26th Nov 2021
Last week, CCT College Dublin was honoured and privileged to bestow the College’s highest accolade of Honorary Fellowship onto Father Peter McVerry. As recipient for 2021, Fr. McVerry was selected for his inspirational leadership, his commitment to excellence in human endeavours for the betterment of others and of society, and for his activism and advocacy on behalf of some of society’s most marginalised. Fr. McVerry delivered an inspiring Commencement Address for our Graduates and guests at the CCT Graduation Ceremony 2021.
In 1962, Father Peter McVerry entered the Jesuit Order and was ordained in 1975. Peter has worked in Dublin’s north inner city since 1974, where he came into contact with young people who were sleeping on the streets because of their home situation. In 1979 he opened a hostel for homeless boys aged 12-16, this subsequently became his life-time work. He saw through the work of this hostel that when the boys reached 16 and needed to leave, they had few options open to them and most ended up back living on the streets. This realisation led him to set about providing services and accommodation for older youths.
In 1980 Peter moved to Ballymun in north Dublin, and by the end of 1983 he had founded the Arrupe Society, a charity to tackle homelessness. This charity, which was subsequently renamed the Peter McVerry Trust, has progressed from a three-bedroom flat in Ballymun to becoming one of the country’s largest organisations responding to the issue of homelessness. In 2020, the charity worked with over 7,800 people and was active in 28 local authorities across Ireland. Peter McVerry Trust’s national headquarters are located in Dublin. The charity has a mid-west regional office in Limerick City, a north-east regional office in Drogheda, Co Louth, a mid-east regional office in Johnstown, Naas, Co Kildare and a southern region office in Cork city.
For more information and to find out how you/your organisation can support the Peter McVerry Trust visit https://pmvtrust.ie/
