Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has paid tribute to social justice campaigner Sr Stanislaus Kennedy who passed away this morning.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cairns said:<\/p>\n
\u201cFor decades, Sr Stan was a tireless campaigner and advocate for some of the most marginalised people in our society, from the homeless to members of the migrant community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough her work with Focus Ireland and the Immigrant Council of Ireland, both which she founded, Sr Stan was a powerful voice for disadvantaged communities who felt abandoned by the State.<\/p>\n
\u201cSr Stan\u2019s spirit of generosity and charity touched us all. She will be remembered for her compassion, courage and steadfast refusal to accept poverty and homelessness as societal norms.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to offer my sincere condolences to Sr Stan\u2019s family, friends and anyone who worked with her. While her loss leaves a deep void that will be difficult to fill, Focus Ireland\u2019s unwavering ambition to end homelessness will be her enduring legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Rory Hearne said:<\/p>\n
\u201cSr Stan was never afraid to challenge successive governments for their failings, particularly when it came to housing policy. She always held the belief that nobody should be homeless in a country as wealthy as ours and that permanent housing, not temporary measures, was the solution to this crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a housing campaigner, I was heavily influenced by Sr Stan\u2019s work. She inspired me, and many others, to believe that homelessness was not inevitable and could be ended with the right decisions at government level. Crucially, she argued that housing should be seen as a basic human right.<\/p>\n
\u201cSr Stan will live long in our memories as a person who made a massive difference to so many lives. Through her advocacy for others, she showed how one individual can improve society based on the principles of social justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer lasting legacy will be the incredible work of Focus Ireland, which will continue to shine a light on the scandal of homelessness in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n
November 3, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has paid tribute to social justice campaigner Sr Stanislaus Kennedy who passed away this morning. Deputy Cairns said: \u201cFor decades, Sr Stan was a tireless campaigner and advocate for some of the most marginalised people in our society, from the homeless to members of the migrant community. \u201cThrough her work […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2779,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[400,663,7,510],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-holly-cairns","category-homelessness","category-press-release","category-rory-hearne"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n