Letters to the Editor: We must continue Sr Stan’s work
Sr Stanislaus Kennedy was the founder of homelessness charity Focus Ireland. She died on November 3, aged 86. Picture: Fran Veale
I write with a heavy yet grateful heart at the passing of Sister Stanislaus Kennedy, or Sr Stan, as she was more notably known.
A woman whose life was a testament to faith in action, compassion without end, and tireless advocacy for the most vulnerable among us.
I was privileged to meet Sr Stan a few times during my own work with those in need. Each encounter was a gift. Her words of encouragement, her gentle prayers, and her quiet guidance gave me courage in moments when the scale of suffering that I faced and witnessed in Ireland, Asia, and Africa felt overwhelming.
She listened with a depth that made you feel your story mattered and in her presence, the struggles of those without homes, without food or water, without security, without hope, felt seen and sacred.
Sr Stan lived the gospel in every breath. Through Focus Ireland, which she founded in 1985, through the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and through the Sanctuary on Stanhope St, she transformed faith into action. She confronted homelessness not merely as a social problem but as a moral and spiritual one. As Jesus said: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
Sr Stan’s life embodied this teaching. She believed, as she often reminded us, that hope is not naive optimism; it is trust that light will come, even in the darkest places.
Her writings, , were more than books; they were to me guides for living. They taught me, personally, that every act of kindness matters, that gratitude strengthens the soul, and that compassion is a discipline, not a choice. In moments of despair, her courage and vision reminded me to keep working, to keep praying, and to keep believing that every person deserves a home, food, water, a livelihood and a sense of belonging.
Now that Sr Stan has returned to God, we can honour her best by continuing her mission. We must put our faith and our prayers into action, building homes, advocating for the voiceless, and walking alongside those society often forgets. As Scripture calls us: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Sr Stan’s light shone brightly across Ireland. Let us not let it fade.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam dílis.
Jennifer Horgan’s article in Friday’s (Have we lost the ability to simply say nothing?) provided food for thought for this reader.
I am a work in progress when it comes to choosing to remain silent. I do think that at times choosing to be silent can be worth it in today’s world as it offers benefits such as improved focus, self-awareness, and communication, but it is also important to know when to speak up in order to avoid being complicit.
There is no doubt silence allows for deeper thought and reflection. It also strengthens intentional communication and provides one with a sense of personal strength.
However, I do believe that silence must always be used with discernment. In situations where speaking out is necessary in order to prevent harm or injustice, silence can be interpreted as indifference or even complicity. This is why excessive silence can be misunderstood as a lack of connection, while in other instances not speaking up can prevent genuine connection with others.
With today’s social media playing a big part in the lives of so many people, silence is often difficult to cultivate. Every fibre of one’s body may tell you to keep going. Say one more hurtful word. Stomp on one more feeling, but silence in this instance is often the better choice. One finds that silence provides one with the time to calm down and think clearly.
It allows one to choose one’s words carefully so that one doesn’t say something that one will regret. I have to say that Jennifer Horgan beautifully sums up her article by saying: “If you are silent today, it might be a positive silence. It might prevent hurt. It might help quiet the global noise. If you’re breaking silence today, I hope you’re bettering it.”
Napoleon Hill, the late American self-help author, once uttered the following words which I find apposite to the above: “Wise men, when in doubt whether to speak or to keep quiet, give themselves the benefit of the doubt, and remain silent.”
The role of racism, grounded in colonial mentalities, in enabling the catastrophe in Gaza has received very little attention and is rarely referred to by commentators, but it is manifestly central to Israel’s behaviour and to attitudes in the global north, including within the EU.
There was glaring evidence of this last week when Israeli air strikes on Gaza killed more than 104 Palestinians, including 46 children, but Israel claimed that the US-backed ceasefire still held. Donald Trump was also quick to insist that this horrific slaughter did not put the truce at risk. Few governments demurred.
It is disturbing to note the depressingly low value put on the lives of Palestinian civilians. If some 46 Israeli children had been similarly killed by Hamas, the world would understandably be horrified and that event would axiomatically be seen by all as a crashing end to the ceasefire.
Almost certainly, various EU leaders would once again have offered their full support to Israel and would have backed its “right to self-defence”, which in practice means the mass killing of Palestinians. But it was 46 Palestinian children who died, so governments groaned a little, issued statements and moved on.
Despite two years of slaughter in Gaza and the West Bank, Israel continues to receive preferential treatment from the “international community” and Palestinians are treated as almost expendable.
Tens of thousands of Palestinian children have been brutally killed or injured and no meaningful sanctions have been enacted against Israel. It is clear that we are not all equal.
I am currently receiving treatment for prostate cancer, so this deception has an extra resonance for me. He took advantage of people’s good natures for his own selfish motives.
With remission, he probably won’t serve much more than three years. That’s hardly a deterrent to anybody considering this type of fraud again.
