Fr Paddy
Fr Paddy is the parish priest of Abbeyleix. From Carlow town, he was educated in Carlow CBS and studied Business and Politics in Trinity College Dublin before training to be a priest in Carlow College.
He writes for a number of media outlets. He has almost 31,000 followers on Twitter.
Fr Paddy: Time to end Direct Provision
Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Ireland have launched a new study, Protection with Dignity: Roadmap to System Change, which identifies necessary steps for system change...
Fr Paddy: Returning to mass sensibly and safely
The global pandemic has had a shattering effect on humanity.
This deadly virus, has made no exceptions, its ugly presence has wounded Princes, Prime Ministers,...
Fr Paddy: 19 ways to Stay Positive
Our world screams out for poetry even if it can’t cope with it. Faith can only exist in a world of poetry.
God is always...
Fr Paddy: Spirit of God, loving and free
These days all of us are confronted with situations which seem confusing and contradictory and we wonder where we are going and what the...
Fr Paddy: Ascension a time to Hope
This Sunday we celebrate together the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, celebrating the moment when forty days after His Resurrection, our Lord...
Fr Paddy: Holding on to faith, hope and love in these tough times
Living through this pandemic, coping with isolation whilst managing our mental health is undoubtedly a challenge.
It is completely normal to be feeling overwhelmed and...
Fr Paddy: A time for healing
How can we use this time wisely?
Perhaps the best use of time right now is, as Jesus said, to love one another. In times...
Fr Paddy: No Social distancing from Christ
Who says that Christ is not Risen this year?
When in fact he is dressed in a blue gown in green and white in our...
Fr Paddy: An Easter that’s very different
On Ash Wednesday we were reminded of our frailty, when we received ash on our foreheads.
And we were advised by Jesus in the Gospel...
Fr Paddy: Lockdown
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so...
Fr Paddy: This will call for great resilience of mind and heart
My friends, while the name of the virus we are struggling to control is known as COVID 19 – the entire experience that we...
Fr Paddy: Spiritual Nuggets of Hope in difficult times
This is a particularly tough time in human history where the new coronavirus has many people worried, unsure as to how to act and...
Fr Paddy: Blessed Carlo Acutis … Patron of the Internet
I am greatly taken by the life story of Carlo Acutis, a young, talented and deeply spiritual teenager whose life story is a real...
Fr Paddy: Lent … A time to pause and maybe a time to lighten...
Last Wednesday we began Lent, the season of reflection that leads us towards the three days of the Triduum, with Easter Sunday falling on...
Fr Paddy: ‘If you do no good to others, you do nothing great’
Lent begins on Wednesday 26th February. Christians around the world mark the beginning of Lent with the celebration of Ash Wednesday. This ancient day...
Fr Paddy: Don’t judge others before you know them
A 24 year old boy looking out the train window shouted … ‘Dad, look the trees are going behind!’
Dad smiled and a young couple...
Fr Paddy: Healthcare is first and foremost a relationship of trust
This Tuesday, February 11, is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and also World day of Prayer for the Sick.
Behind many hall-doors in...
Fr Paddy: If Fr Peter McVerry were Taoiseach …
Prime Time Extra on RTE television invited Peter McVerry SJ to tell the nation what he would do in his first 100 days if...
Fr Paddy: The World has changed and so must the Church
The following article was recently penned by Fr. Brendan Hoban. It’s a very honest reflection from a man who is almost 50 years ordained...
Fr Paddy: Eight-year-old’s explanation of God
A second class student in primary school recently wrote the following wisdom………
One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace...
Fr Paddy: The Two Popes – an inspirational movie
Belief is central to identity and we live our lives based on our systems of beliefs.
Faith, particularly organised religion, demands a faith that...
Fr Paddy: Happy 2020 – it’s always an opportunity to begin again
It’s hard to believe we are almost ready to begin another new year, the rituals of celebrating a new year is an ancient one....
Fr Paddy: Christmas is a time to get real
I was struck by a headline on a national newspaper recently that read, “A nation yearns for meaning at Christmas”. ...
Fr Paddy: Let the light shine
Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a...
Fr Paddy: The gift of generosity this Christmas
Generosity is a wonderful gift. To have a big heart is a blessing that is to be open and compassionate in love to the...
Fr Paddy: Advent – A time to open doors
This week we begin the liturgical season of advent.
A hope filled few weeks, when we prepare to welcome, yet again, the light and peace...
Fr Paddy: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
Jesus couldn’t do much for the man on the cross…his own hands were nailed.
He couldn’t take him off, but he gave him more than...
Fr Paddy: The Problem of Direct Provision
Fintan O’ Toole (Irish Times) recently wrote: “In 1992, the concept of limbo - a place for the souls of infants who died before...
Fr Paddy: Helpful tips to mind our mental health
Recent research shows that levels of mental illness, anxiety, and depression are at an all-time high, especially among younger people. I recently came across...
Fr Paddy: 10 tips of sound advice from the man above
I really like the following guidelines from the boss's desk!!
If we can read them slowly and often it may well help us to implement...