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| 18 December 2007 | |
| The short days in the lead up to the winter solstice give Christmas its symbolic meaning as the 'new light'. The tying in of religious and celestial events point to our human search for meaning. God knows we need the light to illuminate what can seem like impenetrable darkness.
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| If you have diary notes which you would like to appear in next week's AMDG Express, please send them by next Monday. You may call 01-6633909 or email amdgexpress@jesuit.ie |
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Teaching English to refugees 10-12 December 2007 Fourteen Clongowes Transition Year students and two teachers plan to use Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to assist local asylum seekers and refugees. They are a pilot group who completed an intensive 20 hour course last week and will work closely with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) to provide language tuition. They are following the example of the successful Belvedere College TEFL programme that has been in operation for a number of years. Links: www.clongowes.com |
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Remembering Philip O'Keefe SJ 17 December 2007 Philip O'Keefe SJ passed away peacefully yesterday in St. Vincent's Hospital. From Ennis, Co. Clare, he was a student in Clongowes Wood before entering the Society in 1963. He studied Philosophy and Theology in Milltown Park, and was ordained in 1975. Though he entered the Irish Jesuits, he subsequently transferred to the Zambian province. He worked at Maamba Catholic Church, Maamba and also St. Mary's Parish, Monze. His most recent appointment was as Superior and parish priest of Nakambala Catholic Church, Parish of St. Paul, Mazabuka, Zambia. The funeral will be at 11am on December 20. |
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Ceiliúradh agus Fáithe 12 December 2007 Irish language publications, Foilseacháin Ábhair Spioradálta (FAS) have just published two books - Fáithe an Fichiú hAois by Séamus Ware and Ceiliúradh edited by Éilís Ni Thiarnaigh. Fáithe tells the story of modern-day prophets, such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Dorothy Day. Ceiliúradh celebrates 50 years of publishing books on the faith and features nature photographs with brief extracts from the Bible. Chuig: Eilís Ní Thiarnaigh, 37 Sráid Líosáin, Baile Atha Cliath 2. nithiarniagheeircom.net. |
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Further role for Finbarr 17 December 2007 Finbarr Clancy SJ took up the role of acting president of Milltown Institute yesterday for an interim period until June 2008. Finbarr was previously appointed Rector of the Ecclesiastical faculty of the Institute in January of this year. Milltown grants civil and pontifical degrees, including doctorates, in Philosophy, Theology, Spirituality, Sacred Scripture and Pastoral Studies. Links: www.milltown-institute.ie |
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Sentence adjourned 17 December 2007 Irish newspapers today carried reports of an Englishman, a former clerical employee of the Jesuits, who was charged with setting fire to the Irish headquarters on Good Friday last. He pleaded guilty to arson at Eglington Road, Donnybrook, on April 6, 2007, and was due to be sentenced yesterday. The judge however, adjourned his sentence until February 2008. Links: News report. |
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Phil's Concern for Africa 12 December 2007 Phil O’Kelly, who graduated from Gonzaga College in 1997, now works with Concern and is just back from a short visit to Malawi where he was examining Concern’s operations in the country. Phil manages Concern's logistics, making sure that materials get to the right place in as short a time as possible, a vital component in Concern’s operations. Links: www.concern.net |
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Cranes in Clongowes 6 December 2007 Clongowes has just commenced the first phase of construction for a new library. The second phase of building the internal structures will begin early next year. When completed in Autumn 2008, it will include areas for formal and informal study; reading, research and multi-media facilities and two peer tutor rooms for group study. Links: www.clongowes.com |
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Rugby win for Jes 28 November 2007 Coláiste Iognáid SJ, "the Jes", Senior rugby team won the Connacht Senior League, beating Marist College Athlone in the final, 17-8. The Galway city school scored three tries, versus one for the Athlone school, in an entertaining final at Garbally College, Ballinasloe. In addition, Coláiste Iognáid have won the Connacht Schools Senior Cup three times in the last ten years (2002, 2005 and 2006). Links: www.colaisteiognaid.ie, Rugby news |
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| Gospel Choir Christmas 22 December 2007 2pm The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir will perform in Dublin's Powerscourt Centre on December 22, in aid of the Peter McVerry Trust. The weekly Sunday mass will be as normal on December 23 at 7.30pm. The popular Gospel Choir Christmas Eve mass is at 7pm on December 24, early attendance is recommended. Finally, there is a live performance on Grafton St. at 9am on December 24, for Joe Duffy's Christmas Special on RTE Radio 1. Contact: Louise Foxe, (00353) 1-8880606, louise.foxe@sli-eile.com. |
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| Gardiner St. celebrations 25 December 2007 10am The RTE 1 Christmas morning mass will be broadcast from St. Francis Xavier's church, Gardiner Street. The celebrant will be William Reynolds SJ, the church choir be accompanied by organist Denice Doyle, and the cantor will be Cathy Keane. See the parish website for the full list of Christmas services and masses. Contact: www.gardinerstparish.ie, www.rte.ie |
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| JRS writer's deadline 22 February 2008 The deadline for entries for the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe competition for student journalists is 22 February 2008. Aimed at highlighting the challenges facing refugees and asylum seekers, the Access to Asylum competition is open to students, or recent graduates, from any institute of higher education in one of the forty-three member states of the Council of Europe. |
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| Christmas break 8 January 2008 AMDG Express will be taking a break for Christmas and will be resuming in early January. Likewise, the Jesuit Curia will be closed from December 21 to January 2. Thanks for all the support and contributions that help make up our electronic communications. On behalf of the Irish Jesuits and the team at the Jesuit Communication Centre, we wish everyone a happy and holy Christmas. |
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| Died on December 17, 2007 | |
Michael Ryan |
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| Val and Eugene Quinn (JRS Ireland Director) had a baby boy, Muiris Nollaig, on 11 December 2007. | |
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