Who We Are

To know and love Jesus more and make him better known and loved.

Fr Gerry Campbell

Hi, I’m Gerry Campbell; a native of Magherafelt, Co. Derry. I was ordained a priest in 1990 and during the last twenty-seven years, I have been engaged in many areas of ministry – working with teachers of R.E. in Primary School, Youth Ministry, Charismatic Renewal etc. My gifts are definitely in the area of Pastoral Ministry and presently part of my ministry is to promote the Pastoral Plan in the Archdiocese of Armagh.
I was introduced to Charismatic Renewal before I was ordained. However, it wasn’t until I was baptised in the Holy Spirit some years after ordination that I felt my priesthood transformed. Being a priest is the joy of my life and I love ministering in parish and throughout the diocese. You can read how my dream for a group of apostles has been realised in ‘The 12’ in the welcome to this site.
Through the ministries of ‘The 12’ many people have been brought into a real and loving relationship with Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Being part of these ministries, whether it is Life in the Spirit Seminars, Unbound- Freedom in Christ Ministry, Called & Gifted or just taking time to listen to and pray with people is a great privilege and I feel so blessed to be part of this wonderful group of Intentional Disciples of the Lord. Our Mission is ‘to know and love Jesus more, to make Him better known and loved’ and this is my mission as a priest – to help more and more people experience the love and mercy of God which is far beyond our understanding.
To those of you reading this who feel lost, alone, sinful or unwanted I say, the Lord loves YOU! Come home to Him! He is waiting for You! If you feel lost I challenge you to pray, ‘Lord, please find me’. He Will!

Maire Maguire

My name is Marie Maguire and I live with my loving, caring, supportive husband James in Aughnacloy Co. Tyrone.
I have five wonderful brothers. I was blessed to be born into a stable catholic family who loved and cared for all my needs and never neglected my spiritual growth nurturing my faith at my level of understanding. I was baptised the day after I was born and named in honour of our blessed mother.
In due time I was prepared by family, teachers and priests to received the sacraments of confession, communion and confirmation.
Having completed my education I was blessed to begin working and I became more independent taking responsibility for the decisions I had to make about my life style.
One of my first decisions was to become a pioneer thankfully I have always remained faithful to my promise.
Later I met James Maguire my God given gift to accompany me through life and as we prepared to celebrate the sacrament of matrimony I was aware that this was our choice we were both adults and nobody else was taking on this commitment.
In our life together we continued to give God His place attending Holy Mass praying the Rosary and reaching out and sharing with others in their times of need.
I have always been active in building the Kingdom Of God here on earth working in many fields in His vast domain.
One decisive moment in my faith journey was when I received the baptism in the spirit and I became more alive and active in my witness of how God The Holy Spirit was making use of a mere humble creature like me in the big plan of His Church, recalling the words I have no hands no feet no voice but yours.
As a member of THE 12 I share my charisms for the uplifting of others to encourage them to seek through reading the scriptures daily the guidance of the Holy Spirit to live our mission statement.

Clare Clarke

My name is Clare Clarke and I live in Dundalk. I have one adult son. I am a member of ‘The 12’ since November 2014.
I worked in the Health Service Executive for a number of years and retired in May 2008. I went on to study for a Certificate in Theology in Milltown College Dublin which I undertook on a two-year part-time basis.
I subsequently undertook two Units of Clinical Pastoral Education in the Mater Hospital Dublin. Clinical Pastoral Education is the training ground for Lay Chaplaincy and other vocations also.
I have been involved in many areas of service in my local Parish, St. Patrick’s Parish, Dundalk, Co. Louth.
I was a member of the Parish Pastoral Council from 2007 to 2013. I was a member of St. Patrick’s Parish Baptismal Team from it’s inception in April 2008 for approximately 7 years.
I was a member of the R.C.I.A. Team in the Parish during that period also. I joined the Children’s Liturgy Team in 2013 and am still involved as a Facilitator with this group. I am a Reader of The Word in our Parish on a weekly basis and this Ministry has greatly enriched my life. I have gained great strength and so many blessings in my personal life having finally said ‘Yes’ in answer to God’s call in my life to be a Reader of His Word; ‘In giving We receive’.
As a member of ‘The 12’ I am called to go out and evangelise and we as a group aspire to bring God’s forgiveness, freedom, healing, joy and wholeness to all we meet . Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News.
My Good News is that I personally have experienced God’s love, mercy, compassion and accompaniment in both the dark times and the happier times in my life. I experienced God’s love and acceptance of me, at times when I could not accept or love myself. God is healing my brokenness and I am becoming whole again. This is the reason why I personally want to spread the Good News. God loves each and every one of us unconditionally and He is ever present in each of our lives. Sometimes we need to be reminded of this.

Joan McKenna

I am a wife of forty years, mother, grandmother, retired teacher. I could never have foreseen that I would become a member of an evangelisation team, but five years ago the opportunity of an invitation from a member of this new group the Twelve, to “come and see” led to an exciting new chapter in my life.
I was brought up in a traditional Catholic family by hardworking loving parents who instilled in us love for the truth, compassion, trust in the Lord and respect for the Church and authority. It took me some time to realise how fortunate we were to have received this firm foundation for life.
However as time went on, I had to unlearn some of the narrow, less inclusive attitudes that I had absorbed early on. Being a mother of four teenagers I knew I needed a fuller understanding of my faith for their sake. Since then I have been searching. When the Soil for the Seed programme started in Dundalk in 2007 I felt I had found a really good avenue to adult faith formation. Maybe it was only then that I was ready for it!
With the Twelve I am privileged to see how generously the Lord responds when we make room for Him in our lives. Among other programmes the Unbound: Freedom in Christ ministry (a gentle healing prayer ministry that helps people explore the barriers to their peace of mind and spirit) brings amazing relief and is a joy to witness. I enjoy the variety in our work and how it is continually developing as well as the time spent together in prayer and discussion. Please God that we may continue so that I can give something back for the very many blessings I have received.

Helen Murphy

My name is Helen Murphy and I live in Pomeroy, Co Tyrone. I am married with four grown up children and I work as a primary school teacher. I am a member of the Dungannon Charismatic Prayer Group which I attend regularly.
The foundations of my faith though stem from my mother’s deep devotion to prayer, her love of the Sacred Heart and our Lady as well as an overwhelming acceptance of God’s will through difficult times. My faith has been enhanced through attendance at the prayer group and by participating whenever possible in either day or weekend retreats and seminars organized by local prayer groups.
On this journey I have met so many deeply spiritual lay people who continue to inspire me with their love and devotion for our Lord. I am relatively new to ‘The 12’; having joined in February 2016 but already feel a strong affiliation with the group and I am drawn and totally committed to our mission statement of knowing and loving Jesus more and to make him better known and loved. I feel extremely privileged and honoured to be a member of the mission team under the spiritual guidance of Fr. Gerry and I am in awe of the time, commitment, energy and uplifting guidance he readily gives.

Anne Farley

My name is Anne Farley. I am married to Kevin and we have four children and twelve grandchildren. At present I am retired from work.
Fr. Gerry asked me to join ‘The 12’. I prayed about this request and I felt the Lord Jesus was calling me on this journey. I was commissioned by Cardinal Brady on 12/12/12. As part of ‘The 12’ I have discovered my charisms and talents. Commitment to the group is very important to me as is loyalty and support of the other members. I see that we all have been given charisms and talents to build up the Body of Christ. As a group we are focused and we strive towards the same goal. In our meeting we share our charisms, our knowledge and insights and by discerning together we set our focus and plans for ministry.
As a member of ‘The 12’, I have grown spiritually. I have gained much from our training, retreats and mutual support. I also have a spiritual director – a requirement as a member. Spiritual direction has kept me focused.
I believe as a Disciple of Jesus we must step out of our comfort zones. Proverbs 1:25 says “A generous soul will be made rich and he who waters will also be watered himself.” This is what I try to do as a member of ‘The 12’. The generosity of other members inspires me as does our Mission Statement: To Know and Love Jesus more, to make Him better known and loved.”
I am a member of both Armagh Holy Spirit Prayer Group and Monaghan Prayer Group. As part of my work with ‘The 12’ I help found the Armagh Holy Spirit Prayer Group.