TV-watchers in Clongowes and Dooradoyle watched Ireland’s rugby triumph in Cardiff last weekend with particular interest. Gordon D’Arcy and Robert Kearney learned their rugby in Clongowes; David Wallace learned his in Crescent College Comprehensive. Their creative breaks, and fierce, fearless tackling, were a feature of Ireland’s Grand Slam victory. All three are pictured here, left to right: D’Arcy, Wallace, Kearney.
Mary Hanafin, Minister for Social and Family Affairs, joined the enthusiastic crowd who packed Glasthule Parish Centre for the launch of Sr Maureen McMahon’s “Reflections on Irish Art”, a selection of her articles in the Messenger. Many of them were her pupils from the days when she ran the High Loft, the biggest art school in Dublin. There was a good group from the Messenger Office, the publishers, which hosted the party in the elegant parish centre. Paul Andrews SJ launched the handsome book as a search for God not through language or laws, but through light, colour and texture. Read his address below. Read more »
It is not so long since messages from Lobone would have been written on paper and carried for days, maybe weeks, by a runner with a cleft stick. Richard O’Dwyer SJ wrote this message yesterday, 23 March. It carries the freshness of a man still opening his eyes to the strangeness of Southern Sudan, and coming up with ideas born of the collision between an educated western mind (remember, Richard was a quantity surveyor before he became a Jesuit) and one of the most neglected corners of Sudan. The people of this region need help on many fronts, but most of all,perhaps, they need help to learn to help themselves. Read more »
When you think of Slí Eile, the Jesuit Centre for Young Adults, you’d be inclined to think that it’s as Irish as it gets. However, even if you can’t really tell from the photo, there is a splash of colour added by the presence of volunteers on the team. They come from places as far away and diverse as El Salvador, Russia, Hungary and South Korea. The teamwork is enriched not only by the collaboration between lay people and Jesuits but also by the team’s international character. Read more »
AMDG Express has had no picture of Bill Johnston since his stroke last summer. Today an email from John Dardis and John Guiney in Tokyo reports that: ” We had an excellent visit with Bill Johnston who was in good form (see photo).”|
FR PROVINCIAL’S DIARY Fr Dardis is visiting our brethren in the Far East. His movements are:
Acting Provincial Noel Barber will be away from 26 March till 2 April, and Bill Toner SJ will be Acting Provincial for these days. |
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The Jes Senior Hockey team beat Foyle/Londonderry in a thrilling final to win the Kate Russell All-Ireland Cup. The Jes came back from one-nil down at half time to lead two-one in the second half. However, with just 5 minutes remaining, Foyle scored an equaliser to force the game into the ‘Golden Goal’ extra time. In a goalmouth scramble after 5 minutes, Isabelle Mortimer scored to send Jes supporters wild and the team into the history books! Elsewhere the Jes Mountaineering Club, as part of the ‘Four highest peaks in the 4 provinces’, climbed Wicklow‘s Lugnaquilla.
Which leaves rowing: both boys and girls continue the great rowing tradition of the Jes, well described in the Irish Times in the article below. Read more »
A hundred and eighty years ago, the Unionists who framed the Catholic Emancipation Act put in a clause ordering the Jesuits to take no more novices, to undertake no public work; told us, in other words, to die out. The Jesuits, recently recovered from suppression by the Pope, did not lie down. The Provincial wrote : “No man should stir an inch from his post till our existence is consolidated” – so they opened a noviciate, built Gardiner Street church, and founded Belvedere College.
Bruce Bradley SJ spoke in Galway to Coláiste Iognáid’s Ignatian Identity Group (IIG) last Tuesday, 10 March, on the nature of Catholic schools. He gave an astute historical background to the current secular environment, commenting on how it had changed radically, especially in the last 20 years. He referred at times to ‘Vision 08′, a pastoral letter from the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference (May 2008), which expounds a vision for Catholic education in Ireland. There was a group of around 40 to hear his talk, made up of Jes parents and staff from a number of other schools in the area.
Padraig Swan is pushing himself all the way in an effort to raise funds for the projects of Slí Eile, the Jesuit outreach to young adults. On 11 April, Easter Saturday, he will join more than 25,000 other runners in the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon, a 56 kilometre run (35 miles) which begins and ends in Cape Town, South Africa. This race, which has taken place annually for nearly 40 years, styles itself ‘the world’s most beautiful marathon’, but Padraig can expect to be distracted from the physical beauty of the route by the pressure and the pain of the race itself. In an effort to facilitate fund-raising for this event, Padraig has set up a page on MyCharity.ie. Go there to learn more about the run – and please note that you can click on ‘Sponsor me now’ and help Padraig reach his fundraising goal. Also, read his letter below. Read more »
Sir Alex Ferguson, manager of Manchester United football club, is going to help raise funds for Belvedere’s Social Integration Scheme (SIS) by appearing as guest of honour at an event in Croke Park on 1 April. The aim of SIS is to cover the costs of full secondary school education at Belvedere for boys who would not ordinarily be able to attend, for financial or social reasons. ‘An evening with Sir Alex’ is a unique event which is expected to facilitate more of these scholarships. Sir Alex – who is giving his time free of charge - will speak after dinner and answer selected questions from the audience. The Ireland v. Italy World Cup qualifier match will be shown on big screens, and Sir Alex will comment on the match at full time. Full details of the event are given below.
Messenger Publications, having recruited Paula Nolan as a Designer, have now successfully worked in collaboration with the Pioneers and the Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ). They provided a design solution for the Pioneer’s Temperance Sunday project, which included the 8-page standalone supplement as well as the marketing posters for the churches and press campaign. From the joint experience of Paula and Manager Triona (pictured here, Triona on left), they were able to provide a ‘one-stop shop’ for design solutions and print advice. If any other Apostolates/Missions would like to avail of their services, they should give Triona a call. Read on to learn what services are on offer. Read more »
Coláste Iognáid – The Jes – beat Sligo Grammar 10-3 in the final of the Connaught Rugby Cup. It was a keenly fought match. The Jes’s two unconverted tries seemed a tenuous lead in the second half when Sligo got a drop goal and seemed to come back into the game. In the end, however, the Jes had done enough to reclaim the cup for another year. In the words of Cian O’Connell of the Galway Advertiser, “Jes had to be staunchly robust in the dying embers; bodies were heroically put on the line, and the Cup was retained”.
