DCU Chaplaincy is a place of care and sanctuary for everyone on campus and for the wider community.
We aim to reflect and encourage the diversity of beliefs, traditions and cultures within the University - and to bring these cultures together in a spirit of creativity, mutual enlightenment and fun.
Working across three campuses, DCU Chaplaincy provides daily religious services as well as private spaces for spiritual observation and ablution. We host celebrations for all faiths and facilitate a range of events that build community outside of faith traditions - from free student lunches to get-togethers for international students. We provide pastoral care and confidential support to students and staff. We are also home to Ireland's first Inter Faith Centre, which remains the country's only dedicated Inter Faith facility at third level.
Fr Seamus McEntee
Séamus has a long history in chaplaincy and missionary work. He has been Roman Catholic chaplain at Mountjoy prison in Dublin, at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire and at the Veterans Hospital and Terence Cardinal Cooke Hospital in New York. He has also worked as a primary school chaplain in Clondalkin and Kilbride.
He has spent many years ministering with the poor in Mexico, Italy and India – including six years with the Missionaries of Charity Fathers in Calcutta. He studied theology at the Angelicum in Rome and at St Patrick’s College in Maynooth, gaining a Bachelor in Divinity and a higher diploma in Pastoral Theology. He was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Dublin in 2014 and has ministered in the Combined Catholic Parishes of Clondalkin since then.
Séamus has a background in sales and marketing and enjoys travelling, hill-walking, music and cinema and working in his greenhouse. He speaks Spanish and Italian.
Anne O'Farrell
Anne has served as a chaplain in St Patrick’s College (now DCU St Patrick’s) since 2008 and lectures in Christology, Trinitarian Theology, Feminist Theology and Religion & Social Justice. Anne has a BA in Humanities and an MA in Pastoral Leadership from DCU St Patrick’s and DCU All Hallows respectively. She lives in Santry with her husband, her daughter, and a 90lb golden-doodle called Hannibal (a name that was meant to be ironic).
Eric Hughes
Eric works out of the Inter Faith Centre on the Glasnevin campus, and has a background in youth work. He served as Scripture Union Ireland’s Youth and Schools Manager for five years, and as a youth pastor in South Dublin. In 2020 he was appointed as a university chaplain by the Church of Ireland and has been with DCU ever since. Eric lives in North County Dublin with his wife Kate and daughter Olivia. He enjoys good coffee, good chats, and great burritos. His passions include music, the MCU, and pro wrestling
| Name | Campus | Role | Room Number | Phone Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Hughes | Glasnevin Campus | Chaplain | Inter Faith Centre | 085 761 5276 | eric.hughes@dcu.ie |
| Fr. Seamus McEntee | Glasnevin Campus | Chaplain | Inter Faith Centre | 01 700 5268 | seamus.mcentee@dcu.ie |
| Ms Anne O'Farrell | St Patrick's Campus | Chaplain | C201 | 01 700 9141 | anne.ofarrell@dcu.ie |
| General Email | chaplaincy@dcu.ie |
DCU's Chaplains are here to support all DCU students, from all faiths and none. We are here to journey with you through life's ups and downs.
What Chaplains Do
- Confidential and non-judgmental listening
- Pastoral care for students and staff
- Spiritual accompaniment
- Provide Inter Faith services and links with faith communities
- Offer support in times of crisis, stress or even success
- Bereavement support for students and staff
- Home and hospital visits
- Provide opportunities and spaces for prayer and reflection
- Provide sacramental services, including eucharist, baptisms, weddings, etc.
- Link students and staff with other support services, both within the university and in the wider society
- Sit on various committees within the university
- Organise charitable drives
- Support student activities, particularly clubs and societies
Why you may like to talk to a chaplain:
- To discuss personal problems, including family difficulties
- If you are having trouble adjusting to life in DCU, whether as a student or staff
- To discuss academic or career difficulties
- If you have experienced loss or bereavement
- Personal illness or illness of someone you care about
- If you would like to explore your faith or the spiritual side of life
- If you would like a Chaplain to pray for an intention
- Need help and support in making a decision.
- Resolve an issue from the past in order to move on.
- And for many other reasons
Where appropriate, DCU Chaplaincy will recommend and encourage support from other DCU departments or from third parties outside the university. However, all communications with the chaplaincy are presumed private and confidential. No information will passed on except with the explicit consent of the service user, or where legally stipulated.
Inter Faith Centre, Glasnevin Campus
Founded in 1992, DCU Inter Faith Centre was Ireland’s first such centre, and it remains the country's only dedicated Inter Faith facility at third level.
Incorporating a chapel, Muslim prayer rooms, and a quiet room for meditation and reflection, the Inter Faith Centre manifests the desire of the Chaplaincy and of DCU as a whole to reflect and encourage the diversity of beliefs, traditions and cultures among staff, students and visitors to the campus. It runs regular masses every week and Jummah prayers for the Muslim community on Fridays.
Featuring a kitchen, social space and a lounge room, the Inter Faith Centre is also a place of daily hospitality for any who pass. It is host to a wide range of university, student and private events throughout the year, and is home to high quality acoustic and electric pianos for performance and practice. If you would like to enquire about the availability of the Inter Faith Centre for an event, please call 01 700 5419 or write to chaplaincy@dcu.ie
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, St Patrick’s Campus
Built in the mid-1960s, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel was designed by Limerick architect Andrew Devane. Devane had studied under Frank Lloyd Wright in Chicago and Wright’s influence can be seen particularly in the interior columns of the church, which actually support the roof.
The chapel is host to Mass services every weekday morning at 8.15 as well as a special student Mass every Thursday afternoon during term time. In addition, it is the parish church for St Patrick’s National School (also on campus) and is where students receive instruction in the blessed sacraments of Confession, Communion and Confirmation.
Home to a pipe organ and piano, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom hosts events and celebrations throughout the year, the most prominent of which is the annual carol service every December.
All Hallows Chapel
All Hallows was originally a private training college for Roman Catholic missionaries. Its original chapel was designed by Dublin architect James Joseph McCarthy.
Fire destroyed this chapel in the late 19th century, and a new one was built – largely in the Gothic style of the original – by George Ashlin, a noted ecclesiastical architect. The stained glass windows to the chapel’s south side are by Evie Home, whose work also features in the chapel of Eton College, Windsor.
All Hallows chapel holds a weekly mass every Wednesday afternoon during term time and, with its grand piano and pipe organ, hosts a great many concerts and recitals throughout the year.
Memorial Garden, Glasnevin Campus
The memorial garden is situated a few metres west of the original Albert College building on the Glasnevin campus. It was established in 2007 and is dedicated to the memories of DCU staff and students, past and present. It is managed and attended to by people from across the university’s departments.
The names of deceased members of the DCU community are recorded in a Book of Remembrance, which is available from reception at the Inter Faith Centre.
Labyrinth, Glasnevin Campus
Situated right at the heart of the campus, the labyrinth is a physical space designed to aid reflection and self-centring. The act of placing one foot carefully before the other to reach the middle of the labyrinth, before retracing one’s steps to the perimeter again, slows the pace of life for a period and can help with clarity of thinking.
Labyrinths are ancient structures common across cultures from Europe to the Far East. This one is intended as a non-denominational aid to that most precarious of spiritual, mental and physical achievements: balance.
RC Mass is held in the interfaith Centre every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 1:05pm. Mass is celebrated in the chapel on the St Patricks campus every morning at 8:15
Interfaith Centre
The interfaith centre on the Glasnevin campus is equipped with ablution facilities, dedicated prayer rooms for men and women and hosts Jumah Prayers and Eid feasts and various times of the year.
St Patricks Campus
The quiet space on the St patrick's campus has a privet space for prayer and reflection
A service of Morning prayer takes place in the All Hallows campus chapel on the first Tuesday of each month at 11am. Other service take place as announced on our social media pages.
A service of Morning prayer, according to the Chruch of Ireland Tradition, takes place in the All Hallows campus chapel on the first Tuesday of each month at 11 am. Other services take place as announced on our social media pages.
At Various times during the year DCU Chaplaincy host events and services to mark special occasions in the religious calendar. This includes the annual Christmas Carol service. Ash Wednesday services, Shrove Tuesday, and St Patricks day. Details for these are different each year, so check our social media channels for more information.
Welcome
In addition to our dedicated faith services and spaces, DCU Chaplaincy also hosts events for students, staff and non-university groups. This is part of our mission to be a welcoming space and a service for all communities in the vicinity of DCU's campuses.
If you would like to book one of our spaces for your event, please write to chaplaincy@dcu.ie or call 01 700 5491. Our spaces are generally available on a first-come, first-served basis, so book early to avoid disappointment.
Free snacks and tea or coffee are available from the Inter Faith Centre, Glasnevin Campus, during business hours Monday to Friday. All are welcome.
Virtual Chaplaincy
During the lockdown phase of the Covid 19 pandemic Chaplaincy was unable to provide our usual services. However this did not stop us from engaging and journeying with the DCU community. Chaplaincy provide virtual pilgrimages, carol services, and Ash Wednesday reflections. All of which can be found on our Youtube Channel and accessed at any time.