Brian Friel The Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People is located on Bow Street in Dublin 7 at the rear of the Capuchin Friary on Church Street. It is an initiative of the Irish Capuchin Franciscan Friars who first came to Ireland in the early 1600’s and have stayed with and supported the Irish people…
Category: Feature
Paving the path to freedom for the most challenged homeless
A person that can retreat to a place they call home, where they feel safe and secure, will undoubtedly be in a better position to seek support to help themselves out of a spiral of mental health, addiction or other related issues. Ireland now has more than 13,500 people who are homeless, which includes almost…
The chinks of light in an embattled rental market
At this stage, everyone is well-familiar with the trials and tribulations of those grappling with Ireland’s housing situation. Whether you’re looking to buy or to rent, the plain fact of the matter is that there aren’t enough houses out there for everyone. Put simply, this is a thorn in the side of all looking to…
Building trust to help people off the streets
Those struggling with homelessness often become “closed off, guarded and secretive” in order to protect themselves, but Franciscan-founded Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI) in Dublin City Centre offer an environment in which people feel respected and safe. From a platform of trust, staff can assist people to access physical and mental health and addiction services. As…
Cork Simon’s shelter ‘packed to the rafters’
If there is a scale of how critical the housing crisis in Cork can be, it’s at the upper end, the head of Cork Simon told The Irish Catholic. The charity’s shelter is “packed to the rafters” every night, says Paul Sheehan, adding that what started out as a 47-bed shelter now typically accommodates 74…
Sr de Pazzi Finn – eight decades preparing children for life
At 80 years of age, having left school over 62 years ago, it’s fair to assume that most of my teachers have, by now, passed on. There is one, however, who is still hale and hearty, whom I feel so privileged to have been taught by and whom I still speak with regularly. And the…
South Korean childlessness at the core of competing concerns
An Irish Columban in South Korea tells of turbulent times for the east Asian nation with looming conflict and vanishing children at the forefront, hears Jason Osborne After 48 years in South Korea, it’s fair to say that Irish Columban, Fr Donal O’Keeffe has his finger on this prosperous nation’s pulse, and right now it’s…
Popcorn with the pope
Vatican seems an unlikely source for film recommendations. However, a new book wants to right that wrong by highlighting a hidden gem – a “very eclectic” list of “some important films” released by the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications in the 1990s. Released to mark the 100th anniversary of the first public exhibition of a…
Misean Cara marks 20 years of missionary support
The work Irish missionaries continue to do overseas has lessons for the entire NGO sector, hears Jason Osborne This year, Misean Cara is celebrating 20 years of supporting Irish missionaries around the world, aiding and empowering these silent heroes in their efforts to provide a better quality of life for “those left farthest behind”. Their…
Quarter of a million Holocaust survivors still alive today
In a world that continues to grapple with the echoes of history, a recent report from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) sheds light on the remarkable resilience of a quarter of a million Holocaust survivors still living today. This report, based on data collected by the Claims Conference, provides a…