Jim McDermott

1 week ago | religionnews.com | Jim McDermott

(RNS) — Before the last conclave, Ulrike Heckl found herself looking at photos of the cardinals who were preparing to elect the next pope and wondering at the enormity of the responsibility on their shoulders. In that moment, she had a simple thought: “They need prayers.”A friend of Heckl’s was leading YOUTH 2000 Germany, a Catholic initiative focused on retreats, adoration, pilgrimages and other spiritual activities for young people.

2 weeks ago | eurekastreet.com.au | Jim McDermott

Having said that, it’s hard to be satisfied with where the ALP and LNP are starting. Annabel Crabb describes the tiny cash splashes both of the major parties are offering out of the gate as “shiny new chew toys,” something eye-catching, but with little meat on the actual bone. The fact is, the cost of living keeps rising, and not just because of inflation. The lack of housing, and housing that is affordable, has been a serious issue for decades at this point.

3 weeks ago | sojo.net | Jim McDermott

When Pope Francis’ condition first began to in February, I found myself suddenly feeling the kind of vertiginous paradigm shift usually reserved for the loss of close family or friends, that sense of a curtain being torn aside and a truth being revealed. The detail that really broke me was the news that as he had gotten sicker, Francis continued to text and call the people of Holy Family Parish in Gaza. It was so far beyond what anyone would expect of a critically ill 88-year-old man.

1 month ago | americantheatre.org | Jim McDermott

New York has long been home to a vibrant community of Irish artists. As early as the 1910s, in fact, three different Irish-focused companies—the Irish Theatre of America, the Celtic Players, and the Irish Players—were producing work. “The community theatre idea has all at once come to life,” reported The New York Times on Feb. 14, 1915, with the announcement of the Irish Theatre of America.

1 month ago | provincetownindependent.org | Jim McDermott

I remember hanging out on the corner with the tough guys, waving at passing cars, preening for girls, bumming Winstons, planning turf fights. Stupid stuff. I once was arrested for hanging out there, but that’s another story. One day, an older kid, Moondog, suggested we march to the White City Bridge that spanned Lake Quinsigamond, separating Worcester from Shrewsbury. Our mission: to stop traffic with clownish behavior before leaping off the bridge into the dark water below. Very stupid.