Ruth Kennedy
The Christmas season gives us all a little extra time to relax and enjoy a good movie. Everyone should try to set some time aside to watch at least one movie that puts you in the holiday spirit! From comedies to dramas, this list of heartwarming films will surely...
Do you ever think about these words said to us by the priest at the end of Mass? Too often, I’m flicking through the hymn book to find the last hymn, and I miss their significance. Every phrase said in the Mass is there because it is important, so this isn’t just a...
Does your Father Have To Die for You to Visit Him? Do not watch this video! Unless, that is, you have armbands on and are ready to swim your way to safety through a pool of your own tears. But once you have watched the video and stopped crying long enough to read...
“We are all addicts.” I was told this four years ago and have never forgotten it. It was a comment addressed to a group of young Catholic adults by a priest who worked with people who had drug and alcohol addictions. When he said it, I couldn’t believe what he was...
We are called to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (and as Catholics we have a moral obligation to attend Sunday Mass). For many of us, however, our job or station in life may mean that Sundays are just as busy as every other day of the week, maybe even more...
Today, we feature some thoughts on the final instalment of the Hunger Games films which comes out this month. Much has been made of the novels and the first three films and there has been a lot of controversy over the teen-on-teen violence in them, and the nature of...
There are times when the enormity of a situation and the emotions within it are so huge that it feels impossible to respond with words that are adequate. The attacks in Paris have been one such time when words have come with difficulty, especially when the attacks...
Pope Francis recently wrote the preface to the new Youth Bible. What he says is amazing, and we encourage you to read it in full. His words are challenging, insightful and encouraging. He speaks from his own experience of reading the Bible and exhorts us to remember...
Today’s video invites us to reflect on an important and often forgotten about moment during Mass - the after Communion Meditation. Too often we may return to our pew after receiving Communion and sit and think. We may make a short prayer, the choir launches into a...
It has probably not escaped your notice in the last few days that a highly popular teenage internet personality has decided to quit social media and this has been a big deal. If this is news to you, here’s the lowdown. Essena O’Neill is an nineteen year old from...
Like many people, I have struggled very much with Our Lady’s place in my life. I have struggled to understand her or see the need to pray to her. I have resented devotions towards her and seen her as an unnecessary “addition” to our faith. Yet in all this, I longed...
Praying with your child is a vital part of their faith journey. Whether you are a parent, godparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling, introducing a child to a life of prayer is arguably the most significant gift you can give them, because you are teaching them how to...
I recently had the privilege of reviewing the magazine ‘Radiant’, a publication that describes itself as “covering traditional topics of the Catholic Church and applying them to the modern lives of young, Catholic women who are searching, learning and living out their...
Do you remember February 13, 2015? On this day, 21 Coptic Christians were martyred for their faith by ISIS. This event has been depicted in a sacred icon by the artist Nikola Sarić . Our experience of icons can often be synonymous with historic events that seem...
Stephen Colbert hilariously captures the world of ‘lifestyle brands’ in this clip from the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. This is the world where your favorite celebrity builds up their own brand, allowing you to see the clothing and household items that they have...
“What does God want me to do with my life?!” Fr. Mike Schmitz addresses the very heart of a matter that so deeply affects many of us in this video on discernment. Or, to put it more emphatically, he addresses that heart-wrenching question yelled at top volume from the...
There are times, as a young Catholic, when we can feel a little alone. We might even be the only young Catholic we know, which is difficult, not to mention lonely. But don’t despair! Despite how you may feel, there are millions of young adult Catholics...
I can’t forgive. Not always and never easily. It is hard to forgive and sometimes I don’t want to forgive. What do you do when there is something in your life that is too huge for forgiveness? A friend of mine once visited Auschwitz. He described how he saw that...
Whatever type of ministry you do within the Church, chances are there will be a time when it becomes all-consuming and your own personal prayer life begins to suffer. Maybe you’re so busy and have already been praying all day with a group, talking about God, giving of...
“What this world needs is a little wonder!” There are so many themes that can be unpacked from the short film, The Butterfly Circus, that it is hard to know where to begin, but maybe beginning with wonder is a start. Set in the era of the Great Depression, this short...