Come & See Inspirations

For many people September is like New Years 2.0 with the return to routines with back to school, back to work etc after the breaks over the summer. As part of that people like to plan ahead for time out and also how to prepare for the dark of the winter especially in the northern hemisphere. On this weeks podcast we have two possible suggestions for listeners. We are delighted to welcome back to the podcast Noirin Lynch who is the director of the FCJ House of Spirituality in Spanish Point. Noirin reflects for us first off on the Season of Creation which is on-going at the moment until 4th Oct. And then she shares with us the residential course upcoming between now and the end of March each month.There are a lot of upcoming events, residential, non-residential, some online and also for those living in west Clare things where you could pop in to say hello. The best way to check it out is to look at the website HERE and the events page HERE.

For many people September is like New Years 2.0 with the return to routines with back to school, back to work etc after the breaks over the summer. As part of that people like to plan ahead for time out and also how to prepare for the dark of the winter especially in the northern hemisphere. On this weeks podcast we have two possible suggestions for listeners.  We are delighted to welcome back to the podcast Noirin Lynch who is the director of the FCJ House of Spirituality in Spanish Point. Noirin reflects for us first off on the Season of Creation which is on-going at the moment until 4th Oct. And then she shares with us the residential course upcoming between now and the end of March each month.There are a lot of upcoming events, residential, non-residential, some online and also for those living in west Clare things where you could pop in to say hello. The best way to check it out is to look at the website HERE and the events page HERE.We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends including

On this weeks programme we are joined by Aine Kirby, Gary Reeves and James Connery who were part of the group from the diocese of Limerick who went to WYD 2023 which was held in Lisbon, Portugal from 1-6 August 2023. Aine and Gary share with us their experience of what is sometimes called the Catholic Woodstock which is held every 2-3 years to gather the catholic youth of the world and the hope that it gives them. You can find out more about WYD 2023 itself on the official website HERE including the addresses from Pope Francis, videos and photos of the week long celebration.  We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends including up coming saints of the week and of course our reflection on the Sunday gospel (Matthew 18:15-20)Today we also include an audio reflection from our good friend Martina Lehane Sheehan on the wonderful resources she offers at Ruah Rest - including various courses online, days of reflection & meditation, books & cds. More info at  info@ruahrest.com

On this weeks programme we are joined by Aine Kirby, Gary Reeves and James Connery who were part of the group from the diocese of Limerick who went to WYD 2023 which was held in Lisbon, Portugal from 1-6 August 2023. Aine and Gary share with us their experience of what is sometimes called the Catholic Woodstock which is held every 2-3 years to gather the catholic youth of the world and the hope that it gives them.You can find out more about WYD 2023 itself on the official website HERE including the addresses from Pope Francis, videos and photos of the week long celebration. 

From April 2023 to April 2024 the Irish church is marking a year of prayer for vocations to the diocesan priesthood with the theme/tag line "Take the Risk for Christ". As part of that effort to encourage men to consider a vocation to the diocesan priesthood here on C&SI we will be hosting a series of interviews with priests over the next few months who will be sharing their vocation story and what it means to them to be a priest in Ireland today.To get the ball rolling however, John decided to go right to the top - so to speak - and asked Bishop Brendan Leahy to come on the podcast and to share his vocation journey which has brought him all the way to being bishop of our little diocese on the banks of the Shannon

From April 2023 to April 2024 the Irish church is marking a year of prayer for vocations to the diocesan priesthood with the theme/tag line "Take the Risk for Christ". As part of that effort to encourage men to consider a vocation to the diocesan priesthood here on C&SI we will be hosting a series of interviews with priests over the next few months who will be sharing their vocation story and what it means to them to be a priest in Ireland today.To get the ball rolling however, John decided to go right to the top - so to speak - and asked Bishop Brendan Leahy to come on the podcast and to share his vocation journey which has brought him all the way to being bishop of our little diocese on the banks of the Shannon. You can listen to that conversation in part 2 of this weeks full podcast.Our regular weekly items of course are on this week as well - liturgical odds and ends including our saints for the week and of course a shared reflection on this weeks Sunday gospel (Matthew 16:21-27) where once

On this weeks podcast we are joined by Jane Mellet (Trocaire) and Rose O'Connor (Limerick diocese) to talk about the Season Creation 2023. This year’s theme is “Let Justice and Peace Flow” taking inspiration from the Prophet Amos who declares: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24).We have our usual run through the liturgical odds and ends including saints of the week and of course our reflection on the Sunday gospel (Matthew 16:13-20) where the question posed by Jesus to the apostles is very much the question to be posed to each and every Christian today - "Who do you say I am?"Season of Creation 2023 #SoCThe Season of Creation has a special significance for the Catholic Church, particularly since Pope Francis established 1 September as an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Season of Creation is marked throughout the Christian world from 1 September to 4 October (Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi) and celebrates the joy

On this weeks podcast we are joined by Jane Mellet (Trocaire) and Rose O'Connor (Limerick diocese) to talk about the Season Creation 2023. This year’s theme is “Let Justice and Peace Flow” taking inspiration from the Prophet Amos who declares: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24).Season of Creation 2023 #SoCThe Season of Creation has a special significance for the Catholic Church, particularly since Pope Francis established 1 September as an annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. The Season of Creation is marked throughout the Christian world from 1 September to 4 October (Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi) and celebrates the joy of creation as well as encouraging awareness-raising initiatives to protect the natural environment.This year’s theme is “Let Justice and Peace Flow” taking inspiration from the Prophet Amos who declares: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24). And so we are c

So as we are entering into the height of the summer season Shane has abandoned John for two weeks to traipse around central Europe. However, we aren't going to abandon our listeners here on C&SI podcast so we do have some listening for you this week.As usual we have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends in part one including the up coming saints and solemnities.On part two we are sharing a Word On Fire podcast; this time a recording of a talk by Britt Fisk from the 2021 Good News Conference. Britt shares her wisdom on what it means to hand over complete trust to the Lord, particularly in times of great suffering. Though we may feel like we’re at a loss when we are not in control, this is the moment when the Lord meets us and asks us to hand over control and trust his will for our lives. An untold amount of beauty comes from that surrender of control.Part three of our course is a brief sharing of the Sunday gospel (Matthew 15: 21-28) and the account of Jesus' encounter with the Can

So we are entering into the height of the summer season Shane has abandoned John for two weeks to traipse around central Europe. However, we aren't going to abandon our listeners here on C&SI podcast so we do have some listening for you this week.As usual we have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends in part one including the up coming saints and solemnities including of course the Assumption of Our Lady on August 15th.In part two of the  podcast this week, we borrow with full credit from WoF where Bishop Robert Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss the issue of why men today are looking outside Christianity for spiritual wisdom. Bishop Barron discusses an interesting article was published at The Gospel Coalition titled “Savior or Stoics? Why Modern Men Look for Spiritual Wisdom Outside the Church”. The author observed how a growing number of young men are filling a moral and spiritual void in their lives by turning to modern self-help books based on ancient Stoic thinkers. Authors such as J

On this weeks podcast John and Shane are doing something a little different. Normally here on C&SI we don't stray into the area of politics and controversy. However, there are times when we feel that we can contribute to the public conversation and the current discussion around euthanasia and assisted suicide which is a topic being discussed in the Joint Health Committee of the Irish Oireachtas is one such area of concern.As part of that discussion we are going to have three weeks of podcasts looking into the issue.  So on this weeks podcast we have our third podcast where we are sharing a podcast from Word on Fire Show: The Rise of Euthanasia. "Do we have a right to choose how and when we die? Should we be worried about the rapid rise of euthanasia, including in the United States?Euthanasia has been in the news lately thanks to reports out of Canada, where last year, over 10,000 Canadians ended their lives via euthanasia. Those numbers are sure to go up, as Canada has loosened restrictions so t

On this weeks podcast John and Shane are doing something a little different. Normally here on C&SI we don't stray into the area of politics and controversy. However, there are times when we feel that we can contribute to the public conversation and the current discussion around euthanasia and assisted suicide which is a topic being discussed in the Joint Health Committee of the Irish Oireachtas is one such area of concern.As part of that discussion we are going to have three weeks of podcasts looking into the issue.  On this weeks podcast we have a conversation with with Dr Angelo Bottone, who is a lecturer in ethics and philosophy at various colleges in Dublin and also a contributor to the Iona Institute thinktank about the issue.We look at what is being proposed in Ireland around assisted suicide and euthanasia under the term "Dying with Dignity" and the issues and challenges it raises.Some links to consider when discussing and thinking about the issues raised. Just to note C&SI doesn

On this weeks podcast John and Shane are doing something a little different. Normally here on C&SI we don't stray into the area of politics and controversy. However, there are times when we feel that we can contribute to the public conversation and the current discussion around euthanasia and assisted suicide which is a topic being discussed in the Joint Health Committee of the Irish Oireachtas is one such area of concern.As part of that discussion we are going to have three weeks of podcasts looking into the issue.  On this weeks podcast we have a conversation with with Dr Angelo Bottone, who is a lecturer in ethics and philosophy at various colleges in Dublin and also a contributor to the Iona Institute thinktank about the issue.We look at what is being proposed in Ireland around assisted suicide and euthanasia under the term "Dying with Dignity" and the issues and challenges it raises.We have our regular notices and saints of the week and of course our regular reflection on the weekly Su

On this weeks podcast John and Shane are doing something a little different. Normally here on C&SI we don't stray into the area of politics and controversy. However, there are times when we feel that we can contribute to the public conversation and the current discussion around euthanasia and assisted suicide which is a topic being discussed in the Joint Health Committee of the Irish Oireachtas is one such area of concern. As part of that discussion we are going to have three weeks of podcasts looking into the issue.  On this weeks podcast we are replaying a conversation we had with Dr Donal Murray, bishop emeritus of Limerick exploring the issue of freedom of conscience (particularly for those who regard themselves as Catholic) which we had back on 17th May 2015. And on next weeks podcast we are going to have a discussion with Dr Angelo Bottone, who is a lecturer ethics and philosophy in various colleges in Dublin and also a contributor to the Iona Institute thinktank about the issue. In addition we

On this weeks podcast John and Shane are doing something a little different. Normally here on C&SI we don't stray into the area of politics and controversy. However, there are times when we feel that we can contribute to the public conversation and the current discussion around euthanasia and assisted suicide which is a topic being discussed in the Joint Health Committee of the Irish Oireachtas is one such area of concern.As part of that discussion we are going to have three weeks of podcasts looking into the issue.  On this weeks podcast we are replaying a conversation we had with Dr Donal Murray, bishop emeritus of Limerick exploring the issue of freedom of conscience (particularly for those who regard themselves as Catholic) which we had back on 17th May 2015. And on next weeks podcast we are going to have a discussion with Dr Angelo Bottone, who is a lecturer ethics in various colleges in Dublin and also a contributor to the Iona Institute thinktank about the issue.

Summer is the season for taking the foot off the peddle (slightly) so this week John and Shane took it a tad easy and we are sharing another news magazine podcast this week looking at a number of issues including the on-going persecution of the church in Nicaragua personified in the person of Bishop Ronaldo Alvarez, worrying trends in India, and the Pillar's excellent analysis of the recent announcement of the proposed consistory on Sept 30th for the creation of 21 new cardinals. The Pillar - Catholics in Goa threatened by calls to ‘wipe out’ history of Portuguese presenceThe Pillar - How talks to free Nicaragua’s Bishop Álvarez failedVatican News - Pope Francis announces Consistory for creation of new CardinalsThe Pillar - By the numbers: Pope Francis and the College of CardinalsThe Pillar - Can the new cardinals vote yet?CNA - WYD is an invitation to young people to experience God, explains future Portuguese cardinalWe have our regular run through the up-coming liturgical odds and ends including the sa

On this weeks podcast Juliann Moran joins John and Shane to discuss the Instrumentum Laboris (IL) which is the working document of the October Synod on Synodality which was published on 20th June . Juliann takes us through what has been incorporated into the document to guide the discussions to be held in Rome in October as the first meeting of the Synod on Synodality."The [IL] is the fruit of a long process of discernment that has taken into account all that has been done ...in these two years of process without wanting to be a synthesis or a conclusive document... [It is]a text that opens and invites further discernment... to arrive at concrete steps in making our Church increasingly synodal....."Official documents and guidance on the ILInstrumentum Laboris for Synod 2021-2024Instrumentum Laboris. A document of the whole Church - Press ReleasePress Release 28 June 2023 to counter misinterpretations on the IL"Instrumentum laboris' calls for welcoming Church that embraces diversityFAQs fro

On this weeks podcast Juliann Moran joins John and Shane to discuss the Instrumentum Laboris (IL) which is the working document of the October Synod on Synodality which was published on 20th June . Juliann takes us through what has been incorporated into the document to guide the discussions to be held in Rome in October as the first meeting of the Synod on Synodality.In addition we have our regular saints of the week and of course our reflection on the Sunday gospel (Math 11:25-30)."The [IL] is the fruit of a long process of discernment that has taken into account all that has been done ...in these two years of process without wanting to be a synthesis or a conclusive document... [It is]a text that opens and invites further discernment... to arrive at concrete steps in making our Church increasingly synodal....."  Official documents and guidance on the ILInstrumentum Laboris for Synod 2021-2024Instrumentum Laboris. A document of the whole Church - Press ReleasePress Release 28 June 2023 to counter

On this weeks programme John and Shane take a spin around the globe sharing bits and bobs that caught our eye around the Catholic world.  Something a bit lighter as we head into the summer. We have our regular run through the liturgical odds including saints for the coming week and ends and our reflection on the Sunday gospel (Mathew 10:37-42). Global bits and bobs from around the world:Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Mary MacKillopGerman Catholics left Church in record numbers last yearFour German bishops block funding for permanent synodal council  Pope’s move has implications not just for Gänswein, but also GermanyWhat will the new altar of Notre-Dame de Paris look like?Catholicism in France could soon become a minority, but a more traditional one, experts claimIreland to outlaw prayer near abortion clinics?Fatima visionary Sr Lucia declared VenerableDrowned 16th-Century Church Emerges From Bottom of Reservoir After DroughtLadybugs a Sign of Our Lady? The Enduring Story of How the Insect Ear

On this weeks podcast John and Shane head across the Atlantic (virtually!) to meet Paul Lang in Halifax Nova Scotia to learn about Divine Renovation which is a Catholic ministry dedicated to parish renewal. They accompany priests and lay leaders who desire to see their parish come alive by providing them with the tools and coaching they need "to lead their parish from maintenance to mission".We have our regular run through the liturgical odds and ends of the week ahead plus we share our reflections and thoughts on the Sunday gospel (Matthew 10: 26 -33).Divine RenovationDivine Renovation describes itself as a Catholic ministry dedicated to parish renewal. Paul takes us through how they accompany priests and lay leaders who desire to see their parish come alive by providing them with the tools and coaching they need to lead their parish from "maintenance to mission". The three keys which DR uses to help parishes come alive are based on the original experiences and work of Fr James Mallon whi