Rev. John MCCARTHY

President of The Irish Apostolate USA

Fr. John McCarthy, a native of county Limerick, studied in Maynooth college and was ordained for the Diocese of Limerick in 1995. He began his ministry as Dean of St. Munchin’s Diocesan college, and also served as a priest in Limerick City for 10 years. He came to Boston in 2005 to serve as Chaplain to the Irish Pastoral Center.

Rev. MIchael Madigan
Secretary/Treasurer

Fr. Michael Madigan, who was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1954, is a member of St. Patrick’s Missionary Society.  After working for a number of years, he was ordained in 1987 and for the next twenty five years, ministered throughout different parts of Africa including Zambia, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Ms. Celine Kennelly

A native of Moyvane, County Kerry in southwestern Ireland, Celine Kennelly is Executive Director of the San Francisco Irish Immigration Pastoral Center (IIPC), a non-profit, volunteer-managed organization assisting Irish immigrants in the San Francisco and the Bay Area. IIPC provides advice, information, advocacy, referral and support, and assistance with housing, jobs, immigration, social services and family issues. IIPC is a member of the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC), a national umbrella organization representing Irish immigrant groups throughout the United States, of which Kennelly is the President of the Board.

REV. BRENDAN MCBRIDE 

Fr. Brendan McBride, a native of Donegal, has been in San Francisco since 1996. Fr. Brendan has widely traveled throughout his vocation. Having studied at the Irish College in Rome for six years, he went to Coventry, England to work as an Immigrant Chaplain for seven years. During this period, he also spent time in Birmingham and London. He returned to Ireland for a short while where he taught English & Religion in the Technical School in Loughanure, Co. Donegal. His next stint abroad was in the Brooklyn and Queens areas of New York, again as Immigrant Chaplain to the large number of Irish residents there. Following another stay in Ireland, Fr. Brendan came to San Francisco in 1996 to form and head up the Irish Immigration Pastoral Center (IIPC). He served as President of IAUSA until 2022.

STEPHEN AHERNE

A native of Limerick in southwestern Ireland, Stephen Aherne is an attorney based in San Diego, and the former Executive Director of the Irish Outreach Center, a non-profit organization assisting Irish immigrants in Southern California.  Stephen remains actively involved with the Irish Outreach Center as a volunteer, particularly as a committed member of Irish You a Merry Christmas San Diego, a charitable collaboration between the Irish Outreach Center and the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) clubs of San Diego, that Stephen co-founded in 2014 with the goal of bringing the Irisg community together to support underserved families in the San Diego region at Christmas.  Stephen has previously served as a board member for the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC), a national umbrella organization representing Irish immigrant groups throughout the United States.

LESLIE ALCOCK

A native of Carlow in the south east of Ireland, Leslie Alcock is the Coordinator of the Irish Council for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO) and the Emigrant Officer for the Irish Episcopal Council for Emigrants (IECE). The IECE is a council of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference that aims to support vulnerable Irish emigrants in conjunction with Irish support services and chaplains overseas. The ICPO is a subcommittee of the IECE and works to provide information, support and advocacy to Irish people in prison overseas and their families.  Leslie holds a Degree in Social Science from Maynooth University and a Masters in Social Work from University College Dublin, Ireland. Leslie has extensive experience working in leadership and casework positions with various social and community services in both Ireland and the United States. Prior to joining the ICPO and IECE, Leslie was the Executive Director of the Irish Diaspora Centre, a non-profit organization assisting Irish immigrants in the Philadelphia region. Leslie has previously served as a board member for the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers (CIIC), a national umbrella organization representing Irish immigrant groups throughout the United States.