First Vows

24 hours after Magnifica Humanitas is published, Fr Niall and Kevin Hargaden from the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice sit down to talk about Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, in which he reflects on what Artificial Intelligence could mean for humanity.

The Minimise Project is a secular pro-life initiative that seeks to promote better conversations and exchanges about abortion, and to reduce the abortion rate in Ireland as much as is possible. Fr Niall talks to Muireann Lynch and Ben Conroy about the project, their main ideas and approaches, and the workshops that they offer. More information and contact details are available at www.theminimiseproject.ie

Fr Niall reflects on a recent visit to Newgrange, a large passage grave in Co. Meath which was built over 5,000 years ago. Can it teach us something about Christian prayer?

Fr Niall recently went to Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, to attend the Raising Hope conference to mark 10 years since the publication of Laudato Si. Pope Leo was present and opened the event. Eamon Ryan, one-time leader of the Green Party in Ireland, was also there.In this episode Fr Niall and Eamon talk about the conference, and reflect more widely on faith, environmentalism, and public service. Eamon also shares some memories of his school days at Gonzaga College SJ and the Jesuits who served there.

Speaking the morning after the election of Pope Leo XIV, Frs. Niall and Gerry Whelan SJ are very enthusiastic about the election of the new pontiff. The big question is whether or not Pope Leo will be in continuity with Pope Francis. In light of that question, Fr Gerry goes through the deeper theological significance of Pope Francis’ pontificate and the tensions it provoked in the Church. He also suggests some ways that Pope Leo could improve upon Francis’ legacy and the synodal way forward.

In Part II of this three-part mini-series, Fr Niall and Fr Gerry continue the story of Pope Francis’ life. They begin by sharing some reflections on Pope Francis’ funeral, which turned out to be something of a geopolitical event. Fr Gerry then talks about J-M Bergoglio’s time as a Jesuit superior when he put the Argentinian Jesuits on a new course, his period of exile and suffering called the “Cordoba years”, and his extremely influential years, nationally and internationally, as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. This is one of our longer episodes because there is just a lot of ground to cover. Fr Gerry believes that Pope Francis, although accused of being on the left or the right, was always a strong ‘centrist’. The Theology of the People and the discernment of spirits were his guiding lights.

 The news of the death of Pope Francis early on Easter Monday came as a shock to the world. After serving for 12 years as the successor of St. Peter, Francis has gone to God, bringing to an end a dramatic chapter in the history of the Church and the Society of Jesus. Francis brought a unique set of gifts and perspectives to the papacy. While being firmly rooted in Catholic tradition, he never fitted easily into any camp, and he had an uncanny ability to draw praise and criticism from all sides. In this short series on the life of Pope Francis, Fr Niall talks to Jesuit author and theologian Fr Gerry Whelan SJ about some of the major experiences of Jorge Maria Bergoglio’s Jesuit life: his spiritual experiences as a novice, his pastoral experiences living close to the poor, and his intellectual formation as a Jesuit scholastic.In this episode, Fr Gerry brings us back to the Argentina of the 1950s and 60s, and presents the spiritual and intellectual currents of that place and time that shaped the young Bergoglio into the man who would go on to break the mould. Pope Francis was a true son of Ignatius. With St Ignatius and all the saints, may he share in the glory of the Divine Majesty forevermore.

The Institution of the Eucharist: the source and summit of Christian life.

Fr. Niall Leahy SJ and Seán McMahon SJ introduce and discuss their respective formation stages. Fr. Niall reflects on his 'Experiment' with the Missionaries of Charity. Recent videos on the Irish Jesuit Instagram are also highlighted.

Eamonn Walls SJ hosts the new Jesuit "scholastic" Seán McMahon SJ as he reflects on professing First Vows in Innsbruck and taking the next step after Noviciate.