For this issue’s “Can I get a witness?” Niall Leahy SJ interviews Sophie Manaeva. Sophie is a full-time graduate student at TCD and part-time theological research assistant at JCFJ. NL:    Sophie, your full-time occupation is as a student. Could you tell me what course you’re doing and what kind of knowledge and skills you’re learning… Read more »

Ciara Murphy Ciara Murphy is Environmental Policy Advocate at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. She works on influencing policy change at a national level as well as focusing on community-based local initiatives. She holds a PhD in Environmental Microbiology from UCD. INTRODUCTION: THE POLITICAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIETAL CONTEXT The green wave – the… Read more »

Alexia O’Brien Alexia O’Brien is Housing Policy Advocate at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. She is primarily focused on research and advocacy relating to the production of housing and living conditions. She holds a PhD in Geography from Trinity College Dublin. Introduction Unpacking the current state of Irish housing could be a whole… Read more »

Keith Adams Keith Adams is Penal Policy Advocate at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and a doctoral candidate at Leuven Institute of Criminology. A PRISON MANIFESTO WITHOUT THE PRISONER Charged with writing a manifesto for penal policy in Ireland, I mulled for a long time over how to structure such a document, or… Read more »

Niall Leahy SJ Niall Leahy SJ is the Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. Working Notes continues to be a flagship expression of the Irish Jesuits’ commitment to both the sacred and the secular sciences, and their mutually enriching collaboration. The Jesuits who founded JCFJ and launched Working Notes were inspired by… Read more »

Kevin Hargaden Kevin Hargaden is Social Theologian at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. Kevin works in conjunction with the team to reflect theologically on political and policy issues. He holds a PhD in Theological Ethics from the University of Aberdeen. WHAT IS “SOCIAL THEOLOGY”? Contemporary Ireland is defined by a curious paradox: we… Read more »

Niall Leahy SJ Niall Leahy SJ is the Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. Before entering the Jesuits he worked in the financial services sector and qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Since joining the Jesuits he has gained degrees in philosophy, education and theology with a focus on eco-theology. After ordination he… Read more »

Angela Kenny Angela Kenny is Advocacy Manager at FoodCloud. After an early career in advertising Angela changed direction and is now focused on advancing climate policies to protect our precious planet, for our current and future generations. On a damp morning in Dublin, volunteers at a local community centre gather around crates of bread, fruit,… Read more »

Divya Ravikumar-Grant in association with Professor Saoirse Nic Gabhainn and Professor Colette Kelly Affiliation: Health Promotion Department, University of Galway Divya Ravikumar-Grant is an assistant lecturer in health promotion and nutrition at ATU Sligo. She is a registered dietitian with a master’s in health promotion. Divya has also worked as a researcher on several health… Read more »

Edmond Grace SJ Edmond Grace SJ is a research fellow with the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. He studied theology in the Milltown Institute, law at Trinity College Dublin, and Columbia University. He is the author of Democracy and Public Happiness, Advisor on Citizen Participation on The Wheel, and former Secretary for Ecology in… Read more »

Keith Adams Keith Adams is Penal Policy Advocate at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, Dublin, and a doctoral candidate at Leuven Institute of Criminology. NOT ONLY CALORIES Every aspect of prison life is subject to rules. Whether the rules or standards are applied fairly, promptly, or in good faith is for an entirely… Read more »

Fintan Lyons OSB Fintan Lyons OSB is a monk of Glenstal Abbey. His publications include Martin Luther: His Challenge Then and Now; Food, Feast and Fast: From Ancient World to Environmental Crisis; The Persistence of Evil: A Cultural, Literary and Theological Analysis; and The People’s Celebration of the Eucharist. Issue 98 of Working Notes was… Read more »

Siobhán McNamara Siobhán McNamara is Province Ecology Officer with the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice One of the first topics of conversation in the JCFJ when I joined the team in January 2025 was soup kitchens. Dublin City Council had just announced proposals to restrict on-street food provision by charitable organisations. The issue was… Read more »

An interview with Frank Brady SJ on the Irish language and renewing ecosystems “When I was in the Gaeltacht in West Cork,” Frank Brady recalls, “many, many people spoke English. But any time I spoke Irish, I was always answered in Irish.” That simple act of response – of being met where one is, i.e.… Read more »

Ruby R. Alemu Ruby R. Alemu holds a PhD in Theological Ethics from Aberdeen University. Her recent thesis The Cries of the Animals: Integral Ecology After Laudato Si’, explores missing nonhuman animals in the encyclical through the perspective of ‘anthropocentrism’ and the Thomistic and Franciscan influences of Laudato Si’ and Catholic Social Teaching. She has… Read more »

Judith Russenberger Judith Russenberger, Christian Climate Action, is a retired mother of three, with degrees in Building Surveying and Biblical Studies, and a member of the Third Order of the Society of St Francis. Her activism has included weekly vigils outside the British Parliament, Lloyds of London, and the headquarters of Shell and BP. Her… Read more »

Mariana Silva Mariana Silva is a PhD candidate at Trinity College Dublin, working with Bord na Móna and the Environmental Protection Agency on bog rehabilitation. INTRODUCTION: GENERATION Z, GENERATION LAUDATO SI’ I am a 26-year-old Catholic peatland ecohydrologist. My faith formation, among other Catholics of my generation,1 has been indelibly influenced by Pope Francis’ ecological… Read more »

Davide Dell’Oro SJ Davide Dell’Oro, SJ is an Italian priest of the Society of Jesus. He is currently a visiting scholar at Politecnico di Milano, where he researches building decarbonisation and climate change mitigation and adaptation. He has a Ph.D. and an MSc in Civil Engineering-Architecture from Politecnico di Milano. He was a visiting scholar… Read more »

Peadar Kirby Peadar Kirby is Professor Emeritus of International Politics and Public Policy, University of Limerick and Research Coordinator, Cloughjordan Ecovillage. His novel on the last of the Avignon popes, ‘Misean go Peñiscola’ won second prize in Comórtas Liteartha an Oireachtais 2024. The avalanche of tributes that followed the death of Pope Francis went far… Read more »

Kevin Hargaden Kevin Hargaden is the Director and Social Theologian at the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. Ten years ago, Pope Francis gave the Church and the world a great gift. Laudato Si’ was not just an encyclical. It was a turning point: a summons to conversion, a prophetic warning, and a charter for… Read more »

Introduction Many people in Ireland live in poverty. This daily reality for countless households is evident by the large network of organisations—statutory, community, and voluntary—that seek to alleviate poverty and its pernicious effects. These organisations target an array of demographics and focus on ameliorating its specific symptoms such as unemployment or low educational attainment. It… Read more »

Introduction As soon as the modern prison was established, concerns about the treatment of prisoners were expressed from many quarters. With a focus on Irish prisons and prisoners, this essay examines some of the people and organisations involved who conveyed compassion for the plight of prisoners, advocated for improved prison conditions, and supported penal reform.… Read more »

Introduction “Più Italia, meno Europa” (More Italy, less Europe). This was one of the slogans adopted by the Italian far-right party Lega (the League) for the last European elections. Another one was “Cambiamo l’Europa prima che lei cambi noi” (Let’s change Europe, before it changes us). Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy), the political party of… Read more »

“…the reach of the present extends into the far future.” [1] Henry Shue Introduction Some truths bear repeating. First, we were all once the “future generations” ourselves, existing only as potential until the day we were conceived and born. Second, each of us will most likely, at some point, meet someone from the future—whether our… Read more »

Views from Above and Below Ireland is at a crossroads, indeed it is in crisis. But the cause of the crisis is not some external agency or force. The cause of the crisis is within. There are two ways of looking at Ireland’s economic fortunes. There is a view from the top and a view… Read more »