Fr. Devine pictured with Matt Molloy, Berwick Solicitors.
Galway based law firm Berwick Solicitors is inviting members of the public, clients and business colleagues to a coffee morning in its offices at 16 Eyre Square (next to Hotel Meyrick and AIB Bank) on Wednesday 15 June from 10am – 12pm in aid of The Shalom Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation (SCRR). After the success of a coffee morning for the charity last year, Berwick Solicitors will host the event again this year and The Keith Finnegan Show on Galway Bay FM will broadcast live from the Eyre Square offices on the morning. Working with the people of Kenya at a grassroots level, The Shalom Centre strives to educate and train people from different religious and cultural backgrounds about the causes of their conflicts and the techniques for resolving these issues. The centre provides a space where leaders of opposing tribes can come together and partake in discussions and workshops to try and reconcile their differences.
Berwick Solicitors and partner Matt Molloy have long supported the charity which was founded by Roscommon native Fr Padraig Devine. Fr Devine has spent almost 30 years working in the war-torn regions of east Africa. After witnessing the atrocities during the post-election period in Kenya in 2007, Fr Devine’s aim was to bridge the divide between the warring tribes of the region and he continues to strive for peace in an area that has been crippled by poverty, violence and social unrest.
“Shalom” means peace with justice and harmony in Hebrew and it was Fr Devine’s inspiration for the centre which he founded in 2009. The Shalom Centre aims to establishing relations between different tribes that goes beyond the absence of violence. It hopes to build a community where people care about the wellbeing and development of their fellow countrymen, despite their religious differences.
In recognition of his heroic efforts, Fr Devine was selected as the International Caring Award Winner in 2013 by the Caring Institute in Washington DC for his outstanding charitable contribution to humanity. Previous recipients include Mother Teresa and his Holiness the Dalai Lama. The award recognised the Roscommon native’s continuous work in risking his life for the good of others. It is hard to avoid being immensely impressed by Fr Devine’s dedication to the greater good. He has spent the majority of his life working to improve the lives of others and we would ask anyone who can, to come and support our home grown hero.
Berwick Solicitors is honoured to host this charity coffee morning in aid of Fr Padraig Devine’s work at The Shalom Centre. The funding will help to save lives among warring tribes in Africa. Berwick Solicitors will team up with Hotel Meyrick to host the event on Wednesday 15 June between 10am and 12pm and invites members of the public to drop in for a tea, coffee and scones and cakes. Donations to The Shalom Centre will be warmly welcomed. “I am very much looking forward to the event on my return from Africa and meeting Galway friends,” said Fr Devine ahead of the coffee morning.
For more information or to interview Fr Padraig Devine, contact Nicole Harney/ Matt Molloy at Berwick Solicitors on 091 567545 or email matthewmolloy@berwick.ie or info@berwick.ie
