The Dignity of Sorrow
The Shawlies — on the dignity of sorrow Dignity went with them. Máirtín Ó Direáin, “Dínit an Bhróin” / “The Dignity of Grief,” trans. Frank Sewell There was an old woman who lived next to my grandmother when I was a boy in Cork. I remember her in a black shawl, the way the old […]
What is a Chaplain, anyway?
So what is a chaplain, anyway? The word itself comes from the Latin cappella—a “little cloak.” In the 4th century, St. Martin of Tours, still a Roman soldier at the time, came across a man freezing by the roadside. He took his cloak, cut it in two, and gave half away. The remaining half was […]
The Way We Were (Memories)
One of my patients loves the movie The Way We Were. It’s been playing in her room recently, and it reminds her of happier days. Recently, we spoke about memories. She talked about how they come and go, saying they pop up at the strangest times. “Sometimes you can’t remember no matter how hard you […]
The Water We Are Swimming In
What if the peace, meaning, and belonging we are searching for is already present in the life we have been given? A reflection on presence and grace from The Irish Chaplain, Denis Lynch.
Hope and Dignity
In his recent encyclical, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the importance of safeguarding human dignity in a rapidly changing world. While much of the document addresses the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and technological advancement, its central message is timeless: every person possesses an inherent dignity that can never be reduced to usefulness, productivity, status, […]
The Worth We Carry Within Us
There is a human dignity and worth we do not have to earn. It is not something given to us when we are successful, useful, strong, admired, or needed. It is not something we lose when life becomes difficult, confusing, lonely, or uncertain. This dignity belongs to us simply because we are human. That may […]
Under a Larger Sky
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day opens today, and whatever one makes of UFOs, UAPs, aliens, disclosure, cover-ups, or government files, one thing seems fairly certain: the movie will stir up questions. Among the questions it raises are those that touch most deeply on faith and human dignity. Some of them will be scientific. Some will be […]