The passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on New Year’s Eve led to an outburst of articles, reports and mini-documentaries in the mass media. Most of them seemed to focus on differences between the late pope and Pope Francis, often presenting them as the figureheads of the polar opposite factions in the church, fiercely fighting for their respective corners. I’m…
Glasgow is known for many things, but the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is legendary. Or, some people would say, infamous and disgraceful. The truth is that it isn’t unique. This kind of contest is widespread in the world of football despite official declarations of the uniting power of the game. In fact, the sport’s popularity relies on such a…
Usually, on 1st January I would offer a relatively short (though never rushed) Mass with just a few lines dropped as a sermon addressed to a relatively small congregation. Over the years I learnt first-hand that any serious dissertation delivered from the pulpit makes little sense as fine details get lost in the post-Hogmanay haze. Usually, the Mass would be…
Peter Jackson is a film director best known for his ground-breaking adaptation of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which turned out to be a huge success, saw his popularity soaring and won all eleven Oscar nominations, including the Best Picture and the Best Director. It is a much less known fact that he produced a deeply moving documentary film…
“The stuff of nightmares” rather well describes last week’s weather conditions, as well as my recent efforts to keep the acres of car parks at St Joseph’s and Holy Family safe underfoot. The back-breaking and time-consuming, valiant, lone fight against the elements turned out to be mostly futile as a mix of snowfalls and short thaws followed by frost cancelled…