It leaves a great void that Reality magazine will no longer be published by Redemptorists in Ireland. – It was a tough decision, writes Fr Gerard Moloney CSsR, acting editor, in his article with a meaningful title, “Time to say a sad farewell”, but the current crisis of the Catholic press in Ireland has made no exception for Reality, he explains.
From its first publication in November 1936 as ‘The Redemptorist Record’, Reality magazine described its mission as ‘to inform, inspire and challenge today’s Catholics’.
It was not always an easy path to propose topical issues in the years before and after Vatican II. Nevertheless, Reality had become a reference point for issues of sex, politics and doctrine from a Catholic perspective with an increasingly discerning audience.
“The magazine was particularly proud of the role it played in trying to bring the vision and promise of Vatican II to the Irish faithful and to be a structure that allowed people to reflect on the myriad of issues facing the Church at home and abroad – even if uncomfortable some of these issues may have been at times,” are the words of Father Brendan McConvery CSsR, who was the editor-in-chief from 2014 to 2020.
The last issue of the magazine (December 2022) thanks all: bishops, priests and lay people, who, with their accounts of their missionary experience, in cities and mission territories, have marked an era that ends in print by Irish Redemptorists.
As they say farewell to the readers, Reality’s editors see the strong need for robust and intelligent religious media in Ireland to champion the Catholic perspective and assist the Catholics with information, support and guidance. They hope to use the opportunities provided by the internet and social media to continue the great redemptorist and journalist tradition.
