Our Team
Meet the team at JCFJ
Director – Niall Leahy SJ
Niall is the Director for 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 served as curate and then Parish Priest at Gardiner St Parish. He is a member of the Gardiner St Jesuit community.
Social Justice Advocate – Peter McVerry SJ
Peter McVerry SJ is a Jesuit from Newry, Co. Down who has worked in Dublin’s north inner city since 1974, where he first encountered young people who were sleeping on the streets. He began to set up services and accommodation for young homeless people which would go on to become the Peter McVerry Trust.
Peter advocates for those who have no voice in society and is a critic of government policy on issues including homelessness, drugs and criminal justice.
Environmental Policy Advocate – Ciara Murphy
Ciara is our Environmental Policy Advocate. She works on influencing policy change at a national level as well as focusing on community-based local initiatives. She achieves this through commentary, public consultation submissions and collaborating with peer NGOs and community organisations.
Ciara holds a BSc. in Environmental Biology and a PhD. in Environmental Microbiology which have equipped her with a broad knowledge on environmental and biodiversity issues.
Penal Policy Advocate – Keith Adams
Keith is our Penal Policy Advocate. He is primarily focused on research and advocacy in the policy areas of penal reform. He holds Master’s degrees in Social Science (Rights and Social Policy) from Maynooth University, and in Social Science Research from Queen’s University, Belfast.
Keith’s professional background is in the Irish non-profit sector where he has undertaken research on child and family policy, and penal policy.
Housing Policy Advocate – Alexia O’Brien
Alexia is our Housing Policy Advocate. She is primarily focused on research and advocacy relating to the production of housing and living conditions. She holds a BA in Geography and Linguistics from University College Dublin, an MSc. in Urban Environment, also from UCD, and a PhD in Geography from Trinity College Dublin. She believes the best way to approach policy is through a knowledge-sharing approach, learning from other countries and communities on the practical solutions that can make the greatest impact.
Operations Facilitator – Cherise Boraski
Cherise is our Operations Facilitator. She processes the Centre’s accounts, manages office operations, runs our communications and supports the rest of the team in an administrative and logistical capacity. Cherise holds a BA in History and Music from the University of Maynooth, an H.Dip in Communications from MTU and has experience working in a variety of community settings, including youth groups, camps and the YMCA.
Province Ecology Officer – Siobhán McNamara
Siobhán is our Environmental Engagement Officer. She supports the Centre’s efforts in environmental advocacy, policy research, and faith-based ecological outreach. Siobhan is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, with a BA in European Studies and masters Degrees in Literary Translation and in Education. Before joining the JCFJ, she was a school librarian and green schools coordinator in Gonzaga College SJ. With particular interests in active travel and biodiversity, she volunteers with a number of climate-related civil society organisations.
Province Ecology Officer – Fr Michael Kirwan SJ
Michael is our Province Ecology officer. He is an Irish-British theologian. He belongs to the British province of the Jesuits, where he taught theology for twenty years, but has lived and worked in Dublin since 2017, at the Loyola Institute, Trinity College. His research centres on political theology and on the ‘mimetic theory’ of the French American philosopher René Girard. He is also very interested in the relationship between theology and literature.
Theology Researcher – Sophie Manaeva
Sophie is our theology researcher, focusing on environmental issues, economic justice and migration. She is currently working on initiatives to engage ecclesial communities in new cooperative and Community Wealth Building projects in Dublin’s north inner city. Alongside her research, Sophie is completing her dissertation for an M.Phil in Theology and Social Justice at Trinity College Dublin. She is also a co-organiser of the Economy of Francesco Ireland Hub.
Research Fellow-Fr Edmond Grace SJ
Fr Edmond is one of our research fellows. He studied law at Trinity College Dublin, and Columbia University. He is the author of Democracy and Public Happiness and is the Secretary for Ecology in the Jesuit European Social Centre, as well as Advisor on Citizen participation on The Wheel.
Research Fellow- Emanuelle Huet
Emmanuelle is one of our research fellows. She worked for several years as an Ecology Officer for Jesuit schools in France and Belgium. She also completed internships with UNHCR in Kenya, the French Ministry for the Ecological Transition, and several consulting firms specialising in the low-carbon transition. She holds a double master’s degree in International Relations from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and Environmental Management from ESSEC Business School. She is passionate about applying well-being economics and behavioural science to support structural socio-ecological transitions.
