Latest news with #StFrancis
The Citizen
13 hours ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Fundraiser and administrator wanted at St Francis Care Centre
The St Francis Care Centre is looking for a fundraiser and a secretary as part of its mission to expand and strengthen its compassionate care services. The organisation is inviting applications for the following vacancies: Fundraiser (commission-based) The centre is seeking a passionate and results-driven individual to take up the role of fundraiser. The position is commission-based, offering a motivated professional the opportunity to make a tangible impact by generating financial support for the organisation's programmes. Applicants must have a matric certificate, with a post-matric qualification considered an added advantage. Prior experience in fundraising, donor relations or a related field is essential. Strong communication, networking and presentation skills are required, along with the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team. Proficiency in Microsoft Office is also a must. Responsibilities include building and maintaining donor and sponsor relationships, identifying funding opportunities, and increasing awareness of the organisation's work. Also Read: Meet St Francis Care Centre's new chairperson Secretary and administrator St Francis is also recruiting a secretary and administrator to provide administrative support to the centre manager and team. The role involves handling correspondence, minute-taking, document preparation, scheduling and general office administration. Applicants must have a matric certificate, with additional qualifications considered advantageous. Previous experience in administration or a secretarial role is required. The successful candidate must possess strong communication and organisational skills, and be proficient in Microsoft Office. Applications, including a CV and motivation letter, should be sent to [email protected] no later than July 31. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. About St Francis Care Centre Founded in 1992 by the late Father Stan Brennan OFM, St Francis Care Centre has served the community through four main programmes: adult hospice, Rainbow Cottage (children's section), home-based care and HIV testing services. Also Read: St Francis mourns loss of long-serving chairperson
Irish Times
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Ireland's ‘film censor' Ciarán Kissane: ‘My mother told me I watched too much TV and now I watch movies for a living'
How agreeable are you? I've developed my skills over the years to see things from a range of perspectives, which is very useful in my job . When you're making decisions on classifications , seeing things from different perspectives and being open to being persuaded on different points of view is important. What's your middle name and what do you think of it? Francis. I was lucky enough to go to Assisi , and while I wouldn't be a very religious person, it's a very spiritual place. The other St Francis that I came across was St Francis de Sales, who is the patron saint of journalists and writers. I don't know whether it was one or the other who inspired my parents, but maybe it was the premonition of the work I was going to do in the future. Where is your favourite place in Ireland? Anywhere along the west coast I have a real love for, and especially the offshore islands. I've been lucky enough to go to most of them, but if I had to pick one place, it probably would be Kilkee in west Clare . Some years ago, I was lucky enough to get involved in scuba diving, and Kilkee has got world-class dive sites at the mouth of a beautiful bay. Describe yourself in three words. Curious, gracious, affable. READ MORE When did you last get angry? When I think about anger, I think about The Incredible Hulk. In the context of that character, anger is about uncontrollable rage and destruction. I'm much more comfortable with things that I find annoying, frustrating, or that make me sad. [ Ireland used to ban films. Now it's more relaxed than Britain or the US about what's on screen. Why? Opens in new window ] What have you lost that you would like to have back? Youth. The energy and the optimism of it. As you get older, you get more aware of the physical dangers around you, and you certainly can't do as much as you could. Take scuba diving, for example. After a dive, I find it harder every year to haul myself up on to a dive boat. I'm still managing to do it, but I wish I were in my 20s when I was able to just jump up and get straight back on the boat. What's your strongest childhood memory? My mother telling me during an episode of Blankety Blank that my grandfather had died suddenly. He lived with us, so he was a constant fixture. He always had time to chat with you. He used to sit on the couch, read a book, smoke a pipe and watch for people coming into the shop – he had a butcher's shop, but at this stage it was very much winding down. I remember the smell of tobacco smoke, and him reading the Poldark books … Where do you come in your family's birth order and has it defined you? I'm the fourth of six. One of the things about being part of a large family is that there was never any sense of somebody else trying to steer your direction or your career path. My mother, who loved books, television and cinema, often told me that I watched too much TV, and here I am watching movies for a living. She'd get a laugh out of that if she were still with us. What do you expect to happen when you die? I expect to be scattered at sea with the Saw Doctors' song Carry Me Away playing in the background. There's a lovely line in it where it says, 'Scatter me forever where I've felt most alive'. To be left to the sea would be great because, for me, the underwater environment is a magical place. When were you happiest? One of the places where I find the most peace is if I'm underwater and there are perfect climate conditions. You don't often get that, but sometimes, when people ask you to envisage a perfect moment, for me it generally comes from some time when I was underwater. Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life? I know how hard it is to get money together to make something, especially something that's non-commercial, so if anyone were to make a biopic about my life – and I don't think anyone would – they would surely struggle to raise the budget. What's your biggest career/personal regret ? I don't really do regrets because I'm a glass-half-full person, and you can't change the past. We have a lot of agency to tell ourselves our own stories, and while you've got to be aware of the negatives, in my view it's critical to focus on the positive. Have you any psychological quirks? My children say that I can't stay still. They may be right – I'm constantly trying to do too much rather than do one or two things. In conversation with Tony Clayton-Lea
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Hymns on Sunday, 20 July 2025
The Prayer of St Francis is a lovely peace prayer that came to be attributed to the saint around 1920, when somebody had it printed on the back of card with St Francis's picture on it. When South African songwriter Sebastian Temple adapted the words of the prayer and set them to music by in the 1960s, he kept the St Francis attribution along with his own title: Make me a channel of your peace . St Francis of Assisi - Albert Chevallier Tayler (oil on canvas, 1898) Photo: / Public Domain Artist: Choir of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Catherine Palmer (dir), Ronald Jordan (organ) Words/Music: Charles Wesley/C H Parry Recording: Marquis Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim, and publish abroad his wonderful name; the name all-victorious of Jesus extol; his kingdom is glorious and rules over all. God ruleth on high, almighty to save; though hid from our sight, his presence we have; the great congregation his triumph shall sing, ascribing salvation to Jesus our King. "Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!" let all cry aloud, and honour the Son; the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim, fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb. Then let us adore and give him his right: all glory and power, all wisdom and might, all honour and blessing with angels above and thanks never ceasing for infinite love. Amen. Artist: Choir of Wells Cathedral, Malcolm Archer (dir), Rupert Gough (organ) Words/Music: Psalm 23 (Rous)/Bain arr Jacob Recording: Hyperion 112105 The Lord's my Shepherd; I'll not want. He makes me down to lie In pastures green; He leadeth me The quiet waters by. My soul He doth restore again; And me to walk doth make Within the paths of blessedness, E'en for His own name's sake. Yea, though I pass through shadowed vale, Yet will I fear no ill; For Thou art with me, and Thy rod And staff me comfort still. My table Thou hast furnished In presence of my foes; My head with oil Thou dost anoint, And my cup overflows. Goodness and mercy all my days Will surely follow me; And in my heart Forevermore Thy dwelling place shall be. Artist: Choir of Westminster Abbey/Martin Neary (dir), Martin Baker (org) Words/Music: Anon/Temple Recording: Griffin 224018 Make me a channel of your peace Where there is hatred let me bring your love Where there is injury, your pardon Lord And where there is doubt true faith in you. Refrain: Oh, master grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul. Make me a channel of your peace Where there is despair in life let me bring hope Where there is darkness only light And where there's sadness ever joy Refrain: Make me a channel of your peace It is in pardoning that we are pardoned In giving to all man that we receive In dying that we are born to eternal life. Refrain: Make me a channel of your peace Where there is hatred let me bring your love Where there is injury, your pardon Lord And where there is doubt true faith in you. Artist: Scottish Philharmonic Singers, Ian McCrorie (dir), John Langdon (organ) Words/Music: Paraphrase by William Barton/Anon Recording: Abbey 282830 O thou my soul, bless God the Lord; and all that in me is Be stirred up his holy name to magnify and bless. Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be Of all his gracious benefits he hath bestow'd on thee. All thine iniquities who doth most graciously forgive: Who thy diseases all and pains doth heal, and thee relieve. Who doth redeem thy life, that thou to death may'st not go down; Who thee with loving-kindness doth and tender mercies crown: Who with abundance of good things doth satisfy thy mouth; So that, ev'n as the eagle's age, renewed is thy youth. Artist: Haatea Kapa Haka, David Tapene (dir) Words/Music: From Psalm 121 Recording: Private 2023 He aroha nou e Ihu Tenei ra i kitea ai Tiakina hoki matou I te roa o tenei po. Atawhaitia mai e koe Mau ano ka ora ai. Tenei matou he manene Noho waenga i te he, Nei ra tiakina iho, I o matou hoa whawhai Tino awhitia e koe, Ki ou ringa atawhai Ka pahure enei wahi Me nga ra e ora ai A ka tata ki te mate Whakakahangia e koe Tangohia ki te rangi Okioki atu ai. Amine. It is your love Lord Jesus! that we witness as you, watch over us, through this long night. Take care of us, for you are our Saviour. We are mere pilgrims who live in the midst of sin. Watch over us, from our enemies. Embrace us fully In your loving arms When time has passed And the days numbered, Nearing the time of death, Grant us strength, To be taken to heaven, For a complete rest. Amen. Artist: Viva Voce, John Rosser (dir), Michael Bell (piano) Words/Music: David Clark and Witi Ihimaera/David Hamilton Recording: NZ Hymnbook Trust 941300 Companions let us pray together, in this place affirm our faith. God who made us is here among us; we stand together in God's grace. Refrain: We are whanau, we are one, brothers, sisters of the Son. We are reaching for our freedom, the prize that Christ has won. The broken Christ stands here among us, shares our suffering and our pain; in breaking bread we find empowerment to live in aroha again. Refrain: The risen Christ brings light and laughter, celebrates the life we share; the poured out wine of Christ's self-giving inspires us to reach out and care. Refrain: Now let us sing to God who loves us and accepts us as we are; Go out from here and live that message, proclaim our oneness near and far. Refrain: Artist: Cantus Choro Words/Music: Heber/Bourgeois Recording: Move 743142 Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul in mercy shed, By whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead: Look on the heart by sorrow broken; look on the tears by sinners shed; And be your feast become the token that by your grace our souls are fed. Artist: Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia, John Rutter (conductor) Words/Music: /Book of Common Prayer/John Rutter Recording: Collegium CSCD 522 The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Br Kevin Crowley of Capuchin Day Centre dies aged 90
Brother Kevin Crowley (90), who ministered at the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin for many decades, has died. Over recent years he had been at Mount Desert Nursing Home in Cork. He had been known throughout the country and beyond as a Brother to the poor, particularly through his work in the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People which he founded on Bow Street, Dublin in 1969. Expressing his sincere sympathy to Br Kevin's family and his Capuchin confrères, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell recalled how Br Kevin had 'devoted his life to the service of the poor. His work with the Capuchin Day Centre staff and volunteers transformed the lives of the poor and marginalised in our city who availed of its services, from misery and despair to hope and love.' His was 'a love that reached out with no questions asked of those who sought assistance. Br Kevin was an authentic follower of St Francis of Assisi,' the Archbishop said. READ MORE Born at Kilcoleman, Enniskeane, Co Cork on February 24th, 1935, Br Kevin was baptised William but following entry to the Capuchin Postulancy in Kilkenny in 1958 and, later, the Novitiate in Rochestown, Co Cork, he received the name Kevin. [ 'He's just a saint, just a pure out and out saint': Founder of Capuchin Day Centre retires ] In 1968, he was asked to take charge of the Clothing Guild in Dublin's Church Street. He quickly realised that much more was required than a clothing distribution unit, so he set up the St Felix soup kitchen and day centre, which initially catered for up to 50 persons daily. From then the numbers just grew and grew. As he recalled in his final interview before leaving Dublin for his native Cork in August 2022, 'I saw the people coming to our church. I saw the people walking the streets. I saw the people looking into dustbins and taking food out of the dustbins'. As a follower of St Francis 'I decided something should be done for them.' It was the beginnings of the Capuchin Day Centre. 'We had no money. Things were very bad. I owed a bill for £1,000, and £1,000 then was a lot of money and I didn't have it. I went down to the oratory, and I do believe in God in a very, very big way, and I said to the Lord 'these are your people and if you want me to feed them you'd better go get the money'. And we never went short of food or money since then.' He recalled how at that time 'I thought the drink was a huge problem, which it was, but then the drug scene came in. The drug scene has taken over completely and is appalling. Only for our medical team we would have had many deaths here on the premises.' He said the centre has gone from about 50 people when it started to now having 200 people for breakfast, 600/700 for lunch from Monday to Saturday. Unsurprisingly a stand-out moment for him over the years was the visit of Pope Francis to the Centre in August 2018. 'The greatest for me was the day they saw the Pope coming up Bow St in the Popemobile and the first thing he did was to come up to the homeless people to greet each and every one of them. And I made it quite clear there were to be no dignitaries whatsoever here.' Present too on that day were two other great allies of the homeless, Alice Leahy and Sr Stanislaus Kennedy. What was most significant for Br Kevin about such visits was that 'the homeless people were being recognised. That was the most important thing for me'. In Rome later that year, addressing Capuchins from around the world, Pope Francis, departed from his prepared speech to say how 'recently in Ireland, I saw your work with the most discarded and I was moved. It is a beautiful thing that … the elderly founder told me, `Here we do not ask where you come from, who you are: you are a child of God'. This is one of your traits. To really understand the persons, by 'smell', unconditionally.' Another regular visit to the centre over the years was President Michael D Higgins. On a visit there in 2016 he said what Br Kevin made possible at the Day Centre was 'the stuff of a real republic'. The remains of Br Kevin will arrive at St Mary of the Angel's, Church St Dublin at 5pm on Thursday evening and will lie in repose there on Friday until 6pm. Following requiem Mass on Saturday at 11am, burial will follow in Dardistown cemetery.
CBS News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
St. Francis school district scraps book banning policy, will return titles to shelves
A lawsuit stemming from a book banning policy in the St. Francis school district has been settled, and the books will return to shelves. In March, Education Minnesota-St. Francis and the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed lawsuits after the district adopted a policy that removed librarians and teachers from the book approval process and replaced them with a website called "Book Looks." The website, which shut down in late March, was affiliated with Moms for Liberty, a group at the forefront of the conservative movement targeting books that reference race and sexuality. The website ranked the books from zero to five, with zero being "for everyone" and five being "aberrant content." If a book with a rating of three or above was challenged, the policy dictated that it would be removed from shelves, the ACLU said in its lawsuit. More than 30 books were removed from libraries and classrooms, including "The Bluest Eye," "Slaughterhouse-Five," "The Kite Runner," "Brave New World," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Night." The school board accepted the settlement during its regular meeting on Monday. The education union agreed to drop the lawsuit and did not seek any financial damages. A new book policy in St. Francis will include input from teachers, librarians and student representatives. A review committee can only remove a book with a supermajority vote, and the school board can only overrule the review committee after publishing a report and acting in a public meeting. The new policy must also stay in place for at least three years. "We achieved this settlement because parents, students, our community and even Minnesota authors stood with educators to defend the freedom to read in public schools," said Education Minnesota-St. Francis President Ryan Fiereck. "The students' stories and commitment to fixing this terrible policy were particularly inspiring." WCCO has reached out to the St. Francis Area School Board for comment.
