Irish Jesuits

Elber Twomey was left fighting for her in life in an incident that claimed the life of her baby Oisín, her husband Con, and her unborn child. In this moving interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, she tells her story of the tragedy that befell her when she only 36, and of the journey to forgiveness that has transformed her life.

Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications interviews Magdalen Lawler SND. Her latest book concerns the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. Her prayerful work draws on a 19th icon for its inspiration. Singer/songwriterTom McGuinness SJ has collaborated with her on this project and composed a song 'Touching the Water', to accompany the book.

David Stewart SJ, British Director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (PWPN), speaks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications about the recreation of the organisation which last year celebrated its 175th anniversary. The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a pontifical work, whose mission is to pray and encounter the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church that concern the H...

Australian Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard speaks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications on the sacrament of penance in light of his book 'Hatch, Match & Dispatch: A Catholic Guide to Sacraments'. In this podcast interview, he gives a general outline on how the sacrament evolved, draws from a personal story and popular film and promotes a new language for those he serves.

"It's unfortunate", so says Gerry Whelan SJ, an Irish Jesuit teaching theology in Italy, responding to the news that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has written publicly about defending priestly celibacy as Pope Francis considers the possibility of allowing older, married men to be ordained as priests in the Amazon region. Gerry Whelan is speaking with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications.

Vera Coughlan, who was an active participant of the Galway Jesuit Centre of Spirituality and Culture, speaks to Pat Coyle on spirituality of the family as a way forward for the Church in Ireland. This is the third interview to mark the closure of the Jesuit centre which operated in Galway for thirteen years. Vera talks about her training in spiritual direction, her involvement in a variety of othe...

Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, talks to students from Belvedere College SJ in Dublin about therir annual #Sleepout19 to raise money for the homeless. She hears about the highlights (being joined by the homeless choir High Hopes for carol singing) and the lowlights – the weather!

Kevin Hargaden, team leader at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, spoke with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications ahead of the launch of the think-tank's strategic plan 2019-2023 which took place on 5 December 2019 in Gardiner Street Parish, Dublin. In this podcast interview, Kevin lays out the path of concrete action addressing issues such as homelessness and care of the earth. He talks...

Charlie Davy SJ recalls the variety and depth of work carried out in the Galway Jesuit Centre of Spirituality and Culture over the last thirteen years. The centre closed on the 16 November, 2019.

Fr Peter McVerry SJ speaks with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications about his latest book entitled 'A Dose of Reality', published by Redemptorist Communications. The book contains a selection of articles from Fr Peter's monthly column in Reality magazine. They offer a reflection on issues from homelessness and drugs to justice and faith, as seen from the perspective of the poor. In this podca...

Religious Literacy: Challenges for Today is the theme of the latest conference organised by the Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin. Pat Coyle of Jesuit Communications Ireland spoke with Dr Fáinche Ryan, about the conference. In her interview, Dr Ryan describes religious illiteracy as ignorance of core religious beliefs, symbols and practices operative within a culture. She says that unfortun...

Hope is most definitely not optimism - that's one of the many takeaways from Dr Con Casey's powerpoint presentation in the Loyola Institute entitled 'Hope in This Time of Need.' According to Dr Casey hope is "a disposition to act affirmatively with regard to the future even when the outlook is dismal." This is an audio version of his talk.

Willie Reynolds SJ and Amy Hallett Cusack speak to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications about the closure and legacy of the Jesuit Centre of Spirituality and Culture in Galway. A recent celebration involving Jesuits and friends took place to mark the closure on 16 November, 2019.  This included a prayerful reflection for all associated with the centre over the past 13 years and an account of i...

An Irish parish group linked up to a Jesuit parish in Zambia by feeding children and supporting their school is facing major challenges due to its success. According to James Meenan, founder of the Sandymount-Matero project, the programme has grown dramatically in its 10 years and the feeding component now aims to sustain over 550 pupils as opposed to an original 75. In this interview with Pat Coy...

Richard Leonard SJ speaks to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications about marriage as part of his podcast series on the sacraments. Drawn from his book, 'Hatch, Match & Dispatch: A Catholic Guide to Sacraments', the Australian Jesuit refers to marriage as having probably the most complex history of any of the sacraments and the last to be established in the Church. He explains his personal attit...

Joe Dargan SJ, former Irish Jesuit Provincial, met Sir Alex Ferguson ten years ago and they've been good friends ever since. Joe has many insights into the recently retired Manchester United boss, regarded by many as the greatest football manager ever. He spoke to Pat Coyle of the Jesuit Communication Centre in an interview which you can listen to here. She begins by asking Fr Joe if he was surpri...

Gerry O'Hanlon is an Irish Jesuit theologian and author. In this interview he outlines the various issues that were deliberated on at the Amazon Synod, and the decisions reached including the ordination of married men to the priesthood and women to the diaconate. Ecology and care of the earth was a pressing concern, particularly in regard to the rights of indigenous peoples.

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