the online presence of Fr Andrew Doohan
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis My rating: 3 of 5 stars The modern 'gumshoe detective' genre meets ancient Rome, and the result is an engaging tale that captures the imagination of the reader and draws them into the lives of the characters.I was originally drawn to read it because of the novel's setting in … Continue reading Review: The Silver Pigs
My homily for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) as preached during the 9.30am Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11. "The Holy Spirit is given to all who are able to proclaim Jesus as God and Saviour, and then manifests in many different … Continue reading Homilies: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C
I've heard/seen a few versions of this particular piece of music as I've 'surfed' through YouTube. This version, conducted by the composer himself, is one of the best. The words, so I'm told, are the words of the Lord's Prayer in Swahili, which Christopher Tin has set to a masterful arrangement. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noneMROp_E8
Sacrosanctum Concilium's call for revisions in liturgical rites and texts made it easier for the Church to recognize and engage the public nature of liturgy. It also empowered the worshipping faithful to take part in efforts to reform social, economic, cultural, and political systems of society. The latter emphasis is what Gaudium et spes brought to our understanding … Continue reading From Liturgy to Action in the World
Whether the Council Fathers could foresee the impact of the reform of the liturgy on the life of the Church is impossible to know for certain. The liturgy is "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the fount from which all the Church's power flows" … Continue reading The Liturgy in the Life of the Church
Fifty years after the event of Vatican II, we find ourselves in that crucial moment of passage between the short run and the long run: the "clash of narratives" about Vatican II encounters here the perennial law of the reception of the Councils of the Church. Giuseppe Alberigo, recalling the worrisome memorandum sent between 1600 … Continue reading The Reception of Vatican II
My homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Year C) as preached at the 5pm Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22. "His baptism marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus, and inauguration of the messianic age that is … Continue reading Homilies: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Year C
Memento Mori: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another wonderful narrative set in Roman Brittania featuring our eponymous hero Gaius Petreius Ruso, a former medical officer with Rome's Twentieth Legion, part-time farmer, and semi-professional sleuth. More murder and intrigue follow in the wake of Ruso … Continue reading Review: Memento Mori
Each month a prayer intention is released, either for a universal need or for a specific evangelism need, through which Catholics are asked to join in praying with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. The intention for January 2019 is: That young people, especially in Latin America, follow the example of Mary and respond to the … Continue reading Papal Prayer Intention for January 2019
Another insightful commentary from Massimo Faggioli looking at the state of the Church, this time looking at the phenomenon of integralism as it was once understood and as it is now understood. Any one interested in the ongoing internal debates of the Church should give this one a read. Today, during Pope Francis’s pontificate, we … Continue reading A Church Within the Church
I hope you enjoy the performance below, featuring a song that was sung during our Christmas celebrations in the Cathedral. It wasn't this particular version, which I quite like, but the combination of these two songs says much about what it is that we celebrate at Christmas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IetPAANnhzQ
My homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Year C) as preached at the 5pm Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12. "The Magi, whoever they were, came to encounter Jesus Christ through following the signs that guided them. Are we able to … Continue reading Homilies: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Year C
I have noticed for some time some commentary about the ability of the Vatican communications apparatus to effectively fulfil its mandate of communicating those things that are worthy of being communicated. Much of that commentary, mostly online from people whose insights and opinions I value and respect, has pointed out how from the outside it … Continue reading Getting the Message
Vita Brevis: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth Downie My rating: 4 of 5 stars Our eponymous hero and his wife find themselves in Rome, the overcrowded capital of the empire, thanks to the efforts of Ruso's former Legion superior and now patron, Accius. And things weren't working out as they thought … Continue reading Review: Vita Brevis
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was first introduced to the work of Mike Duncan through his well-known podcast The History of Rome which was sent my way by a friend who thought I might be interested … Continue reading Review: The Storm Before the Storm
The Monastery Murders by E.M. Powell My rating: 3 of 5 stars The title alone was enough to draw me to this particular novel, though the identity of the novel as the next in a series that I had started, and as the product of an author I particularly enjoy, were also reasons for me … Continue reading Review: The Monastery Murders
My homily for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Year C) as preached at the 5pm Mass in Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28; 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24; Luke 2:41-52. "Families are important to us as human beings and as believers. They are the domestic … Continue reading Homilies: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Year C
Tabula Rasa: A Crime Novel of the Roman Empire by Ruth DownieMy rating: 4 of 5 starsAnother wonderful instalment in the ongoing series featuring Gaius Petreius Ruso, Medicus of Rome's Twentieth Legion, his wife, Tilla, and a cast of regular supporting characters.This edition sees Ruso stationed with a work party from the Legion in the … Continue reading Review: Tabula Rasa
My homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) as preached during the 9.30am Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bZNC6mb32qILAC1dnzUqI
My homily for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) as preached at the Midnight Mass in the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Hamilton. The readings were Isaiah 9:1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pASnjwWvEn3r9VmMK5czI
