Holding faith and work together

Paddy Carberry SJ, director of Manresa in Clontarf, is to be the chaplain of a new chapter of the Woodstock Business Conference, which was launched in Dublin on Thursday 15 April. The Woodstock Business Conference, which was founded at Georgetown University in Washington DC in 1992, is a network of business people who are hoping to bring about a greater integration of faith and work in their lives. At present, there are thirteen chapters meeting in the US and three in Europe. The coordinator of the Dublin Chapter is Mr. Steve Falci, an American citizen who lives and works in Dublin and who has strong connections with the Jesuits and long experience of Ignatian spirituality. The Chapter will meet once a month for prayer, reflection and a sharing on issues of concern to those in the business community.

Short notices

• The World Aid Society in UCD is funding the university studies of a young Liberian woman, Jowel Harris. Leon Ó Giolláin SJ, chaplain in UCD, promoted her case, and hopes it will become a paradigm for other such stories. Irish students responded to the plight of Jowel, made pregnant at fifteen and then abandoned. It highlights how privileged we are in access to education and all the prospects it opens up.
• The Ash Cloud has stranded three Jesuits far from home: Donal Neary in Barcelona, Peter Sexton in Rome, Conall Ó Cuinn in Poland, and, sadly, Gerry Clarke in Kampala, Uganda, delayed from attending his sister Mary’s funeral. Next weekend’s Manresa conference for Jesuit Webmasters has been called off.

Forthcoming events

• 21 April: Manresa, Insights from the Mystics - Lecture series running for 7 weeks. For details, contact Manresa: Tel: 8331352
• 23-25 April: Slí Eile, Gardiner Street, are holding a weekend on Suicide: Trying to Understand. Details from Noelle Fitzpatrick: tel: 8943161
• 25 April: Slí Eile’s Ballymun Gospel Choir presents ‘Busking in the Bar’ in Hedigan’s Bar, Prospect Road, Glasnevin, at 8:45pm all welcome. This event is a fundraiser for the forthcoming CD. Further details from Cathy McEvoy ballymungospel@sli-eile.com
• 8-9 May: Matteo Ricci: this 2-day conference marking the 400th anniversary of Jesuit missionary to China will be held in Gonzaga College, Sandford Road, Dublin 6 at 9:30am Sat 8 May. A bilingual mass (Chinese and English) will be held in St. Francis Xavier Church, Gardiner St, at 12:30pm Sun 9 May

An ill wind…

The fall-out of what’s now known as ‘Ash Thursday’ was felt by twenty-seven students and four teachers from Belvedere College, who have been making their way home by bus across Spain and France, since finding themselves marooned in Madrid on a fundraising trip. The students had completed the  Santiago de Compostela Camino pilgrimage in order to raise money for projects in an inner city youth club over the summer. Two students told their story to Joe Duffy on Liveline, RTE Radio One, and on Gloranoir with Seán Ó hÉalaí on R na G. Trip leader and teacher Polly Dolan spoke to Drivetime’s (1hr45mins in) Mary Wilson about the journey home, but she also spoke about their fundraising venture in the hope that people might dig deep and help them beat last year’s collection of €27,000 euro.

Prolific Todd

Hot on the heels of his success with The Jesuits in Hong Kong and China, Thomas Morrissey SJ is close to bringing out two new books with Columba Press. The first, From Cork to Hong Kong and Canton: Thomas F Ryan SJ, 1889-1971, will be launched in June. It chronicles the life of an extraordinary Jesuit, who was a teacher, author, broadcaster, cultural critic, and a Government Director of Agriculture, Forestry and Marketing in Hong Kong. Clearly something of a Renaissance man, he was a pioneer among Irish Jesuits in catering for refugees and was held in high esteem in his adopted land. No less fascinating is the subject of his second book, to be published in the autumn, Edward J. Byrne of Dublin (1872-1940), the Forgotten Archbishop. A Belvederian, Byrne was archbishop from 1921-1940, turbulent times in Irish and European history.

Pioneers in 100 lands

During the past year, people in over 100 different countries have logged on to www.pioneerassociation.ie, the Pioneer website. A large number of them first learned about the existence of the Pioneers last year after Barney McGuckian SJ was interviewed on EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) about the movement. In the days after this programme was aired, there was a significant increase in those joining the Association through the internet. One priest in the Hispanic world priest asked, “How is it possible that such a charism has existed in the Church for over 100 years and we have never heard of it?” An interesting reaction from Peru: ”So people do not have to become evangelicals to get sober!” A selling point for the sects in South America is a guarantee to get husbands off the drink!

The gift of prisoners

Eoghan Keogh of Slí Eile, the Jesuit Outreach to Young Adults, recently handed over a cheque for €900 to the Hope Foundation, which works with street children in India. He did so on behalf of the prisoners in Mountjoy who are part of the Spirituality and Meditation group that he heads up in the jail. Last Christmas, the prisoners watched some video footage of Mother Teresa working with children in Kolcatta, and after some meditation and reflection on the video they decided to raise money for the work there. So they designed and made their own Christmas cards and they sold them through the Slí Eile office. Eoghan Keogh says the whole experience turned out to be a very important one for the men. In the letter below, they describe the impact. Read more »

Richard’s oxen

Richard O’Dwyer SJ is half-way through his second year in Sudan, and has weathered some hard times since we last heard from him in November. His latest message is upbeat, and focuses on oxen. “Last year, I had the good fortune to meet Professor Todd Whitmore from the University of Notre Dame in the Catechists Training Centre in Gulu.  Todd specialises in the area of Catholic Social Teaching and is on the board of a marvellous organisation called Peace Harvest.   Peace Harvest has been working in agricultural development in northern Uganda, especially in the use of oxen for ploughing. You may remember that this was a special interest of mine.  Read more »

Music ministry in Galway

Keara Sheeran, the Director of the “Jes” Gospel Choir in Galway, and her father Peter (pictured right and left here) sang with Fr Liam Lawton (centre), an award-winning singer-songwriter and priest, when he performed in Renmore Church, Galway, on Friday 16 April. Both Keara and her father are involved in the music ministry in Renmore church, but Keara also leads the Jes Gospel Choir, which animates the Slí Eile mass for young adults. This mass, under the coordination of Edel Roddy, has been going from strength to strength, and has a sizeable congregation every second Sunday – called “Soulful Sundays”. The Gospel Mass on these days is a lively and participative liturgy that appeals especially to young adults.

Looking at leadership

Amid public concern about the quality of leadership in church and civil society, the Jesuit Partners in Mission office held a breakfast seminar at Milltown recently on the subject of ‘Leadership, change, and performance’. The session was attended by Jesuits and their colleagues who are at the helm of apostolic works in the Province, and it was presented by Prof Ciaran O’Boyle of the International Institute of Leadership, Royal College of Surgeons. Partners in Mission is an office of the Irish Province established to enhance collaboration between Jesuits and others, drawing particularly on the inspiration of the 35th General Congregation in 2008. One of the activities of this office is to arrange Induction Days for the personnel of Jesuit works, helping them to appreciate the character of St Ignatius and the insights which underpinned his worldview.