Launch of Building a Church Without Walls

image I started this blog just over a year ago. My first post was called ‘Count me Out? Responding to the Report on Child Abuse in Dublin Diocese.’ I saw this blog as a place where I could share my … Read more...

Continuing Education Course on Ethical Remembering: Acknowledging the Decade of Change & Violence, 1912-1922 Begins 19 January

imageA six-week continuing education course on ‘Ethical Remembering: Acknowledging the Decade of Change & Violence, 1912-1922,’ begins next week at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College Dublin at Belfast. More information can be found in my post on the Read more...

Zimbabwean Migrant Workers in a Limpopo Village: Reflections on the Treatment of Refugees on the Feast of the Epiphany

imageJanuary 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany in the Christian calendar, is probably best known in today’s Western secular culture as the day when people  take down their Christmas decorations. For me yesterday was one of those particularly … Read more...

The Murphy Report One Year On and the State of the Irish Catholic Church: Does it Matter?

imageThe one year anniversary of the Murphy Report was 26 November, and this has been acknowledged with some significant words from Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. You can read my post about the ‘… state of the Irish Catholic Church – Read more...

Presbyterian Peacemaking Conference – Engaged for the Future? Guest Post by Christine Dawson

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland held its annaul Peacemaking Conference on Saturday 27 November 2010 in Lowe Memorial Presbyterian Church, Finaghy.Christine Dawson, a student on our Master’s in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation programme, attended the conference and has provided … Read more...

Quaker Peacebuilding Initiatives in Northern Ireland: Coming from the Silence – Book Review

image Despite numbering less than 800 in Northern Ireland, Quakers often played important roles in peacebuilding throughout the Troubles and up until the present day. The contributions of Quakers are chronicled in a recent book, edited by Ann Le Mare and … Read more...

The Future of the Organised Church Part IV: Do Churches Care About Climate Change and Fair Trade?

image Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve written some posts around a panel discussion I participated in, organised by the Fermanagh Churches Forum (FCF): The Future of the Organised Church – Any Questions? This is my final post about the … Read more...

The Future of the Organised Church Part I: Are there more Christians outside the Church than in it?

image Last week I participated in a panel discussion organised by the Fermanagh Churches Forum (FCF), ‘The Future of the Organised Church: Any Questions?’ The event, held at the Clinton Centre in Enniskillen, drew people from a variety of Christian denominations … Read more...

Gerry O’Hanlon Book Review: Theology in the Irish Public Square

image One of the themes of the Pope’s recent visit to the UK was the engagement of the church in the public square. The Pope’s message was that churches – all churches, I suppose, but the Catholic Church in particular – … Read more...