Meet the team - Spirituality Institute for Research and Education

Board of Trustees

Michael O’Sullivan

Michael O’Sullivan, Director, Treasurer, and co-founder of SpIRE, has degrees in Social Science and Philosophy, and four degrees in theology up to PhD level. He also has training and experience in spiritual accompaniment, counselling, and community development.

He worked as a Jesuit missionary priest in Chile during the reign of General Pinochet. For his story in those years go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0BB3D6oB3Q or https://vimeo.com/irishjesuits. He has also worked in Central America, Mexico, and East Africa. He lived for thirteen years with Fr Peter McVerry, the well known campaigner for homeless young people, and a few other Jesuits among socio-economically disadvantaged people. They lived in a tower block of flats in Ballymun, Dublin before it was demolished.

Having worked originally as a specialist in liberation theology and feminist theology he has dedicated himself since the early years of the millennium to the development of spirituality as an applied academic discipline. He serves on the Executive Board of Directors and Board of Trustees of the International Network for the Study of Spirituality (INSS) and on the Editorial Board of its Journal for the Study of Spirituality, and is the Links Coordinator for INSS.

He is the co-founder of the Spirituality Institute for Research and Education in Ireland (SpIRE) and of the Spiritual Capital Ireland Centre which was superseded by SpIRE.

He served for sixteen years as Director of the unique MA in Applied Spirituality (Milltown Insitute / National University of Ireland, All Hallows College / Dublin City University, and Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). In May 2022 WIT became the South East Technological University with the Institute of Technology Carlow and Michael became its first Emeritus Senior Lecturer at the end of 2020 – https://www.wit.ie/news/other/institutes-first-emeritus-lecturer-award-goes-to-dr-michael-osullivan).

He was also Director of the Higher Diploma in Applied Spirituality, the Director of the Texts and Themes MA in Spirituality, the spirituality summer school at Milltown Institute, and Head of Theological Studies and the Depts of Systematic and Moral Theology at All Hallows College (Dublin City University).

Having served as a member of the Governing Board of the global Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality (SSCS), a member of the Promotions Committee of the Society, a founding member of the International Relations Committee, a continuing member of the Editorial Board of the Society’s journal, Spiritus, and a member of the Steering Committee of the Christian Spirituality Study Group of the American Academy of Religion, he was elected Vice President and President-Elect at the AGM of the Society in Denver in 2022.

He also serves as a Research Fellow at the University of the Free State, South Africa, a Fellow of the European Institute for Spirituality in Economics and Society (SPES), a Research Associate of the Centre for the Study of Spirituality at the University of Hull, a member of the Leadership Board of the Centre for the Academci Study of Christian Spirituality at the University of Zurich, a member of the European Research Institute for Religion, Spirituality, and Health, a member of the Spirituality Research and Innovation Group (SRIG) at Trinity College Dublin, and of Spiritual Directors International (SDI).

The following citations are examples that testify to his standing in the field of spirituality studies:

“Dr. O’Sullivan has made a substantial and notable contribution to the development of the academic field of spirituality in its varied forms, particularly in the English-speaking world”.
Professor Philip Sheldrake, Senior Research Fellow, Cambridge Theological Federation, and Director of the Institute of Contemporary Spirituality, Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas.

“Through his teaching, writing, public speaking, administrative service, and tireless efforts to build networks of collaboration Dr Michael O’Sullivan, SJ has inspired colleagues and students not only in Ireland but throughout the world.”
Professor Arthur Holder, John Dillenberger Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union Berkeley, CA.

“Professor O’Sullivan is widely recognized by his North American peers as being one of the most consistently thoughtful and informed European voices on the place and meaning of spirituality in the contemporary world”.
Professor Douglas E. Christie, Professor of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

E-mail: spiremos@gmail.com
Staff Profile: https://www.setu.ie/staff/michael-osullivan
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelfosullivan1

PURE: https://research.setu.ie/en/persons/michael-osullivan
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0215-9536

YouTube: ‘A Jesuit with the People‘ (2018); ‘Authentic Interiority and the Study of Spirituality‘ (2018); ‘Spiritual Capital ‘(2014)

Bernadette Flanagan

Bernadette Flanagan, Chair and co-founder of SpIRE, completed her PhD in Humanities (Spirituality) at the Milltown Institute, Dublin. Since that time she has become an Associate Professor in Spirituality and led the development of MA and professional doctoral studies in spirituality in Ireland. She has consulted to a wide range of organisations in Ireland and overseas on dimensions of spiritual education, spiritual care and spiritual practice in such fields as healthcare, education, relational wellbeing, aging; addiction and leadership.

Side by side with her expanding disciplinary expertise, Bernadette has had a distinguished career as a manager and leader in third and fourth level education in Ireland. She has held such roles as President (Acting), Deputy President, Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Registrar, Head of Department and Director of Research. In these roles she has developed quality systems, administration systems, strategic plans, implementation plans, teaching & learning strategies and institution-wide research activities. She has had responsibility for line managing staff and negotiating partnerships, as well as validation and accreditation for more than 30 programmes ~ NFQ LEVELS 6 – 10 ~ with various agencies (NCEA / HETAC, NUI, CCE, MIE, UW, DCU). Her expertise has been called on by a wide diversity of academic bodies in Ireland. For example, she was Chairperson of the Board of Governors in St Patrick’s College Thurles, a member of the Steering Group of the Institute of Education Research in Ireland (IoERI) and of the All Ireland Institute of Hospice & Palliative Care (AIIHPC) Research Hub.

Having served on the Governing Board of the prestigious global Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality and the Nominations Committee of the Society she was elected the first Irish President of that Society in November 2017. She is also a member of the advisory board of The Way journal, and of the leadership team of the South East Technological University (SETU) MA in Applied Spirituality that SpIRE hosts and supports in Dublin.

Email: bflanagan@spiritualityinstitute.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bernadette.flanagan2
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtbernie
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Bernadette-Flanagan/e/B00H2VGQ7Q

PURE: https://research.setu.ie/en/persons/bernadette-flanagan

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1688-6569

Ruth Harris

Ruth Harris studied languages and literature at UCC and at the University of Lille (France) and has a PhD in Psycholinguistics from the School of Education in TCD. She completed the MA in Applied Spirituality at the Milltown Institute in 2007 undertaking a research project on the topic of bereavement following suicide which was later published as a chapter in Spiritual Capital (O’Sullivan & Flanagan, 2012). She delivered a number of guest lectures and workshops at the Milltown Institute in subsequent years.

Ruth is a senior lecturer at TU Dublin in the School of Humanities and specialises in the areas of Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Communication, Diversity and Equality, and Research Methods. Her research interests include Linguistic and Cultural Diversity, Migrant Integration, Transformative Learning and Contemplative Pedagogies. She has been involved in special interest groups on assessment in third level education, including most recently in Authentic Assessment, and acted as external examiner on the MA in Applied Spirituality from 2017 to 2020 when it was a WIT programme and award [WIT and Institute of Technology Carlow became the South East Technological University (SETU) on 1 May 2022).

Ruth sees opportunities for integrating her studies in spirituality with her academic work, in particular in conveying the dignity of the human person, the importance of social justice, and the need to adopt anti-racist approaches and policies in contemporary Irish society. She sees contemplative pedagogies as a means to enable students to connect more deeply with themselves and their learning, to question their assumptions and in the process uncover issues of unconscious bias and become more empathetic and inclusive. She also considers that undertaking research in Humanities can be an opportunity for Transformative Learning for students and is currently investigating the role of the supervisor in this process.

Email: Ruth.Harris@tudublin.ie

Andrea Hayes

Andrea Hayes is Irish Times and Sunday Times best-selling author. She is also a well-known Irish presenter whose TV and radio work include Fota into the Wild, Dog Tales, Coming Home for Christmas, Animal A&E and Sunshine Meets. Andrea holds an MA in Applied Spirituality, is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Bethany grief facilitator, Spiritual Director and is currently on the teaching team for Anamcharadas (https://anamcharadastraining.com/)

Email: andreahayesroro@yahoo.ie

Advisory Committee

Michael Howlett

Michael Howlett has a doctorate in Theology, and a PhD in English. He is Professor Emeritus and retired Head of Department of Applied Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), Waterford, Ireland, where he also lectured in Theology and Religious Studies, and offered the Interdisciplinary Seminars. He developed many undergraduate and graduate programmes for the department, the most recent being the interdisciplinary BA Honours which includes majors in Theology and Religious Studies, and in English, and the MA in Social Studies contributing modules on Social Justice, Contemporary Spirituality, and Faith, Communities and Society. His research interests lie in the interacting relationships between literature, society, spirituality and religion, and he has published in Irish and European theological journals. As well as serving on the SpIRE Advisory Group he is a member of the Social Justice Ireland board and its Academic Advisory committee. Michael’s interest in spirituality developed when he was working with youth services and parish renewal more than thirty years ago. Following this experience he began a study of Patrick Kavanagh for his theology doctorate in which he focused on the Human Being in Kavanagh’s poetry. This work led him to appreciate the fundamental spiritual dimension of human beings, a conviction which was further strengthened in a doctoral study of James Joyce’s writings. For Michael, spirituality is a core value and starting point and lies at the heart of religion and of pastoral and social renewal. Email: mhowlett@wit.ie

Noel Keating

Noel was awarded a doctorate for his research into the child’s experience of meditation and his paper “Children’s Spirituality and the Practice of Meditation in Irish Primary Schools” was published in the International Journal for Children’s Spirituality in December 2016. His book Meditation with Children: A Resource for Teachers and Parents was published by VERITAS in December 2017. He progressed to the PhD after successfully completing the taught Masters in Applied Christian Spirituality at All Hallows College, Dublin City University, with a research interest in meditation with children, particularly how children experience its spiritual fruits. Noel is voluntary National Coordinator for Christian Meditation in Ireland and he coordinates their Meditation with Children Project, involving 35,000 children who meditate as a whole-school practice in over 150 primary schools across Ireland. He offers in-service, free of charge, to school staffs who are interested in introducing meditation to children. . Noel also works with teachers at second-level and lecturers at third-level who are interested in introducing teenagers and young adults to the practice of meditation. He spent 40 years in the education sector in Ireland as a second-level teacher and principal and as Education Officer with the Presentation Sisters in Ireland. He is author of Mission Integrity: Having Faith in Our Schools, which explores how trustees and schools may reflect together on the challenge of remaining faithful to their vision and mission. His most recent book is Meditation with Children – A Resource for Teachers and Parents. Noel and Alana Levandoski in Canada have created a CD of music, song, and reflections inspired by the book.. Email: mnkeating@gmail.com Website: https://linktr.ee/meditation.wellbeing Facebook: www.facebook.com/meditationwithchildren/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noelkeatingcarlow/ ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7317-4288

Anne Kennelly

Anne Kennelly has a background in education, arts administration and is a psychodynamically trained art therapist. Having qualified as a Primary school teacher, she went on to work in arts administration in Siamsa Tíre (The National Folk Theatre of Ireland). While there, she developed a community arts education project entitled, “Hidden Voices from the Dark” which focused on illuminating the voices of people with sight loss in the community. Following studies for an MA in Education, she then taught on a number of adult education programmes with Kerry ETB, contributing appreciably to the organisation’s work in inclusive education and adult literacy. Combining her experience in adult education with her community arts work, she completed an Education Doctorate at NUIM in 2013 with a thesis entitled, “An áit in a bhfuil t’anam is ann a thógas do chosa tú (Your feet will always take you to the place of your soul): A study of transformation through indigenous ways of knowing in a County Kerry community”. This study highlighted how learning through the lens of imagination as opposed to a more technical and rational one only, allows for experiences of soul which, in turn, facilitates an experience of learning as living; thus challenging modernist approaches to education. In 2007, she qualified as an art therapist, in Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. She is a professional member of IACAT and delivers experiential workshops in art therapy to students of mental health nursing at the MTU, Tralee. From 2016 to 2018, she taught the Education module on the MA in Education and Wellbeing of the Older Person at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick. She completed the Waterford Institute of Technology MA in Applied Spirituality, which is hosted and supported by SpIRE, in 2021. Email: akfinuge@gmail.com

Bernadette Masterson

Bernadette Masterson obtained her PhD in Medical Humanities from All Hallows College, Dublin City University in 2016. Her chosen topic, spiritual awakening in chronic illness, has been close to her heart for many years and her research, utilising a psycho-spiritual approach, uniquely highlights ways in which chronic illness may foster opportunities for ongoing awakening to deeper levels of consciousness. Her dissertation has been published as a book by Peter Lang. She supervises research dissertations in the MA in Applied Spirituality, Waterford Institute of Technology, which is hosted and supported by the Spirituality Institute for Research and Education (SpIRE) in Dublin. She is also a trained spiritual director, Bernadette completed a four-year training in psychosynthesis, leading to an MA from London’s Institute of Psychosynthesis/University of Middlesex in2001. Psychosynthesis is a transpersonal psychology founded by Italian psychoanalyst Roberto Assagioli, a contemporary of Freud and Jung. Its framework holds that humans are essentially spiritual beings having a human experience, and contain within them a drive to become whole. Every personal challenge presents an opportunity for psychological and spiritual growth. Bernadette’s first degree was a BA in Irish and English, followed by a Higher Diploma in Education, at University College, Galway, in 1981. She worked in London for many years in broadcast journalism, for radio (BBC) and television. She produced reports from the Middle East on human rights issues, such as the refugee crisis in Jordan (interviewed King Hussein) following the Gulf War in 1991, sanctions in Iraq, and territorial disputes in Yemen. She has also filmed in Ethiopia. Her reports were screened by international broadcasters including the BBC, Channel 4 and RTE. She was co-founder/director of an independent TV production company for nearly 10 years, managing 15 employees including film crews and broadcast facilities in central London. Email: dettemasterson@gmail.com

Elizabeth McCrory

Elizabeth McCrory received her BA, MA and PhD from University College Dublin and MBA from Warwick University, UK. She developed an interest in spirituality through her work both in the public health services and private business sector and has studied spirituality for 10 years.She runs workshops and seminars on a variety of topics including: Meditation, Spiritual Autobiography, Parenting, Spirituality and long term illness, Death and Dying and Women in transition. She completed her training as a Clinical Psychologist and worked in the General Medical Services in Ireland before moving to the UK where she undertook an MBA and worked as Human Resources Director for Coopers & Lybrand. She then returned to Ireland and worked as Human Resource Director at Coopers & Lybrand, PA Consulting and KPMG. She is an experienced clinical psychologist and psychotherapist with a special interest in Chronic Pain. Her clinical practice covers a diverse range of issues including adolescent issues, emotional problems, health challenges, relationship issues and life crises. She combines psychotherapy with contemplative practices; the focus is on helping clients to achive wholeness through connecting with their deepest True Self. Elizabeth’s corporate work focuses on developing potential through transformational growth promoting Executive & Leadership Development, Team Development, Employee Engagement and Coaching Email: elizabeth@elizabethmccrory.com

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