Celebrations at the Irish Chaplaincy

L-R: Evelyn Stafford, Liz Cullen and Orla Kearns with Philomena Cullen.

The Irish Chaplaincy in Britain hosted a fine party in Camden Town on Saturday evening, to celebrate their work and the birthdays of Philomena Cullen ICB director, and volunteer Sr Patricia Maxwell DC - described by Philomena as 'an absolute gem of a woman!'

In her welcoming comments, Philomena, who has just earned a PhD in Theology from St Mary's University College, described the work of the Chaplaincy with Irish migrants. There are currently three major distinct projects: The Irish Travellers' project, run by Conn MacGabhann, The Older Persons Outreach Project,lead by Paul Raymond; and The Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), run by Fr Gerry McFlynn. She also paid tribute to her parents for whom, she said, "faith was as real as the leaves on the trees."

Ceilidh band Halligan's Bar, with CAFOD director Chris Bain on guitar and vocals had guests out on the dance floor long into the night. They gave their time for free.

Philomena said today: "At a time when charities and their staff are under unprecedented pressure to meet the needs of the more vulnerable members of our community, Saturday night was an opportunity to replenish our energies by celebrating the milestones along the way. From 75th birthdays reached and a doctorate attained to the successful completion of our Travellers in prison research report, none of this could have happened without our wonderful team of staff, trustees, volunteers and supporters at the Irish Chaplaincy. So in the best tradition of Irish hospitality, we couldn't resist the opportunity to gather them together and toast what's been a year of many achievements, with much more to come!".

For more information on the Irish Chaplaincy, see: www.irishchaplaincy.org.uk.