Oliver Doolan – Chairperson
Diocese: Dublin
School: St. Michael’s College
I am delighted to serve as Chairperson on the Executive Team.
My academic journey began in 1993 at Trinity College Dublin, where I pursued a degree in Hebrew, Biblical, and Theological Studies, graduating in 1997. After working in finance and education, I returned to my passion for teaching, earning a Higher Diploma in Education from NUIG in 2001 and a Master’s in School Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care from Mater Dei in 2006. I also hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Leadership from UCD.
Currently, I serve as College Chaplain at St. Michael’s College, Ballsbridge, where I’ve been a Religion Teacher since 2001 and Coordinator and Leader of the Chaplaincy Team since 2006. In addition to organising various liturgical services throughout the year, our Chaplaincy Team is deeply involved in spiritual, social, and charitable events across the school community.
One of my proudest achievements has been organising and leading 16 Immersion Trips to Kenya, Ghana, Brazil, and Tanzania. These experiences have allowed 331 students and 34 teachers to witness firsthand the work of the Spiritan Missions while raising vital funds for these communities.
For more than 16 years, I have been an active member of the Spiritan Ethos and Global Citizenship Committees within the network of Spiritan schools in Ireland, including several terms as Chairperson. One of my proudest moments came in 2019 when I, along with five 5th Year students from St. Michael’s College, had the privilege of representing the Irish Spiritan Network at the Integrity of Creation Symposium held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
As a Chaplain, I believe that fostering strong relationships with students, staff, parents, and the wider community is crucial. Creating a supportive, safe, and faith-centred environment, guided by the Spiritan Seven Core Values, shapes everything I do at the school. I have been blessed and very fortunate to travel on over 30 international community trips with St. Michael’s College.
I am also passionate about teaching Religious Education. I began teaching Leaving Certificate Religion in 2005, its inaugural year, starting with just one student. Since then, I have grown the subject significantly, now with two full classes. My students not only achieve excellent results but also develop a deeper appreciation for the cultural and spiritual richness of the subject. Additionally, I have prepared students for the Trinity College Matriculation examination in Biblical Studies, which has been a rewarding experience for both them and me. I also coordinate our Ember Team and School Council.
I live happily along the coast of County Meath with my wife and our beautiful daughter.
Karol Torpey – Vice Chairperson, Conference Coordinator & Diaries
Diocese: Killaloe
School: St. Patrick’s Comprehensive School
School Chaplaincy was always something I wanted to work in since I was a teenager, having had positive influences on my own path through those formative years.
I graduated from St. Patrick’s College Maynooth in 2001 with Theology and Sociology, and moved to NUI Maynooth to complete my H.Dip.Ed. graduating in 2003. Since then I have taught Religious Education for 7 years and worked as a school chaplain for 15 years. I spent 15 years in Kilrush Community School, 6 years in St. Anne’s Community College, Killaloe, and I have most recently joined the staff at St. Patrick’s Comprehensive School in Shannon. Change is good and brings a renewal to the work we do, I am a lifelong learner and love to meet and share in new experiences with new people.
Throughout the years, I have also completed the MA in Christian Leadership in Education with Mary Immaculate College and a Postgraduate Certificate in Trauma Informed Care and Practice from UCC.
While working in the ETB setting, I gained experience with their Patron’s Framework for Ethos. In 2023 I won the National ETBI Award for Excellence in Care, and was a panellist at the ETBI National Symposium on Ethos in 2024.
The schools I have worked in have always been of a multidenominational nature and I love working with students and staff and families of all faiths and those of no particular faith, the knowledge and understanding that all of us can gain when engaging with one another is invaluable and I love the discussions and sharing that takes place in my office, prayer room, my classrooms and in the corridors.
Chaplaincy and empathy begin with trust and understanding and I am a firm believer in meeting the other person exactly where they are at in their own situation, without judgement or bias.
I absolutely love my job, and wouldn’t have any other. Sure it can be a lonely role, but a very rewarding one too, and sometimes it can feel like nobody truly understands your role, but, much like some symbols, you only know what they truly mean when you experience them, and I think Chaplaincy is a bit like that.
No day is ever the same, and I truly love my engagement with parents/guardians, families, the local community, the staff and of course the students, no matter the issue we can work through it together to find the best possible outcome for whatever the need is. In all my endeavours, I try to reach out with honesty and empathy and a sense of humour, to build relationships, and for me, relationships are the number one key to opening most, if not all, doors.
Married with three children, life is busy, with all the hustle and bustle that family life brings outside of work commitments, having said that, I am delighted to be part of the Executive for the School Chaplains Association and look forward to the work ahead.
An Clár Abú!!
Anne-Marie Dolan – Secretary
Diocese: Dublin
School: St. Vincent’s Castleknock College, Dublin
My journey into Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care has been broad and varied. As I reflect to date from where I started to where I am now, the word ‘pilgrimage’ is very strong for me. As we know pilgrimage is often used to describe an individuals journey through life and that for me is how it feels. I have grown in so many ways because of the wonderful opportunities and contexts I have stepped and explored in and out of. It has been an enriching spiritual journey of encountering God through the many experiences and people that have graced my path to date and continue to.
I began my chaplaincy journey in 2006 when I commenced my Masters in Pastoral Studies at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. After completing my first placement at St. Louis High School, Rathmines, I proceeded on to my second placement, training in a hospital context, completing a programme called CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) at the Mater Hospital Dublin. After qualifying with my Masters, I then began a two-year journey facilitating and coordinating primary and post-primary school retreats at Emmaus Retreat Centre, Swords. From here I returned to education at NUI Maynooth to complete my PGDE in 2011 and subsequently taught Religion, Music and English at the Teresian School, Donnybrook for a further two years. My heart was drawn to all things Pastoral and so in 2013 I embarked on a new and exciting journey with the Jesuits as I took up the position of ‘Pastoral Coordinator’ at Clongowes Wood College, Clane. Over my eight-year journey at Clongowes I directed and coordinated many Chaplaincy & Ignatian formation programmes for students, staff and parents. I acted in the roles of Chaplain, retreat director and well-being coordinator and initiated and attained our first Amber Flag status which continued. I served on many committees including the JIC (Jesuit Identity committee, subcommittee to the BOM), AHP Bursary programme, IFG (Ignatian Formator’s Group) Province group and was the Clongowes delegate on JECSE (Jesuit European Committee for Primary & Secondary Education). During this time I also completed 1 year of the Diploma in Spiritual Direction.
In 2021, I returned to St. Patrick’s College Maynooth, this time not as a student but as a staff member in the following roles: Diploma in Youth Ministry & Spirituality Coordinator, Pastoral Practice Module Lead to the Pastoral Theology Programmes, Theological Reflection Facilitator to the Pastoral Theology Programmes & The National Seminary. After an exciting and diverse two years involved in Pastoral Programmes at university level, I began to feel the pull back to the Post Primary School context. One could say I missed the rhythm of the school year, the day-to-day relationship(s) with students, parents and staff and so I found myself very fortunate and blessed to join a rich culture and faith tradition (Catholic set in a Vincentian tradition) at St. Vincent’s Castleknock College. Currently, I am one year into the role as their first-ever lay Chaplain in the 189th year of the college and I feel very honoured and blessed that they have trusted me with this very privileged position as their College Chaplain. I currently sit on our Student Support Team supporting students concerns as they arise. I am passionate about creating diverse prayer & reflection opportunities for students, staff and parents. Helping to support and create the animation of the faith life of the college is central for me and always striving to find new exciting and enriching ways to do this keeps me on my toes. Currently, we have the following Faith-led initiatives active in our college: Ember, JPII Awards, SVP, Immersion programmes with VLM (Vincentian Lay Missionaries), and Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes to name but a few. My own faith is front and central to my life both professionally and personally. For me they are two sides of the one coin. I am grateful for the gift of faith and most of all for the journey to date it has brought me on and the wonderful people it allows me to encounter, be it students or colleagues on any given day. The theme of Conference 2024 for this reason really resonated with me – ‘Grow together, Grow to God. I am the vine, You are the branches.’
Finally, I am also very excited and honoured to be joining the SCA Executive Committee. In my years to date in the world of all things Pastoral, this current SCA Conference 2024 has been my first ever SCA conference to attend. I was so blown away by its content, support and leadership that I felt drawn to support and help where I can on the committee. I am looking forward to the year ahead working with my SCA colleagues and, most of all, supporting all the wonderful chaplains around the country.
Lastly, when I am not ‘professionally’ tending to all things pastoral, you can find me at my humble abode in Kildare with my husband and four young children and yes, it’s busy!
“God is still writing your story, Quit trying to steal the pen. Trust the author.”
Katie Kilcullen – Membership & Registration
Diocese: Dublin
School: Skerries Community College
I have had the privilege of serving as a school Chaplain for four years, deeply connecting with our school community. My commitment to supporting students in a pastoral capacity extends beyond the classroom, allowing me to nurture the spiritual and emotional well-being of both students and staff.
In my first year as Chaplain, I discovered the immense value of the School Chaplains Association (SCA) and now serve on the Executive Team, where I oversee Membership and Registration. I am dedicated to fostering collaboration among Chaplains, sharing resources, and creating a supportive network that enhances our collective impact.
My commitment to this vocation is further demonstrated by my First Class Honours in my Master’s thesis on Chaplaincy within the new ETBI framework. This research provides valuable insights that enable me to support fellow Chaplains as we navigate the evolving landscape of education, pastoral care and Chaplaincy.
Roisin McCann – Treasurer
Diocese: Kildare and Leighlin
School: St Mary’s Secondary School, Edenderry, Co Offaly
I have worked as a teacher of Religious Education and Business Studies since 2008, qualifying in St Patrick’s College Thurles (Now MIC Thurles).
While working in Dublin I completed a resource Diploma in Counselling in schools, this was my first taste of what it might be like to work with students in a one-to-one setting. I enjoyed the pastoral side of the work in the school, helping to organise liturgies and working closely with the religious order associated with the school.
I went travelling to Australia and New Zealand in 2013 and completed a Pastoral Care and Counselling home-study course. While working in the Religion Department in a school in New Zealand, I experienced the joy of teaching the subject to students who had different cultures and traditions.
I returned to Ireland and took up employment in St Mary’s in 2017, where I was hired as a teacher with chaplaincy hours.
I have worked closely with the Care Team, which consists of Management, Career Guidance Counsellors, and members of the AEN department. I have developed a strong link with the local priest and pastoral council, introducing the Pope John Paul Awards and Papal Cross Awards to the school.
I really enjoy my role as a Chaplain, working one-to-one with students, helping them to find the answers they are looking for. My role includes working with the music department to organise liturgies for school events. The students know my door is always open and the motto I use is, in a world where you can be anything, be kind.
I am delighted to be part of the School Chaplains Association and look forward to continuing this work with, and on behave of, other chaplains.
Éibhlís Nic Uaithuas – Cluster Coordinator & Mid-Year Gathering
Diocese: Dublin
School: St Paul’s College, Raheny
I have been Chaplain in St Paul’s College, Raheny since late January 2020. This was initially part-time as I was also part-time in the Office for Evangelisation and Ecumenism in the Dublin Archdiocese where I was engaged in expanding the Weeks of Guided Prayer across the parishes in the diocese. As a Daughter of Charity, most of my ministry has been in the area of administration, firstly hospital administration and then provincial administration, while also training as a spiritual director. In late 2011, following a sabbatical break, and before I began working in the Office for Evangelisation and Ecumenism, I piloted a ‘Retreat in Daily Life with a Difference’ with small groups of senior second level students using a group spiritual direction model and a form of lectio divina. While in the Office for Evangelisation and Ecumenism, in addition to facilitating retreats with young people I researched and completed a doctorate entitled: ‘Spiritual Accompaniment and Marginalisation in the Vincentian Tradition: An Exploratory Study’ graduating in 2019. In September 2020 when the schools reopened after the Covid lockdown, my work in the diocese did not resume and I was available to be full-time in St Paul’s, which I was delighted to do. As Chaplain, I am a faith and Vincentian presence in the school community, available to all students and staff alike, responding to their spiritual and religious needs and respecting the denominational, religious and personal convictions of all. I do this by creating a welcoming and hospitable environment for all, promoting our shared Vincentian ethos and values within the school, creating opportunities for us to come together as a school community to support those who are on the margins of society and offer occasions for prayer and ritual. In 2023 I led a group of staff and students from St Paul’s as well as St Mary’s Holy Faith, Glasnevin and St Mary’s Holy Faith, Clontarf on pilgrimage to the International Gathering of Young Vincentians in Felgueiras, Porto and World Youth Day in Lisbon which was a memorable occasion for all concerned.
Ryan McMahon – PR & Social Media
Diocese: Dublin
School: Skerries Community College
My journey in education began in 2019 when I graduated from Dublin City University with a Bachelor’s of Religious Education and History. Over the next six years, I worked in a variety of Secondary Schools in Dublin, Louth and Westmeath. My teaching allowed me to meet and work with some great students, and over time, I found a sense of higher purpose in supporting these students through Special tuition and 1-1 support classes. This experience, along with my faith, guided me to the decision to return to DCU where I am currently studying the MA in Chaplaincy Studies and Pastoral Work.
As I continue my training as a Chaplain, it was truly a gift to join the School Chaplains’ Association (SCA) and attend my first Conference in October 2025. Meeting so many other amazing chaplains, I found great support and a sense of community among these people. I was honoured to be nominated and now serve on the Executive Team in the role of PR & Social Media.
Newsletter
Diocese: Kerry
School: Scoil Phobail Bhéara, Castletownbere, Beara, Co. Cork
My professional journey began in 2017 when I flew the nest and moved to Cork City to take up studies on the BA Arts degree in UCC in the disciplines of Irish and Geography. Moving to Cork City as a teenager, in my eyes, was just amazing. The sense of independence and freedom I gained enabled me to explore who I was as an individual and how I was going to fit into the world around me. After graduating from UCC, I enrolled on the Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachais (MGO), the equivalent of the PME, but through the medium of Irish. I undertook my MGO studies in the University of Galway, where I qualified as a post-primary Irish and Geography teacher.
I am living on the picturesque Beara Peninsula in South-West Cork. I have been working as a full-time chaplain in Scoil Phobail Bhéara in Castletownbere since 2024. My journey to chaplaincy began when I completed the School/College Chaplain’s Induction Programme with Newman University in Birmingham. To follow on from this induction course, I began the MA in Chaplaincy Studies and Pastoral Work. I am still a student on this course, from which I hope to graduate this year.
I absolutely love my role as a chaplain, and how it enables me to work and connect with students beyond the bounds of a curriculum. I actively work with the student support team, meet students on a regular one-to-one basis, and act as a faith presence for our school community. My faith and spirituality have always been a very important part of who I am, and it is special to be able to accompany students who are undertaking their own spiritual journey. I also believe it is important that I can also provide them with a space where they can talk, feel listened to and figure out what is going on for them. As a kind, warm and non-judgmental presence, students know they can come to me as they are.
When I am off duty, I love to spend time with family and friends. I am passionate about cars and nature, and I enjoy being immersed in both. In Irish we have a lovely seanfhocal – ‘An áit a bhfuil do chroí is ann a thabharfas do chosa thú’. This means that wherever your heart is, that is where your feet will take you. Having the courage to get up on your two feet and taste what life has to offer, you will find your path.
It is a huge privilege to have been nominated as newsletter editor on the Executive for the School Chaplain’s Association of Ireland. I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I am looking forward to working alongside this great team of chaplains for all chaplains.
“Ní neart go cur le chéile”.
