours have been cut. The mortgage has been renegotiated but is still a heavy responsibility. There are bills too numerous to mention, from insurance to children’s shoes and schoolbooks, and also the unexpected expenses that bring worry and strain into family relationships.  Elizabeth often counts her blessings and acknowledges them in her conversation with God. Albert and herself have ...