Sr. Bernadette Purcell, University Chaplain at TU Dublin Tallaght, talks to us about the recent Social Justice Week, organised by the Students Union and University Chaplain,  focusing on current issues in society.     What was the theme of Social Justice Week? Bernadette: The theme for this year was “Our lives begin to end the day we stay silent about the ...

Advent meditation by James Finley: What does the story of Jesus’ birth teach us about how God is present in our lives?  “God is inexplicably born in our hearts moment by moment, breath by breath. In order to discover that, we must leave the noise and business of the inn, finding our way in the dark back to the stable. ...

Tradition maintains that the cross, kept at Presentation convent George’s Hill, was a gift to St. Francis Xavier from an Indian Prince whose son he had miraculously cured. Saint Francis Xavier was born in the kingdom of Navarre, now in northern Spain, in 1506, the youngest son of a councillor to the king. As was common for prosperous families at ...

One of the final events marking the Tercentenary of the Birth of Nano Nagle was the official opening of Nano’s Global Garden in her birth place of Ballygriffin, on 7 September 2019.     Inspiration for the Global Garden came from two of Nano’s quotes – “I have made myself a pretty garden…” and “if I could be of service ...

  Hilda of Whitby or Hild of Whitby (c. 614–680) is a Christian saint and the founding abbess of the monastery at Whitby. An important figure in the Celtic Christianity, she was known for her wisdom. Today she is recognised as a patron saint of poetry and culture.   The source of information about Hilda is the Ecclesiastical History of ...

Sr. Dorothy Stang chose to live in extreme poverty in order to help others living in poverty. She had a passion for people of all cultures, for social justice, peace making, fairness, and respect for the environment.  She dedicated her life to defending the rainforest and indigenous people. Dorothy Stang is known today as the “Martyr of the Amazon”.     ...

The musical ‘Woman of Welcoming Heart’ is about the life of Nano Nagle and her inspirational story, that still influences so many people today.   In 2014, Sr Roisin Gannon gave Irish composer and musician Tom Conroy (Piano Man Tom) the book of poetry called ‘Songs of the Journey’ by Sr Raphael Consedine.  From the inspiration Tom received from reading ...

Nano Nagle’s spirituality had a transformative effect on the Catholic community in Cork, in Ireland and eventually in many places throughout the world. What was Nano attentive to? Nano was attuned to the edges of things. She was in touch with the experiences of people who were poor and pushed to the margins. She was in touch with their experiences ...

The Gospel life was never meant to be lived enclosed, but on the edge of a new future in God, writes Ilia Delio in an essay about religious life.   I recently returned from a retreat at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, New Jersey, where 110 sisters gathered each day for liturgy, prayer and presentation. The sisters were ...

The Culture Night event on Friday, September 20th, will be an opportunity to discover Nano Nagle through the lecture Nano Nagle, the Jesuits and Social Innovation; New Perspectives by historian Victoria Ann Pearson. Visitors will be able to see some materials from the rich archive.   If Nano Nagle were alive today, she would be a so called “influencer”. Before her ...