Columnists
Fr Paddy: Five spiritual tips for new year 2022
The best resolutions are elastic, they cannot be broken with a single act.
If you swear never to touch red meat, one burger ruins the...
Andrew McDonald: Saying it differently boosts mental health
It’s January, it’s cold, Christmas is over, lights in people’s windows which brightened darker nights are gone, bank balances have probably taken a hit...
Fr Paddy: Happy New Year
A new year is here! This means new beginnings, new journeys, and new resolutions.
The New Year is often seen as an opportunity to improve...
Andrew McDonald: Getting rid of pain without painkillers
Let’s face it, though popping pills like they’re sweets isn’t a good idea, there are times when painkillers are necessary.
Some people are so good...
Fr Paddy: Let the light shine
At this time, every year, we hear these words from Scripture: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light’.
Familiar words indeed,...
Andrew McDonald: Avoiding the pain of painkillers
Sometimes you hear people complaining about the “nanny state” when it comes to medication.
Somebody can’t get a pill for this or that and instantly...
Fr Paddy: ‘O Holy Night’ continues to inspire hope and comfort
The gun should never have been left lying around in the first place. Making the carelessness even worse was that it was loaded.
With two...
Andrew McDonald: The importance of eating healthily at Christmas
Yuletide is a time of indulgence. The one period of the year where everyone, or so it seems, expects and is expected to eat,...
Fr Paddy: The Little Drummer Boy
Generosity is a wonderful gift. To have a big heart is a blessing that is to be open and compassionate in love to the...
Andrew McDonald: Letting go what you can’t control
Events which are bigger than us, that we have no way of controlling, are responsible for a great deal of anxiety.
Whether bad news stories,...
Fr Paddy: Advent – A counter cultural season
Christmas seems to arrive now by the start of November and ends on Christmas day.
In a secular culture the season of Advent, a time...
Andrew McDonald: How hypnotherapy can help you
Hypnotherapy is powerful. Don’t take my word for it, research it online for yourself. There is a huge amount of good scientific evidence to...
Fr Paddy: Celebrating the Feast of Christ the King
This week, we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we are called to work with this King.
And this King is the one who...
Andrew McDonald: Hypnosis in the real world
Among the therapies which have been around a long time but are suddenly gaining popularity, hypnotherapy is perhaps one of the misunderstood.
As soon as...
Fr Paddy: Climate change and COP26
The two young ladies were noisy. Vinisha Umashankar and Greta Thunberg.
Vinisha said: “We’ll build the future, even if you are stuck in the past....
Opinion: Climate Action Plan announcement and why we all need to embrace the changes...
On November 4, the Cabinet approved the Climate Action Plan which details the measures which will be implemented to ensure we stay within the...
Andrew McDonald: Reduce Christmas stress
Christmas, the time of year we are all supposed to love. If we don’t, or at least if we reveal it, we’re likely to...
Fr Paddy: How prayer can help overcome phobias
Many situations in this pandemic world present themselves as almost impossible: coping with stress, keeping going under pressure, addressing tough health issues, coping with...
Andrew McDonald: What is Keto? And does it work?
Keto, short for ketogenic, is a low carbohydrate, high fat diet which claims to get you losing weight quickly.
According to keto experts, up to...
Fr Paddy: November – A time to remember
Halloween did not come from Hollywood but rather its origins are strongly connected to ancient Celtic roots.
In Celtic Ireland, about two millennia ago, Samhain...
Andrew McDonald: Alcoholism – destruction in a bottle
Alcoholism wrecks everything. It rips families apart, devastates health, ruins bank balances and ultimately, if not overcome, kills.
Problems with the demon drink are as...
Fr Paddy: In the name of God
Pope Francis, in a keynote address to the popular movements, a group that includes activists working on a wide variety of justice causes, called...
Andrew McDonald: You are the key to overcoming your difficulties
“Sit down next to me” sing the rock band James. It is a call to people who are suffering bad periods in their life,...
Fr Paddy: Nine principles for building solid foundations
One key biblical image is that of building solid foundations, making a dramatic distinction between building on rock as opposed to on sand (Matthew...
Andrew McDonald: Not drinking in the 2020s
Prior to the 2020s, choice was limited for people who chose not to drink alcohol when socialising. Normal everyday drinking options were plentiful enough.
Tea,...
Fr Paddy: Leave the phone at home
“God brings forth His Son in thee, whether thou likest it or not, whether thou sleepest or wakest; God worketh His own will. That...
Andrew McDonald: Dealing with cold and flu season
Cold and flu season has started to make its unwanted presence familiar again.
Last year, many of us were in lockdown for long periods and...
Fr Paddy: Celebrating the feast of St Francis
This week we celebrate the Feast of St Francis. St Francis is among the most beloved and most familiar of all the saints of...
Andrew McDonald: How to stop the dreaded hiccups
Buddy Holly and Michael Jackson shared the same talent for using a singing technique few artists even seriously attempt, never mind master.
A vocal hiccup...
Fr Paddy: Wisdom on life
George Carlin at age 102, offered the following wisdom that is deeply relevant for us all.
If you don’t read this to the very end,...
