Fr. McManus arrived 52 years ago in America on October 2, 1972
And the Irish issue would be changed for all time
Fifty-two years ago, on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Fr. Sean McManus set foot in America for the very first time … And it’s fair to say that the Irish issue would be changed for all time.
On February 6, 1974, he founded the Irish National Caucus to “make Irish justice an American issue” by focusing on the U.S. Congress. He was amazed Irish-Americans had no office on Capitol Hill to lobby for Irish unity, just, and peace.
So, on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 1978, Fr. McManus opened the very first and only Irish office on Capito Hill. (The Friends of Irish Freedom in 1919 opened an office downtown Washington, not on Capitol Hill, but it only lasted a few years).
Barbara Flaherty, Executive Vice President of the Irish National Caucus, said: “As I have been saying for years, Fr. Sean shows no sign of slowing down; indeed, his output has only increased. He is now more busy than ever. For all these years, he has been at the forefront of getting Congress to stand up for Irish justice. If there are any people out there who are not familiar with Fr. Sean’s name, this is a useful link for understanding the historical importance of his 52-years of work—
Praise for Memoirs and for Fr. McManus’ work– https://wp.me/sawKOq-praise
Fr. McManus said: “Thank God that I’ve never forgotten where I came from. And that I never forgot that I have not only the right but also the Gospel duty and imperative to do justice’ because Faith is the Faith that does justice for the poor and oppressed—if it does not, it’s not Faith …‘In biblical faith the doing of justice is the primary expectation of God.” (Rev. Walter Brueggemann, American Protestant Old Testament scholar and theologian.) And the Catholic Church officially teaches: ‘… Action on behalf of justice [is] a constitutive dimension of the preaching of the Gospel…and [a constitutive dimension] of the Church’s mission for the redemption of the human race and its liberation from every oppressive situation.”
After God, I have to thank the wonderful Irish-American community who has made my work possible for 53 years. God bless them all, and God rest all those wonderful friends and supporters who have died in the past 53 years—they are always in my prayers. As always, my special thanks to the wonderful Barbara Flaherty.”
