Irish Jesuits

On World Environment Day (5 June, 2020) Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy gives a short guided meditation on connecting with the meadows and streams of our minds. Using our imagination and scripture, we focus on turning from our inner critic to our inner observer. It encourages a deep connection between all living things. Share your voice on social media for the protection of our environment us...

Michael Kirwan SJ is a thelogian with a particular interest in political theology and who lectures in the Loyola Institute of Catholic theology in Trinity College Dublin. This interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications took place on Wednesday 3 June 2020 took place against the backdrop of the anti-racist protests across the United States of America after the murder of George Floyd by...

Donal Godfrey is an Irish Jesuit priest and university chaplain living and working in San Francisco. He has been preaching in his church and protesting on the streets along with other peaceful marches demanding an end to racism in the US,  in the wake of the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In this interview above from the United States with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications Do...

Irish Jesuit Myles O'Reilly has recorded a guided meditation for anyone who would like to explore more deeply the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on their life and make the road ahead by walking it. Myles is the founder and director of the spiritual accompaniment group Anam Cara,

Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy gives a three-minute guided meditation (and a one-minute introduction) on facing one of the biggest challenges in the spiritual life. Acedia, also known as the ‘noonday demon’, is a kind of listlessness or restlessness that leaves us without a sense of divine presence. It was experienced by the desert mothers and fathers who were tempted to turn to distractions...

Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy offers a three minute meditation (with a one minute introduction) on the theme of praise. Drawn from his blogpost 'Bursting Out in Praise', there is an initial focus on mindful breathing followed by the repetition of a word of praise that arises from our hearts. It aims to encourage us to develop a habit of praise that seeps into our souls.

Richard Leonard SJ is an Australian Jesuit and author of the best-selling book 'Where the Hell is God', in which he explores the false theologies of suffering that have been current down the ages and explores what a true theology of suffering should be. In this interview with Pat Coyle he applies his thinking to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Irish Jesuit  Tony O'Riordan works in a refuee camp iin South Sudan where families get one bar of soap to last them a month. Just one of the challenges facing them as the government of one of the poorest countries in the world struggles to keep the coronavirus at bay.  In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, Tony descibes his work in this time of world crisis.

Using mindfulness and a well known Bible passage, Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy guides the listener through a three minute meditation on experiencing God in nature and in the sound of sheer silence. He also reflects on his own experience of connecting with nature during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy offers a three minute meditation on experiencing an ordinary event of our day in an extraordinary way. It includes relishing a moment with our senses and feelings.

Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy on getting in touch with gratitude in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, including things we can be thankful for in the news and in our personal lives.

Continuing our series of interviews with Irish Jesuits abroad during the Covid-19 crisis, Pat Coyle speaks to Paul Campbell SJ, assistant pastor in Holy Trinity Church, Georgetown, Washington. He gives an update on how they are all doing, the ways in which the parish is responding pastorally to the Covid crisis, and the broader situation in America.

Jesuit.ie writer Gavin Thomas Murphy presents a version of the Three Minute Breathing Space meditation popular in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. It involves paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, breathing and bodily and physical sensations.

Australian Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard, author of 'Hatch, Match & Dispatch: A Catholic Guide to Sacraments', talks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications on the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. He provides background to the sacrament in the context of the ministry of Jesus and history of the Church, and he speaks of the different elements of healing beyond just the physical. He points to...

Gerry Whelan SJ is an Irish Jesuit lecturing in the Gregorian University in Rome. Like the rest of Italy, he and his community have been on lockdown for a number of weeks now. In this interview above where Gerry speaks by phone from an eerily deserted city, normally buzzing with people and energy.

'Journeying with Psyche and Soul in Spirituality', was the title of Dr Larry Culliford's inaugural lecture to mark the launch of the SpIRE (Spirituality Institute for Research & Education)Library, on World Book Day, Thursday, 5 March 2020. Listen to his lecture here.

Dr Gerry O'Hanlon is an Irish Jesuit theologian who has been studying Pope Francis' latest document arising from the synod on the Amazon. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, he acknowledges the disappointment many Catholics felt at the Pope's failure to take on board the bishop's recommendations. But that's far from the whole story...

Brendan McManus SJ and Jim Deeds, authors of 'Finding God in the Mess' and 'Deeper into the Mess', are running a number of one-day retreats throughout the country offering practical approaches to prayer for the messy times. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, Fr McManus talks about 'Deeper into the Mess: Praying through Tough Times', his latest book with Jim Deeds. Thi...

Australian Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard, author of 'Hatch, Match & Dispatch: A Catholic Guide to Sacraments', speaks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications on the sacrament of confirmation. He continues his podcast series by presenting the gifts of the Spirit in modern and accessible language. He explains Jesus' law of love and refers to St Paul on what it means to be confirmed in the Holy Spiri...

Professor Tina Beattie, Professor of Catholic Studies at Roehampton University, delivered a lecture entitled “Listening to the Essence of Things”: Theology, language and meaning in the context of Laudato Si’ and Querida Amazonia on 19 February 2020 at The Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin. She spoke about silence, language, and Christian feminism to a packed audience.

Kevin Reynolds is a RTE radio producer. When he visited Zambia at the invitation of Irish Jesuit Missions he met and interviewed Irish Jesuit Michael Kelly SJ, a world authority on HIV/AIDS. He recalled his meeting and shared his interview with Michael Comyn on RTE radio one's Leap of Faith programme. Fr Michael now features on an Irish postage stamp as an hounour from An Post in Ireland.

Rev Fr Godfrey O'Donnell, former Irish Jesuit and priest of the Romanian Orthodox Church, died peacefully on 14 February 2020, in Swords, Dublin. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications during Advent 2012, he spoke frankly about the obstacles to unity between his church and the Roman church, his own vocations, the doctrinal and cultural obstacles on the ecumenical road, and...

Educationalist and Jesuit Johnny Go outlines for Pat Coyle the five principles of an Ignatian approach to education. These involve the care of the student as an individual, attention to the student's experience, the importance of reflection by the student on that experience before putting what is learned in reflection into action, and an evaluation by the teacher of the whole process for future le...

Dr Kevin Hargaden is a Presbyterian elder and social justice theologian with the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, he tackles various questions surrounding the upcoming general election in Ireland from a faith and justice perspective.

Gerry O'Hanlon SJ, Jesuit theologian, speaks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications on the consideration of various Christian issues for the upcoming general election on Saturday, 8 February, 2020. He discusses the latest statement from the four Archbishops of Ireland and the document from the Irish Inter-Church meeting. He also pays attention to the suggestions from the Dialogue of Hope grou...