A WORD FROM GERRY

Since we are already in the latter half of August, this “summer issue” of LATEST SPACE will reach you somewhat late in the summer. Because of the delay, it will have to be a short one. My apologies.

I have been on a “jubilee jaunt” for the past two months, visiting some of the places where I have worked over the past 60 years as a Jesuit – in New York, Hawaii, and Japan. It was good to meet again with old friends – Jesuits, associates in ministry, and students whom I have taught in school and in college. It was also consoling to encounter so many in different parts of the world who have found help on their life’s journey in Sacred Space.

While I was “on the road”, our new Communications Manager, Garry O’Sullivan, replaced Alan McGuckian at the Jesuit Communication Centre. It is a pleasure to welcome him to the Sacred Space team. Alan, as he bids farewell to Sacred Space, will introduce Garry to readers of Latest Space.
A WORD FROM ALAN

One of the best experiences of my life has been my involvement with Sacred Space. I feel that the Lord was very close to the development of the site just as he has continued to be close to so many people who have prayed with us over the past four years.

Recently I have changed jobs. While I still work at Lower Leeson Street in Dublin, I am no longer responsible for the Jesuit Communication Centre. I am now full time on www.catholicireland.net, the new web portal – also giving some time to the publication of An Timire, a quarterly publication in Irish.

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce Garry O’Sullivan, who takes over as Communications Manager. Garry is from County Wicklow and a graduate in Communications from Dublin City University. He worked most recently as a journalist on the Irish Catholic. Before that he spent the Jubilee Year in Rome working for Vatican Radio. That was preceded by a period in New York on the staff of the Irish Voice.

I won’t be working directly on Sacred Space from now on but I will, of course, be dropping by regularly to pray – in Irish at Tearmann. In that way – the most important way – I will continue to be a part of the Sacred Space family. I want to thank everybody who has prayed with us and for us and who has supported us in a myriad different ways.

A WORD FROM GARRY

Hello from an unusually sunny Ireland to all Sacred Space visitors, or as we say in Irish, a hundred thousand welcomes. It is truly mindblowing for me as a relative newcomer to Sacred Space to witness the popularity of this daily prayer site. We have already passed the 7 million mark showing that there is a real Christian prayer community being built around the world. The amount of correspondence, offering thanks, asking advice, and even asking how to support this important ministry, is further testament to the hunger for prayer in all our lives and the deep human need to fulfil this hunger of the spirit.

As Communications Manager, my hope will be to enable Sacred Space to grow and develop as a space for prayer and reflection. It is our desire that as the website is translated into more and more languages, there would be priests, or trained counsellors, available in those languages to offer help and advice to those who seek it. I would also be delighted to hear your views on how you think Sacred Space could answer your needs more fully.

I would also like to bring to your attention our sister site called Catholic Ireland – www.catholicireland.net– which is a growing resource for all things Christian on this island, and is well worth a visit.

Finally, let me also say that we hope to offer Sacred Space visitors a special Sacred Space Retreat here in Dublin sometime next year, at our Spirituality Centre in Manresa. If you would be interested, please contact me at [email protected] and we can develop it from there. Perhaps the retreat could also be given over the web for those unable to travel? We’ll see.

For now, lets thank God for the goodness He brings constantly to our lives and His assurance, through the witness of Sacred Space, that we are not alone in our quest for Him and that in God alone are our souls at rest.

A CLOSING WORD FROM THE EDITOR
The son of a good friend in Hawaii sent me this picture of a Hawaiian Sunset after my recent visit there. It was taken from his apartment window, and he suggested it might be good “to keep with your memories of Hawaii”. As the summer comes to an end, I offer it to all my friends in Sacred Space with blessings for the months that lie ahead.

With best wishes from the Sacred Space team – Garry, Gerry & Jae-hong
Jesuit Communication Centre, 36 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland