E-mail: 3rproductions@tinet.ie

1. Crossways: News in the Church and in the World. In our main report this week, we hear from Fr. Paul Andrews SJ, an educational Psychologist on recent statistics which confirm that girls are pulling ahead of Boys academically. The News was read by Alan McGuckian SJ and Mark Harkin.

2. Good Friday: Good Friday is the most sombre day of the year - no Masses said, no work to be done, and very little in the way of entertainment to be had. It corresponds to the Passion of Christ, but can anyone really connect with that faraway suffering? Does Good Friday mean anything or is it just a drag? Mark Harkin spoke to Passionist priest, Pat Rogers and asked him what it all meant to him. He started by asking why the Friday of Holy Week is called 'Good' Friday.

In: (Rogers) "Well, it's because...............marginal to our real concerns." Out: (Rogers)

3. Holy Week and Easter in Art: Visitors to Dun Laoghaire Parish Church will be familiar with large paintings at the back of the church depicting such scenes as the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. They mark a move away from the more traditional pictures usually found in churches, containing much of the artist's personal and imaginative interpretation of scripture. That artist is architect Peter Cassidy, and he spoke to Mark Harkin about his labours of love. Mark started by asking him where he got his ideas for his painting of the Last Supper.

In: (Cassidy) "The painting for the Last.....................to His son's call." Out: (Cassidy)

4. Judus Iscariot: Everyone knows how Judus betrayed Jesus, and received thirty pieces of silver for his troubles. His name is synonymous with treachery of the worst kind, but how much do we really know about this shadowy figure? Is there anything in the gospels that would give a clue to his motivation or suggest some sort of mitigating circumstance? Mark Harkin spoke to Passionist priest, Pat Rogers, and asked him what his perception of Judus was.

In: (Rogers) "I always feel Judus............................the Lord is merciful." Out: (Rogers)

5. Africa and the Human Family: Fergal Keane is a foreign correspondent with the BBC, and has covered many significant world events, including the war in Yugoslavia and the genocide in Rwanda. Africa has always held a particular fascination for him though and recently he has been working in Sierra Leone. Fergal, a Kerryman, was back in Ireland recently, to deliver the annual Trócaire lecture in Maynooth. He strongly believes that there is such a thing as the human family and that we need to be more attentive to problems in other parts of the world. He was particularly critical of the way foreign governments allowed the Rwandan massacres of five years ago to take place. Martin Browne put it to him though, that foreign governments need to be wary of being seen as interfering in the affairs of African nations.

In: (Keane) "There’s a big difference…………and be interested." Out: (Keane)

1. Easter: Fr Jackie Corkery, a priest of Cloyne diocese, is a well-known storyteller, communicator and broadcaster. In this piece, he reflects on the meaning of Easter illustrating his reflections with a number of stories.

In: (Corkery) 'Easter is about ……………….. heart is there already' Out: (Corkery)

2. Receiving the New Light: Light is a very important symbol of Easter. Fr Michael Rodgers gets up on Easter Sunday and goes into the mountains around Glendalough to watch the new dawn breaking. For him Easter is about receiving the new light and carrying it on into the world. When Marie Stuart RSM talked to him about Easter, she first asked him when Easter begins for him. Michael is a Kiltegan priest who lives and works in Glendalough.

In: (Rodgers) ‘It begins at the vigil ……… being, a new, a new life’ Out: (Rodgers)

3. The Father's Raincoat: Easter changes the meaning of life for all of us. It also changes how we look at life. Fr Jackie Corkery uses a number of stories to reflect on what it means to live Easter in our daily lives.

In: (Corkery) 'Time after Easter ……………….….. that's our mission' Out (Corkery)

(This reflection is suitable for the period after Easter)

4. Young People and Faith Development: Brother Martin Byrne, a Christian

Brother lives in Seville Place in Dublin’s Inner City and works with young people in the area of Faith Development. He is one of those people who struggles to help young people find a language in which to speak of their experience of faith. Alan McGuckian, SJ spoke to him about the challenges facing him and the young people he works with.

In: (McGuckian) "When you deal………………a lot of them, yes." Out: (Byrne)

5. Local & European Elections: Have you given any thought to the elections coming up in June? In the past, many of us left the candidates, their canvassers, and the media to think about the election issues. Now the Vincentian Partnership, made up of Vincentian priests, the Daughters of Charity and the St. Vincent de Paul Society are encouraging people to get together in groups, look at the needs of their own area and have their questions ready for candidates when they come looking for votes. Marie Stuart RSM talked to Sr Bernadette McMahon about the June elections.

In: (Stuart) 'What is the role of …… Charter of the European Union' Out: (McMahon)

(The Vincentian Partnership produced a Voter Education Pack, which is designed to help groups prepare for elections. This pack is available to any interested group or individual. They can be contacted at 01-8780425)

6. 3rd Level Drop-out Rate: A recent report in The Irish Independent (15^th March) said that up to 10,000 students are dropping out of college every year in Ireland. With each place at third level being worth somewhere in the region of £5,000, the cost to the taxpayer of this drop-out rate is estimated at £50 million. The report quoted Roisín Kelleher of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors who said that much of this waste could be avoided if more were invested in guidance counselling at secondary schools. Mark Harkin spoke to her recently and started by asking why so many people are dropping out of third level colleges.

In: (Kelleher) "Well, this is a....................confidence and self-esteem." Out: (Kelleher)

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