Irish Jesuits

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...

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...