Irish Jesuits

Colm Brophy is an art therapist, artist and former Jesuit. His latest exhibition is entitled 'Up Close and After' and features semi-abstracts, paintings of ceramics and his own version of paintings of the masters that appeal to him. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, Colm talks about his life-long love of art, and the influences that lead him to eventually make art an...

"Did you hear the one about the Jesuit and the Dominican, both heavy smokers who asked their respective superiors if they could keep smoking and praying?" If you didn't and want the punchline then listen to this interview Jesuit Nikolaas Sintobin gave to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications. It's about his new book of jokes and a thorough unpacking of them in terms of their underlying spiritua...

Scorsese's film 'Silence' may be set in 17th century Japan but it resonates with modern day issues like the torture of prisoners and the persecution of Christians. So says Brendan Staunton, in this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications. The Irish Jesuit has a background in psychoanalysis and says the film is powerful because of its beautifully screened symbolic layers exploring e...

Scorsese's latest film 'Silence', based on the 1966 novel by Shusaku Endo, is a provocative but rewarding watch, according to Dermot Roantree of Irish Jesuit Communications. In this interview with Pat Coyle he outlines the narrative of the film which follows the tribulations of 17th century Portuguese Jesuit missionaries as they go to Japan looking for their fallen mentor, Fr Ferreira, played by I...

Catherine Devitt, Environmental Officer for the Irish Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, assesses progress on reducing global warming one year after the historic Paris Agreement.

Fr Peter Hans Kolvenbach SJ, the former Father General of the Jesuits, will be remembered for his firm but creative leadership as he guided the order through a very difficult period in its history, not long after Vatican II. He died in Beirut on Saturday 26 November, 2016, aged 88.

Fr Robert Kennedy is an American Jesuit and a Zen Buddhist teacher. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications, he speaks about the true nature of Buddhism and how it relates to Christianity.

Belvedere Boy: Kevin Barry, Irish Patriot is the title of a new play by former IRA bomber, Shane Paul O'Doherty. In this interview he talks frankly about his life as an IRA volunteer and bomber, who made headline news around the world. He found echoes of Kevin Barry's story in his own life, and that spurred him into writing this play.

A new book of reflections on St Matthew's gospel aims to help people find the God of the gospel in their everyday lives. Its author is Donal Neary SJ, and it's based on the homilies he gave on Sundays to the parishioners Gardiner St area and the many other people who came to church there for the well-known Gospel Choir Mass on Sunday evenings.

Jesuit theologian Gerry O'Hanlon was at first dismayed at the election of Donald Trump. His second response was to begin discerning what it might really mean. He says there is a large section of people today who have broken from the establishment - the 'elite' - from whom they feel alienated. They are telling us that something is deeply wrong at the heart of the body politic. What must we do?

Radical and Free: Musings on Religious Life by Brian O'Leary SJ is a book that looks at the values underpinning religious vows. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications he says that his musings have resulted in food for thought not just for religious but for lay people also.

Dr Michael O'Sullivan is a Jesuit who had to leave Chile under threat of death, when he worked there during the time of the Pinochet dictatorship. Now, for the first time, the Jesuits have elected a non-European leader who, like the present Pope, hails from Latin America. Michael says that to understand why the Jesuits would have elected someone like Fr Sosa, one has to look at the context, as wel...

For the first time in their history Jesuits have elected a non-European leader. Fr Arturo Sosa hails from Venezuala. His background is in social justice and politics. He founded a university in a poor region of the country and has been involved in faith and justice initiatives.

Best selling author Richard Leonard SJ has identified six main themes that permeate Pope Francis' thinking on mercy in this Jubilee Year of Mercy. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications he details those themes beginning with 'obedience'. He says it may come as a surprise to people but Francis' does see obedience as an important facet of mercy.

Three years ago, Pat Storey became the first woman bishop in Ireland and the UK but until the age of 19 she wasn't even a Christian. She speaks here to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications about her life, her three years in office, her warm relationship with Roman Catholics and her personal understanding and experience of mercy in this jubilee year as declared by Pope Francis.

'God You're Breaking My Heart', is a new book by Brian Grogan SJ exploring the problem of evil and suffering and the possibilities of a powerful spiritual response to it. He discusses this and other issues addressed in the book with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications.

Irish Jesuit Provincial, Tom Layden, talks about the preparations made and the prayers needed for the Jesuit Order's thirty-sixth General Congregation which will be held in Rome in October 2016.

Jesuit John Courtney Murray (1904-1967) is a key figure in any discussion about Church and state in modern times. Gerry Whelan SJ was invited by the Loyola Institute TCD to speak about the man who made a major contribution on the issue at Vatican II, particularly regarding the document on religious freedom, Nostra Aetate.

Pat Riordan is an Irish Jesuit living in Britain where he lectures in political science. He says the Brexit referendum result means real shattering not just of the European Union, but of the United Kingdom.

Eamon Ryan TD, Leader of The Green Party, was one of the keynote speakers at a meeting of Irish Jesuits and lay collaborators in Milltown Park on Friday 10 June. In his address which formed part of the Province Assembly he speaks about ‘Caring for Our Common Home’.

As Director of the Pioneer Association in Zambia, Charlie Searson SJ has helped to devise a government policy to meet chronic alcohol abuse. Sadly this policy is now under attack from vested interests. He talks about this and his work in Zambia/Malawi to Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications.

Michael Zammit SJ, Middle East Regional Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service, has just returned from Aleppo in Syria and Kurdistan, Iraq. In this interview with Pat Coyle of Irish Jesuit Communications he tells of how the people there are coping and explains the work of JRS staff who cook meals for 8,000 people daily.