Tape Date: 3^rd February 1999

With the season of Lent approaching, we explore what Lent means to us today. Suicide is the focus of World Day of the Sick on 11^th of this month and we talk to Dr. John Sheehan about this subject. We have two pieces from the recent conference at All Hallows College on developing Parishes and with St. Valentine’s day not too far away we take a look at romance in Relationships. We discover through Nature, Rituals and Dreams, different ways to meet God. A new programme for boys’ schools to help the pupils explore their masculinity is also highlighted. We reflect on the life and career of SHARE founder Br. Jerome Kelly. Sr. Enid Slater tells us about her journey towards becoming a Sister of Mercy and to mark Temperance Sunday we have an interview with Br. Alberic Turner.

Side A:

1. Crossways: News in the Church and the World. In our main report this week,

we hear from Julie Cairns of Catholic Adoption Agency, Cunamh, on the decrease in the numbers of young Irish Women choosing to offer their babies for adoption. The News was read by Alan McGuckian SJ and Paula O'Gorman.

Time: 7.19

2. Sr. Donna Ciangio was a part of the recent seminar on ‘Developing Parish’ at

All Hallows College given to over 200 Irish people. Alan McGuickian, SJ asked her where people should try and start in developing their parish life.

In: (Ciangio) "Well from my point of………...experiences for people." Out: (Ciangio)

Time: 6.22

3. SHARE Housing and Brother Jerome Kelly: A Presentation Brother, Jerome Kelly, established SHARE (Students Harness Aid for the Elderly), in Cork in 1970. Brother Jerome wanted to set up a project that would help to develop the students' social conscience and leadership skills while providing a useful service in the community. The students set out to provide accommodation for elderly people, some of whom were living rough on the streets. To date they have provided 200 apartments. Br Jerome died last month after a long and distinguished career in education. Writing about him in The Cork Examiner, Fergal Keane, special correspondent for the BBC talked about his kindness which was epitomised for him, in the attitude Br Jerome took to his being late for school regularly. His comment was "Make the effort boy, make the effort". Marie Stuart RSM talked to Br Matthew Feeney, a life long friend of Br Jerome's. First, she asked him how SHARE started

In: (Feeney) "Now they started with ………… signs the cheques" Out: (Feeney)

Time: 5.41

4. Valentine's Day Romance: Margaret Chambers, from Donegal, is a marriage counsellor with Accord, the Catholic Marriage Counselling Service. With St Valentine's Day coming up, Peter Scally asked her about romance in relationships. We are all used to the idea of young people sending cards to someone they have designs on, but do couples who have been together for a while still make the effort to do something special on St Valentine's Day?

In: (Chambers) "Some do and some …......exactly the same (laugh)" Out: (Chambers)

Time: 4.55

5. Maureen Bohan - Exploring Masculinity - Back in September, a new programme on gender was introduced to students in thirty single sex boys’ schools called ‘Exploring Masculinity’, and it was the first such programme to be funded by the Department of Education & Science. What motivated the introduction of the programme was that while a lot has changed for women over the past twenty years, little work has been done on preparing boys for such a rapidly changing world. Maureen Bohan is the Senior Psychologist at the Department of Education & Science, one of the people who helped to design ‘Exploring Masculinity’. Mark Harkin spoke to her recently and started by asking her what this new programme is all about.

In: (Bohan) "Well, it is a…………………………...…in terms of boys." Out: (Bohan)

Time: 5.57

Side B:

1. World Day of the Sick — Suicide: In recent years, the Pope has asked

Catholics to observe February 11th, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, as World Day of Prayer for the Sick. This year in Dublin the focus of the day will be on reaching out to people who have been bereaved through the suicide of a loved one. People are often at a loss as to what they should do or say to someone grieving after a suicide. What’s the right thing to say? What’s the wrong thing to say? Martin Browne put these and other questions to Doctor John Sheehan, a psychiatrist at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

In: (Sheehan) "It’s often extremely…………in those circumstances." Out: (Sheehan)

Time: 6.03

2. Father Philip Murnion: works at the National Pastoral Life Centre in New

York City, giving support to parish renewal initiatives in East Coast American dioceses. He and Sr. Donna Ciangio gave a two hour seminar in Dublin called "Developing Parish". Alan McGuckian, SJ spoke to him at All Hallows College and asked him what changes he has seen in parish life in the United States in recent years.

In: (Murnion) " Well from my point……...…..experience for people." Out: (Murnion)

Time: 5.26

3. Another Way to Meet God: What do you think of when you think of meeting God? do you think of praying?, do you think of going into the church?, do you think of going out into nature?. Fr Con O'Connell MSC sees Dreams Rituals and Movement as concrete ways of meeting God. He explained to Marie Stuart RSM how we can meet God, connect with our true selves and live all the situations of our lives more fully through paying attention to our dreams and engaging in meaningful rituals. Con is Sacred Heart priest who is involved in retreat work and teaches Philosophy in Milltown Institute. He will be giving a retreat in Grace Dieu Retreat House, in Waterford, titled Dreams, Rituals and Movement, on Saturday February 13^th

In: (Stuart) "You talk about ……… situations we find ourselves in" Out: (O'Connell)

Time: 5.48

4. Keeping Lent: As Ash Wednesday approaches many people think about what they might do as a special effort during Lent. Perhaps the most common way that children observe Lent is through giving up sweets or chocolate. Ennis Parish Administrator, Father Tom Hogan, used to do just that when he was a child. It’s quite a while since Tom was in short pants but he still gives up sweets each Lent. But does this simple gesture actually mean anything - apart from a few inches pared off the waist-line? He spoke to Martin Browne.

In: (Hogan) "What’s Lent about?…………will be the case." Out: (Hogan)

Time: 4.20

5. Enid Slater: A Change in Ministry. If you were walking around Rostrevor in Co. Down and met a sixty year-old Sister of Mercy by the name of Enid Slater, you might think there was nothing out of the ordinary there, except perhaps that her name and her accent give away her Lancashire roots. But Sr Enid has quite an unusual story to tell. She told it to Peter Scally when he asked her if she had always been a Sister of Mercy.....

In: (Slater)"No, I haven't. I was ...............….. different way sometimes." Out: (Slater)

Time: 6. 30

6. Temperance Sunday: February 14^th is St Valentine's Day. It is also Temperance Sunday. Many of us associate temperance with consumption of alcohol, or maybe with over consumption of alcohol. But is there more to it? How can people who do not consume alcohol at all relate to Temperance Sunday? Marie Stuart RSM talked to Br Alberic Turner, a Cistercian brother about the place of temperance in our lives. Br Alberic is based at Moone Abbey, Co. Kildare.

In: (Stuart) "What does temperance ……… loving, love gives life" Out: (Turner)

Time: 4.54