A thriving northern ministry

The AGM of The Dialogue for Diversity programme » headed up by Brian Lennon SJ in Armagh, took place this year on Thursday 25 June 2026 via Zoom. The Diversity programme focuses on prisoners, peacemaking, care of the earth, and community development in Northern Ireland, and after the official regulatory business was concluded, representatives of each sector project gave a short update on their work to date.

Osmond Mulligan reported that in his prisoner visitation », they now have seven volunteers visiting four to five men every four to six weeks (most of whom have been released) but have not been housed and are therefore in hostels.

Osmond himself is currently visiting four men, one of whom is 72 years of age, has spent 53 of those years in prison, and really needs support. Luckily, he has just been given a new bungalow in Belfast where Osmond meets him regularly. He is doing well with support also from a number of churches and Osmond welcomes this ecumenical dimension to the work.

The youngest man visited by Osmond is only 32, and he suffers from a number of psychological problems and so requires a sensitive approach. Another man who has been in prison for 8 years is now out, homeless, and very lonely, as all his friends are in hostels. Osmond is the only person he speaks with from one week to the next.

Osmond shared his concern that there is simply is no accommodation for some of the prisoners who are released, and so they end up having to go back into prison, glad at least to have food and a roof over their head.

The Acre project », which focuses on ‘care of the earth’ had a challenging year staff-wise but nonetheless managed to undertake some important initiatives. A ‘save the bees’ pollination project ran into difficulties, according to Rosemary Murray, but luckily, they were able to change lanes and work with school children and local communities, educating them and working with them on the project.

They also hired a young and gifted environmentalist from the UK, who set up an excellent climate change project with 45 young people in Keady, Co. Armagh. They learnt a lot about the complexity of the issue and also how to take responsibility for it in their own homes and community.

Acre was also invited to participate in Science Northern Ireland, and they had a stall there which was well attended.

The Diversity programme also conducts the Spiritual Exercises in Prison. Throughout the year, they ran three courses each of one session a week for 10 weeks, attended by 10 prisoners. The feedback was very positive, and some long-termers want to do it again. The focus was on the First Week of the Exercises, with a fair bit of catechesis throughout.

Brian Lennon SJ thanked all those present and all the volunteers in the Dialogue for Diversity progamme for their sterling work and ongoing committment. Tom Layden SJ, chair and secretary of the board of Dialogue for Diversity echoded Brian’s sentiments, saying it was always uplifting to hear of the great work being conducted in the various projects. He also thanked Brian Lennon for “all the hidden work he does behind the scenes that facilitated the smooth operation of the diversity programme in all its forms.”

A heartwarming postscript from one of the volunteers concluded the meeting when she mentioned that whilst loneliness was indeed an issue for some of the prisoners mentioned, two sixty-five-year-olds who had met in a post-prison hostel had fallen in love and were getting married, and all of the diversity programme people were invited to the wedding!