FR JOSEPH LOFTUS is a Vincentian Priest, originally from the Ballina, Co. Mayo. comes to Depaul having spent the last 25 years in China, working on the empowerment of grass roots actors in the emerging Chinese voluntary sector. While in China, aware of the limits of top down responses to social needs, his work concentrated on grass root approaches to empower local stakeholders; this included developing anti-stigma programmes with people living with HIV/AIDS and expanding the reach of rural charities fundraising by creative use of the Internet.
Previous involvement with the pastoral care of Travellers in Dublin, has given him an awareness of issues facing minorities in Irish society, an awareness augmented by his pastoral work since returning to Ireland in 2018. He is currently a member of the chaplaincy team at TU Dublin. A keen runner, he has participated in 10 Beijing Marathon fundraisers and had, even before Covid made it a cliché, discovered the therapeutic effects of sourdough bread baking.
