Karl Rahner, perhaps the greatest Jesuit theologian of the twentieth century, flunked his doctoral thesis at the University of Freiburg – he was asking questions that Martin Honecker, his safe, conventional supervisor, found uncomfortable. The thesis, which never earned him a doctorate, was published as the seminal book: Spirit in the World.

Our Lady’s Choral Society, with the RTE Concert Orchestra and soloist, was invited to sing Handel’s Messiah before the Pope and about 5000 guests in the Paul VI Aula of the Vatican on 12 February last. The occasion was the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Vatican State in 1929. Peter Sexton SJ, who teaches in Clongowes, has been ...

Apart from the usual liturgical ceremonies, Gardiner St church will also offer the Prayer in the Garden on Holy Thursday at 8.45-9.45 pm. This will re-enact the events in the Garden of the First Holy Thursday and will take place in the church/community garden, entrance through the church. If weather is bad, it will take place in the church.  On ...

The Milltown Institute MA in Applied Christian Spirituality has been running long enough to become the largest postgraduate course in spirituality in the country, and to make waves both far (Nigeria, Zambia, Poland, Birmingham) and near. Graduate Annetta Maguire is teaching a 10-week course: “An introduction to Christian mysticism” in the School of Philosophy, Northumberland Road. Carol Milton, who came ...

On 30 March UCD held a seminar in Newman House to mark the 25 years that have passed since Karl Rahner slipped into what he had called “the colossal silent emptiness of death”, and beyond that into the mystery of the ineffable God. He was the greatest Jesuit theologian of the 20th century. His bibliography contains some 4000 titles, material ...

 ‘Dirty Harry on a pension” – so says film critic Roger Ebert about Clint Eastwood’s character in Gran Torino. And if you got a dollar for every time a reviewer has written that Gran Torino will “make your day”, you’d probably make more money from the movie than Clint himself. It seems clear, however, that the protagonist of Gran Torino ...

Following from the successful launch of his book The Recession and God, Gerry O’Hanlon SJ appeared on TV3’s Midday chat show to talk about the current economic crisis (Monday, 30 March 2009). Click here to view video clips from the show. And to view photographs of the launch click here. Commonweal Magazine’s blog, dotCommonweal, posted this week a podcast interview ...

It’s been a busy week for Brother Guy Consolmagno SJ, the Vatican astronomer currently in Ireland. As well as lecturing to packed audiences at Dunsink Observatory in Dublin and Blackrock Castle Observatory in Cork, Guy was also captivating listeners on RTE’s Pat Kenny Show (provoking a huge response from listeners), BBC Radio Ulster’s Sunday Sequence, and RNN (Religious News Network, ...

As part of their annual retreat, a group of Clongowes fifth-years went to visit some Jesuit apostolates around Dublin. They visited the JUST Ballymun project and the Jesuit Refugee Service. Afterwards they went to learn about the various operations that call Leeson Street their home: the Messenger, Sacred Space, the Jesuit Communication Centre, and Religious News Network (RNN) – so ...

Forty parishoners from Gardiner St and Iona Road parish spent a Lenten ‘time-out’ day in the Manresa Centre for Spirituality on Saturday March 29th. It was a time of meditation and reflection on the theme of ‘Death and Resurrection’, with two inputs from Pat Coyle of the Jesuit Communication Centre. Music and liturgy was organised by Fr Donal Neary SJ, ...