“This book is a must for the desk of every pastor, priest and teacher. It ought to be available to every serious student of religion and ethics. … [It is a] manual for those of us who wish to overcome violence and to pray for and work for a lasting peace on this island.” That’s [...]
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An Assembly in the Irish Catholic Church: Any Closer?
Yesterday about 1,000 people attended an event in Dublin organised by the Association of Catholic Priests, ‘Towards an Assembly in the Irish Catholic Church.’ I was unfortunately unable to attend because of my prior commitment to the Belfast City Marathon (to support my fundraising for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, this year’s official charity of [...]
I’m ‘In Conversation’ at Fitzroy Presbyterian, Sunday 6 May, 7 pm
This Sunday evening I’ll be ‘In Conversation’ during the 7 pm service at Fitzroy Presbyterian Church in Belfast. I’m not entirely sure what Rev Steve Stockman will be asking me about, but I expect topics to include my latest book (co-authored with Claire Mitchell), Evangelical Journeys: Choice and Change in a Northern Irish Religious Subculture, [...]
Cardinal Sean Brady & the movement for an Assembly in the Irish Catholic Church: Reforming the Un-Reformable?
There’s not really much commentary to add on the increasingly sad-saga about Cardinal Sean Brady’s role in the Catholic Church’s private inquiry into the activities of Fr Brendan Smyth. The by now usual horrific details of abuse and cover-up, followed by the inadequate responses of church leaders with power, all contribute to a picture of [...]
Introducing the ‘Church Without Walls’ Calendar for Events and Initiatives in Ireland
Last week I had the pleasure of a conversation with Rev Steve Stockman of Fitzroy Presbyterian; Ed Peterson, a Reconciliation worker at Clonard Monastery; and Fr Martin Magill of St Oliver Plunkett in Lenadoon. It was suggested that there was a lot going on among the churches, but that often people didn’t know about events [...]
Why am I a Catholic? Guest Post by Jon Hatch
Why am I (still) a Catholic? In the wake of the clerical child sex abuse scandals and the latest investigation of Irish priests by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), that’s a question that is being asked increasingly by people in Ireland. Jon Hatch, a doctoral candidate at my School, became Catholic [...]
Fr Brian D’Arcy: Vatican Now Monitoring Outspoken Voice for the Faithful in Ireland
If any grace can come out of the Vatican’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith’s (CDF) investigation of Fr Brian D’Arcy, it’s that someone in the Vatican has at least read what he has to say. Sadly, the Vatican’s failure to engage with the Vatican II-inspired movement within the Catholic Church – in which [...]
Sharing Spirituality – Churches of the Shankill and Falls on ‘A Journey in Understanding’ during May
Pope John Paul II said that ecumenical dialogue can be thought of as ‘an exchange of gifts.’ Nowhere is this more obvious than when Christians from various traditions are able to learn from each other’s spiritualities, partaking in the insights of others to enrich their own spiritual journeys. A series of talks on five Tuesdays [...]
Who Fears to Speak of Easter Week? Jan Robert Schulz on the Easter Rising in Northern Irish History Textbooks
There’s a tired old joke about air passengers arriving in Northern Ireland. The pilot announces: ‘Welcome to Belfast, set your clocks back 400 years.’ The implication is of course that Northern Ireland is living in its past, trapped by its history. Indeed, the past is all around the streets of Northern Ireland, from the murals [...]
Building Peace through the Arts: Last Post on the ‘Picking up the Pieces’ Series
What do people need to help them process the trauma they have experienced during conflict? The answer to that question will not be the same for everyone. Over the last few weeks, I’ve highlighted the insights from the RTE Radio One ‘Picking up the Pieces’ series, which features the grassroots peacebuilding work of groups throughout [...]
About me
Welcome to Building a Church Without Walls, a website for people who are excited about how Christianity is developing in the 21st Century. I am a Lecturer and Coordinator of the Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation Studies Programme at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast (the Irish School of Ecumenics).
Please note this is my personal site. All views are my own and are not representative of TCD.
