DCU All Hallows Campus, Dublin Jackie Whelan
My brother, Paul McLeod, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of twenty-five. He died eighteen months later, in March 1990. He was the youngest in the family, loved by everyone. We were totally devastated, but our parents’ faith was strong. They spoke about ‘God’s will’. I questioned how a loving God would want to take away the life of a young man who was just starting out in life. Could I have faith in this God any longer?
Fundamental
In search of answers to the fundamental question, I discovered a BA degree in Theology and Philosophy at All Hallows College, Drumcondra. Four years of college! My husband and I wondered if we could afford for me to give up my job as a pre-school Montessori teacher. We were raising three children and money was tight. The children were seven, ten and fourteen years old. I was firmly committed to my primary calling as a wife and mother and I wanted to be in the kitchen when the children got home from school, just as my mother had been for my siblings and for me. I was happy to discover that I would be home almost every day before them. My mother said, “I spoke to Fr X and he said that you’ll never get a job with a theology degree”. My friends thought I was mad. “You’ll be the most qualified flower arranger in the parish” was their argument. My husband, who was, and still is a saint, was fully supportive of my plan.
In September 1994, at the age of thirty-eight, I embarked on my degree. It was a voyage of discovery, ‘faith seeking understanding’, permission to argue about Church teachings, to explore the question of free will. Mind-blowing! Managing family needs as well as classes and assignments was very challenging, but we got through the first year and I passed my exams.
I was at a retreat in all Hallows last week. What a beautiful place! I’m not surprised that people abandon their children to go there”
At the beginning of second year, I discovered that our fourth child was on the way, a complete surprise! We wondered whether God was guiding me to abandon my studies because childcare costs would put a further strain on our finances. Our daughter, Emma was born in June 1996, a delightful, happy little girl. With the support of family and friends, I was able to return to All Hallows that September. However, where would I be without a good measure of Catholic guilt? Throughout my time in All Hallows, I worried about the impact of my studies on my family, in terms of the time and financial commitments. When a neighbour stopped me on the road one day and said, “I was at a retreat in All Hallows last week. What a beautiful place! I’m not surprised that people abandon their children to go there”, another layer was added to my guilt. I prayed for guidance and plodded on.
Years passed
The next couple of years passed. My classmates and I spoke about life after All Hallows, including job opportunities. I began to wonder if Fr X and my friends had been right in their opinion about the value of a theology degree. I was convinced that God would show me the way but, in the meantime, I needed a job. Soon after I finished in All Hallows, I started working for Aer Rianta marketing, based in Dublin Airport duty-free. As I was standing one day beside shelves stacked with Irish whiskey, a former lecturer from All Hallows came along. He smiled and said, “I see you’ve moved from promoting one Spirit to another”.
The staff and students were very welcoming, but some older Marist Fathers weren’t too keen on the idea of a female chaplain. A parent asked, ‘Why are you the chaplain, could they not get a priest?’”
Life’s direction changed once again when I met a classmate who asked if I had ever considered school chaplaincy. Was this a new calling? I secured an interview with the Dublin Diocesan Chaplaincy Team. Though I was unsuccessful, the team directed me to a post-graduate course in Chaplaincy Studies. The part-time course was in Mater Dei Institute and lectures were held in the evening. I was able to continue working in Dublin Airport!
Towards the end of the Chaplaincy course, I heard that the Marist Fathers in Chanel College, Coolock were looking for a part-time chaplain. After a successful interview, I started my new job in February 2000. It wasn’t without its challenges. The staff and students were very welcoming, but some older Marist Fathers weren’t too keen on the idea of a female chaplain. A parent asked, “Why are you the chaplain, could they not get a priest?”.
Over twenty-four years later, I still work in Chanel College. In my early days, I realised that without a teaching qualification, my position would always be temporary. While continuing to work as chaplain, I completed the Higher Diploma in Education in UCD. I later wrote a thesis and gained my master’s degree in School Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care.
Curriculum
As a religious education teacher, I followed the Junior Cycle curriculum, which included teaching about the major world religions. It had never occurred to me when I was studying in All Hallows, a Catholic college, that one day I might be teaching a group of students about the five pillars of Islam!
A career in education is a career of service and pastoral care. My work over the years has taken many twists and turns but the guiding principle has always been my belief in doing God’s will and helping others as best I can. Apart from chaplaincy and teaching, I worked as the Home-School-Community Liaison Coordinator for a few years, and I currently teach students with special educational needs. Becoming a special education teacher involved another training course, this time in the Church of Ireland College, Rathmines. I was asked one day if I had “gone over to the Protestants”!
I’ve been fortunate to have had some great experiences. Some highlights were a visit to Rhode Island and on another occasion, Idaho, USA with Cooperation Ireland, an award from President Mary McEleese for my work with Gaisce, the President’s Award, and earlier this year, participation in a global forum on Educational Inclusion at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. For all the positives, there are heart-breaking times in school. In 2016, one of my students took his own life in the middle of the Leaving Cert exams. In 2024 alone, I have attended the funerals of a former student who was killed in a car accident, another who died following a drug overdose and a third who died by suicide. It’s hard to find words of comfort to offer heartbroken families. They often feel the need to place the blame somewhere: on society, the education system, including God.
Some time ago, I was asked if all my studies had given me the answers to the ‘Faith Question’ that led me to All Hallow thirty years ago. There is no simple answer to this question. However, if faith can be defined as, “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrew 11:1), then surely, we must look for signs all around us, in order to nurture the seeds of our faith. St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) the mystical doctor of the Church, wrote, “Christ has no body now on Earth but yours.”
I firmly believe that every time we reach out in love to help others, and every time others reach out to us in the same manner, we encounter God as a real presence in our lives. We can say, ‘Yes, I have faith’.