Working Notes has a brand new look! In Issue 82, we look back on the ten years since the crash.

The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ) is inviting applications for the position of Policy and Research Intern. The ideal candidate will have a passion for social justice issues, e.g. the rights and needs of people in prison, a desire to solve homelessness or stop climate change, be a self-starter and have excellent organisational skills.

To comply with the General Data Protection Regulations that come into effect on Friday, May 25, we have updated our privacy policy for data protection to assure you that your information is stored securely and in line with the regulations.

The launch of the Penal Reform and Sentencing Report took place yesterday [10 May 2018] in Leinster House, and was attended by representatives from key stakeholders including the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice (JCFJ).

Walking out the prison door is a particularly vulnerable time for people and support is needed. Ten years after introducing a pilot Integrated Sentence Management (ISM) programme, which aimed to be ‘prisoner-centred’ and have a ‘multidisciplinary approach’, what progress has been made in preparing people for leaving prison?

Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan will launch the Association for Criminal Justice Research and Development (ACJRD) 20th Annual Conference Report ‘The Brexit Impact on Criminal Justice Cooperation in Ireland’ on Tuesday, April  17th at the Criminal Courts of Justice.

Fr Peter McVerry, speaking at the end of last Saturday’s National Homeless and Housing Coalition march said that the message to this Government is ‘Don’t show me the way to a hostel. Don’t show me the way to a bed and breakfast. Show me the way to go home.’ 

‘Where is the Emergency Action Plan for the Housing Emergency?’ Fr Peter McVerry demands that Leo Varadkar and his Government commit to taking concrete steps to solve the housing crisis.

Fr Peter McVerry of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice will speak at the National Homeless and Housing Coalition protest march this Saturday 7th April to reiterate the lack of confidence he has in the ability or willingness of this Government to end homelessness.

Not too long ago it was assumed that people born in Ireland would be Christian; something which is no longer the case. This is good news for the church, says theologian Kevin Hargaden in this week’s reflection.   

‘Housing is a fundamental human right’ said Fr Peter McVerry of the JCFJ and Sr Stanislaus Kennedy of Focus Ireland, who have joined forces to condemn the Government’s response to the housing crisis, calling the current situation ‘an emergency that requires far more radical action than we have seen so far.’

In week seven of our Lenten Reflection series, during Holy Week, we are asked to consider that the same crowds that welcomed Jesus as King on Sunday called for his death on Thursday. Yet in the gospels, Jesus teaches us that we should undertake the seemingly impossible task of laying down arms and taking up… Read more »

A proposed survey of homeless people who have experienced emergency accommodation aims to identify the difficulties inherent in using the service and explore why some people feel safer sleeping on the streets.

In this week’s reflection, Kevin Hargaden considers the well-loved parable of the Prodigal Son and wonders if we really know it as well as we think. The tale, like many others in the Bible, offers no hard and fast answers and is more likely to perplex than clarify.

The worth of the Lenten season would be increased if we could make the connection between the refugee God we seek to know better and the refugee neighbour we probably do not know at all, says theologian Kevin Hargaden in this week’s reflection.

JCFJ Social Theologian, Dr Kevin Hargaden participated in the third round of meetings for the Higher Education for Social Transformation (HEST) initiative. The HEST Economy, Poverty and Ethics Cluster Update took place in Madrid, on 1-2 March, 2018.

This Mothers’ Day, we think of mothers who have partners in prison. The families of individuals who are in prison have done nothing wrong, yet experience massive hardship as a result, including shame, isolation and for children, the trauma of separation from a parent. 

The Shock of Exile is the theme of this week’s Lenten Reflection by our social theologian, Dr Kevin Hargaden, where he explores the anguish of exile as told in the Bible and how it is mirrored in the current housing crisis. 

This week’s Lenten Reflection looks at Exodus and the Israelites in the desert to explore how the search for home sometimes leaves us discontented, regardless of how good our circumstances are.

The second week of our Lenten Reflections series is called The Risk of Leaving our Father’s Home and looks at the unreality of a housing system dedicated to profit, not shelter.

The first in our Lenten Reflections series, by social theologian Dr Kevin Hargaden invites us to ponder our own existential homelessness.

The introduction to our 2018 Lenten Reflections series, by Dr Kevin Hargaden asks that as we spiritually prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter, we do not express our spirituality as a withdrawal from the complexities of our life into some imagined, hidden, private space where we can feel things are simple again.  

The ‘Republic of Opportunity’ that Leo Varadkar spoke about on the occasion of his election as Taoiseach is not evident for young people, says James Doorley, in the latest edition of Working Notes.   

Mental health is the number one health concern for young people in Ireland. This may be related to the intensity and vulnerability of youth, says Dr Tony Bates, of youth organisation Jigsaw, in our latest edition of Working Notes.   

In the latest edition of Working Notes, Catherine Devitt explores how the imminent global threats of climate change and environmental degradation will affect the future of Ireland’s young adults, and the importance of education and policy-making in helping to mitigate the worst effects.