The 24th January 2021 marks the 3rd International Day of Education a day to celebrate the importance of education for peace and development worldwide. This year’s theme ‘Recover and Revitalize Education for the COVID-19 Generation’ focuses on a collaborative approach and international solidarity to place education and lifelong learning at the centre of the recovery. This day gives us the opportunity to reflect on education and the work done in the area.

(1787-1858) Discover the timeline of our foundress Mary Aikenhead

On this day in 1787, Mary was born the eldest daughter of Dr. David Aikenhead a Protestant of Scottish descent living in Co. Cork, Ireland, a wealthy doctor, apothecary and property owner and wife Mary Stackpole, an aristocratic Irish Catholic.

Life is a mixture of happiness and sorrow. In our contemporary society, Covid-19 has become part of our history across the globe. The pandemic brought many socio-economic and health challenges to Nigeria. The Ubuntu spirit quotes “I am because we are” this helps us to understand our human connectedness. What affects one individual affect everyone. The effect and impact of the pandemic created more problems for people who were sick before the arrival of Covid-19.

In January 2021 Sr Mairead Ni Chuirc will travel to Malawi to a new country and a new ministry. In this article Mairead shares how she feels about this new chapter in her life.

This month of December, 2020, in the California Region, invites us to honor in a special way Sister Kathleen Newell who will celebrate her 100th birthday on December 13th. Sister Kathleen was one of the five pioneers who came to California over sixty seven years ago, in September 1953, at the invitation of Cardinal McIntyre, to minister in Elementary Education in St. Cornelius Parish School, Long Beach, in the diocese of Los Angeles.

The Sanctuary here in Stanhope Street Dublin 7, is a meditation centre for social change. It has been evolving gently over the past twenty-two years alongside an ever-changing society, however, with the challenges of COVID-19, new and exciting opportunities have opened up on a scale not planned for at the beginning of the year. The following is an example of just two online initiatives:

It stepped into our world uninvited

Left it in shackles unexpected.

With a smile, Covid-19 appeared

Thinking it would leave Mother Earth devastated.

The year 2020 has been marked with the visit of a frightening yet astonishing stranger – COVID-19 – whose presence has challenged us into diverging ways of meeting with our needs but more especially of listening to the Divine and seeing the Divine in all things.  We have also learnt new ways of living in community.

It wasn’t until 1916 that the allotment movement started to grow in a select few Irish cities. This was half way through World War I, and as you can probably guess food was in short supply.  A reality in all war torn situations in our world.