“Our mission is to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice from a contemplative stance, in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation”. (Our Way of Life)
Each year our Justice Day is a landmark moment in the Province Calendar. The day organised by the Justice and Friends of Nano Commission, has become a regular and important opportunity to share our work for Justice as well as being brought up to date on current issues, and discovering ways of enriching our practice.
Our speakers:
Sr. Trinita Laffan, PBVM: “Intoxicated with God’s love and life: the response of our Celtic Ancestors”. How might we reclaim something of our ancestral wisdom in order to create a better future for all?
Dr. Naomi Masheti and Sr. Josephine McCarthy, PBVM: “Insights into challenges of Immigration and Integration in Ireland”.
Mr. Brian O’Toole: “Leave no one behind”.
Reclaiming Wisdom – Restoring Dignity – Leaving No One Behind
Reclaiming the Light of Our Ancestors
“Can we still hold on to the light, even when the light we expect doesn’t come?” This was the question, posed by Sr. Trinita Laffin to those present, inviting them to look to our Celtic roots for guidance in imagining ‘God’s Dream for All Life’.
Celtic spirituality was woven around the rhythms of light and land. The Celts recognised that all life is sacred, and that within every creature there burns a divine spark, the ‘Daonnacht’. They gathered every six weeks to celebrate festivals of the earth and light, deepening community and harmony with creation.
“Energy is the key,” Sr. Trinita reminded us. “The Celts watched nature with love.”
Leadership among the Celts was circular and inclusive whereby men and women shared power equally, embodying a spirituality of relationship rather than domination. They were peacemakers, guided by light, connection, and balance. This ancient wisdom finds new resonances today in Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti, calling humanity to rediscover our shared fraternity.
Building Bridges of Belonging
From ancestral wisdom, the conversation turned to the modern realities of migration and integration. Dr. Naomi Masheti shared her journey from Kenya to Ireland — a move marked by isolation, cultural shock, and renewal. Her story revealed the importance of community in healing and belonging.
In her work with the Cork Migrant Centre, Dr. Masheti builds bridges between the lived realities of migrant families and the systems they encounter. A simple ‘cup of coffee’ becomes a sacred act of connection and accompaniment. The simple question of “How can we help you?” becomes the doorway to trust and transformation.
Sr. Josephine McCarthy spoke about those living in Direct Provision — the overcrowded conditions, the waiting, the loneliness. Yet she reminded us that even when little can be done, presence itself is a gift.
“Never underestimate the gift of being present,” she said.
Nano Nagle Place, once a quiet space, now echoes with joyful sound — laughter, song, and community. What was once stillness has become a symphony of hope, a glimpse of God’s Dream unfolding among us.
Leaving No One Behind
Brian O’Toole drew our focus to the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, where those with lived experience of poverty became the honoured guests. Their testimonies of struggle, art, and courage become a Gospel of truth.
A single mother wept for her children’s future. A young man spoke of transformation through accompaniment and care. Others expressed their experience through poetry, rap, and dance. One person even slept on the Poverty Stone to draw strength and hope from it.
“Leaving No One Behind” is not a slogan — it is the measure of our shared humanity.
And in Drawing the Threads Together
From Celtic light to migrant stories, from poverty to compassion, a single truth emerges: ‘God’s Dream for All Life’ is a dream of connection, dignity, and belonging. It calls us to act with love, listen with care, and accompany with faith.
We are invited to recommit to ending poverty and inequality, to build tables not walls, to begin again through small acts of kindness. Community is everything — and in community, we find God’s dream made visible.
Nano Nagle: Co-Dreamer with God
In this vision, we find the heart of Nano Nagle’s mission — a woman who dreamed with God for a different world. Her lantern, carried through the dark streets of Cork, remains a symbol of divine hope — love in action, and seeing God in every person.
Nano understood that no great change happens alone. Her mission was sustained through collaboration: a shared mission for the poor, strength in unity, empowerment through community, and the sustainability.
God’s Dream for All Life
To dream with God is to imagine a world where every life is cherished, creation is honoured, and communities thrive in justice and peace. It is to believe in life in all its fullness (John 10:10).
“Wherever men and women are condemned to live in extreme poverty, human rights are violated. To come together to ensure that these rights are respected is our solemn duty.” — Fr. Joseph Wresinski, ATD Fourth World
‘God’s Dream for All Life’ is a dream of universal belonging, dignity, and flourishing — a dream that lives in each act of compassion, in every voice for justice, in every heart that chooses love.
It is the dream proclaimed in the Gospel and echoed in the SDGs — that no one should be left behind.
And it is the dream that calls each of us to act — to accompany, to listen (with different ears) and to to love.
[Thank you to Brian O’Toole, Director of the Interprovincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England, who has shared this article and images with us, to give a real sense of of our Province Justice Day held in Mount St. Anne’s Retreat & Conference Centre on 18th October 2025].
See further useful links below:
About Ven. Nano Nagle https://presentationsistersne.ie/nano-nagle-a-prophet-of-love/
About Fratelli Tutti https://presentationsistersne.ie/fratelli-tutti/
The most recent Exhortation by Pope Leo XIV – Delixi te (‘I have loved you’): https://presentationsistersne.ie/i-have-loved-you-do-you-love-me/
Also https://presentationsistersne.ie/justice-desk-ireland-england/
To find out more about Cork Migrant Centre and Nano Nagle Place see https://www.corkmigrantcentre.ie/
