Crossing New SeasOration

On Thursday 27 March, the Kildare Ministries community gathered at Star of the Sea College, Brighton, to celebrate the inaugural Crossing New Seas Oration — a significant new tradition born from the spirit of encounter and hope that defined our 10-Year Anniversary Conference in 2024.

We were deeply honoured that Emeritus Professor Gillian Triggs AC accepted our invitation to deliver the first oration. Professor Triggs is no stranger to the Kildare Ministries community, having inspired many during her keynote at last year’s conference. Her oration, titled Hospitality: A Shared Responsibility to Welcome and Protect, aligned powerfully with our 2025 theme, Hospitality – Welcoming All.

Addressing the global displacement crisis, Professor Triggs shared, “I’m very happy to have the opportunity to speak on what has become an international human rights crisis. It’s not new, but it’s unprecedented in scale — four or five million people are currently seeking international protection. We live in an unstable, volatile world where the international regime for peace through the United Nations and human rights laws has been challenged in unimaginable ways. But I believe social justice and human rights are the foundation for peace and sustainable democracies.”

Drawing on her extraordinary experience — including her recent four-year term as United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection with the UNHCR — Professor Triggs challenged us to expand our understanding of hospitality beyond welcome. She urged us to consider the ongoing support, safety, and protection of those seeking refuge, citing global innovations such as refugee camps being transformed into functioning cities in Kenya.

She also affirmed the vital and enduring role of faith communities, describing them as “the mainstay for a human and compassionate approach.” Her words reminded us that hospitality is not a passive gesture but an active, courageous responsibility — one that lies at the very heart of our mission

The evening brought together members of the Kildare Ministries network — from our schools and community works to our founding congregations, the Brigidine and Presentation Sisters — each carrying a shared commitment to building communities where all people are valued and all creation is honoured.

We are most grateful to Star of the Sea College for hosting this special occasion, and to all who joined us both in person and online. We look forward to this oration becoming the first of many that will bring together people from across the broader Kildare Ministries community — strengthening our shared commitment to be courageous enablers of peace and justice in our world.

Nicole Mangelsdorf

Acting Executive Director