Pro bono opportunity

The current recession provides a great opportunity for lawyers to engage in pro bono work, wrote Patrick Hume SJ in the Irish Times on Monday 21 December. The economic downturn has resulted in professionals of many kinds, including teachers, builders, and architects, seeking opportunities in voluntary work. Lawyers are no exception, but their pro bono work at the moment tends to be piecemeal and ad hoc. According to Patrick, if a formal pro bono scheme were to be organised it would benefit not just those receiving the service but the legal profession itself. Furthermore, he adds, the legal profession has already done the groundwork necessary to foster and encourage such an approach. All that is necessary now is the implementation.

Belvedere boys face freeze in fundraiser vigil

The annual sleep-out of Belvedere boys has begun today, Tuesday, 22 December, in O’Connell St. Dublin 1. Fifth and sixth year students from the college face a freezing few nights until they complete their fundraising vigil on Christmas Eve. Sean Mac Gahann, one of the student organisers, says they won’t be deterred by the cold and are determined to raise even more money than ever this year. Last year, the boys raised one hundred and thirty thousand euros for charities working with the homeless, as passers-by in the capital’s main thoroughfare dug deep to support their work. This year, money raised from the event will go to Focus Ireland, The Peter McVerry Trust and Home Again.

Forthcoming events

• 26 January 2010: Psychologist David Coleman fundraising lecture, “Getting Your Child through their Teens in the ‘Teenies’ “. Belvedere College, Gt. Denmark St., Dublin 1. 7.30pm
• 12,19,26 January 2010: Training for Meetings Matter! with Brian Grogan SJ and Phyllis Brady. Milltown Institute, Sandford Rd. Dublin 6. 8pm

Short notices

• €3476 was the amount raised by transition year students in Crescent College Comprehensive Limerick when they ran the Ladies Mini  Marathon in aid of the St Gabriel’s  Second Skin Clinic, in the city. They presented the money to Ms Kate Sheahan of St Gabriel’s, and it will go towards the running of the hydrotherapy pool there. Pictured are Mr. Sean O Callaghan( P.E. Teacher), Ms. Karin Fleming (Deputy Principal), Ms. Kate Sheahan (St Gabriel’s), Ms. Sarah Toomey (TY), Ms. Fiona Dillon (TY), Ms. Grainne Delaney (Chaplain).
• Donal Neary SJ, parish priest of Gardiner St Church, has been appointed Vicar Forane by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. The appointment followed his election by the priests of the twelve parishes in the North City Centre Deanery in Dublin. His job entails being a communication link between the Archdiocese and full-time parish workers, both clerical and lay.
• Brian Grogan SJ and Phyllis Brady, in conjunction with Partners in Mission, are conducting a series of evening training sessions based on their recent book Meetings Matter!, which helps to promote and support a group environment of respect and listening. All workers with Jesuit organisations, including volunteers and board members are most welcome to attend on Tuesday evenings, 12, 19, 26, Jan 2010. 8pm-9.30pm. Contact Agata at 01 2932820
• Crescent Comprehensive College  had a unique victory in the Limerick city schools senior rugby cup over local rivals St Munchin’s College, defeating  their cross-town rivals from Corbally 11-3. The match in Dooradoyle saw the Jesuit college go behind after only 9 minutes through a penalty. But they regrouped and responded quickly with a drop goal from outhalf Shane O’Brien to level the score. Crescent went ahead through a try by  full back Tom Ryan and two minutes from the final whistle they sealed the win with a Shane O’Brien penalty.

Cherishing the children

Parents of teenage children in Coláiste Iognáid have just completed the Cherishing Your Child parent training course run by Helen Smith, founder of Turas Nua. The programme has been delivered to parent groups nationwide and in the USA. According to Helen Smith, “The teenage years in particular can be growth-full and challenging for children and parents alike, a time when resentments grow and relationships drift apart. The core of this programme is to support parents with skills to empower themselves so they don’t act out of a place of fear when difficulties arise, but rather from a place of skill. It helps parents and children develop a set of tools for communicating with mutual respect and helps parents develop skills that allows them to correct and guide their children without damaging their spirit.”

Christmas is for children!

The Manresa Centre for Spirituality,  in Dollymount, Dublin 3, wrapped up a very successful programme of events for 2009 last Saturday, 19 December, when it hosted a Christmas Preparation for Children. According to Cormac McConnell, Communications Director for the Centre, this annual event is among the most enjoyable of Manresa’s activities, and this year the attendance was bigger than ever. It was led by one of the local teachers, Paul Maguire, and consisted of a mixture of carols, prayers and readings, all performed with great gusto, reverence and good spirits by the children themselves. Parents and  children enjoyed two hours of festive fun and gentle reflection away from the all the hustle and bustle of shopping feaver and traffic jams, as Cormac McConnell outlines below. Read more »

David Coleman talks ‘teenies’ in Belvedere

David Coleman, well-known clincial psychologist, author and broadcaster, is guest speaker at the fundraising lecture organised by Belvedere College Parents Association on Tuesday, 26 Jan, 2010 at 7.30pm. “Getting your Child through their Teens in the ‘Teenies‘ ” is the title of his talk and he will address issues like teenagers and emotional intelligence, helping teenagers go forward with confidence in today’s crumbling economy and dealing with difficult teenagers. All proceeds from the night will go to the Belvedere Social Integration Fund which pays all the education costs, including books, uniform and fees, for the ten per cent of students who could not otherwise afford to attend the school. The scheme has been running successfully for a number of years now at the  cost of  half a million euros annually.

Spirituality and suicide

“I only began to heal after the suicide of my young son, when I accepted that I would never really know the answer to my question - ‘Why?’”  So says Carole Anne Milton, whose book  The Coldest Night – A Family’s Experience of Suicide (Veritas) was launched in All Hallows College on Thursday 10th December 2009. The book is an adaptation of her M.A in Applied Christian Spirituality from the Milltown Institute in Dublin. Speaking at the launch, Michael O Sullivan SJ, her course Director, said that Carol Milton was “ A new and important public voice in Ireland speaking about the vexed issue of suicide and, in particular, about the positive role spirituality can have even in the area of prevention. This book  is aimed at parents, educators, pastoral workers and every young person who thinks that their life is not worth living or that they are not worth loving.”

Warning bells at St Ignatius

On Sunday last, in conjunction with a worldwide ringing of bells, St. Ignatius Church in Galway rang out its bells 350 times to signify the number of parts per million of CO2 in the atmosphere, a 35% increase since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It also marked the urgency of the Copenhagen conference which took place between 7-18 December. Five other Galway churches chimed in to mark the ‘emergency’. Mr. Ulick McInerny, the chief bell-ringer was aided by Conall O’Cuinn SJ, a strenuous effort which left both a little breathless. Two neighbours independently turned up to enquire if was an emergency. “Yes, there is,” was the response, “not just at St. Ignatius Church but in the whole world: we stand in great danger from the consequences of global warming!”

Successful year at Messenger Publications

2009 saw the emergence of a rebranded and reinvigorated Messenger Jesuit Publications (MJP). A shift of focus onto the design and print management of books has reflected in the healthiest year-end figures since 2004. With the help of the Jesuit Communication Centre, A Selection of Irish Art with Reflections by long-time columnist Sr Maureen MacMahon featured on the six and nine o’ clock news on RTE TV. It sold out in just over 6 months. This book was quickly followed by a collaborative project spearheaded by Deirdre Soffe of Partners in Mission, resulting in the beautifully produced Ignatian Spirituality written by Brian O’Leary. There were further successes, as  Messenger Marketing Manager Triona McKee outlines below. Read more »

Christmas blessings from Jesuit Communication Centre

Tributes to Cecil McGarry SJ

A number of tributes to Cecil McGarry SJ have come in in recent days. They are all fired by deep warmth towards the man who did so much, as Provincial from 1969-1975, to steer the Irish Province in the heady years after the Second Vatican Council, and who rose to equally large challenges in Rome and in Kenya until his death on 24 November last. An excerpt from Louis McRedmond’s history of the Irish Jesuits, To the Greater Glory, provides valuable context for understanding Cecil’s contribution to the Irish Province. And below you can read Michael Hurley’s personal recollections of Cecil, acknowledging the immense debt he owed him for his commitment to ecumenism. Also a short note by Paul Andrews, recognising Cecil’s iconic status in the 1970s. Read more »