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MEET FRANCIS JOHN Ross Bush. For the last five and a half years, he has been technically homeless, though he would never use that word to describe his lifestyle.
He says he lives in ‘holy poverty’, dedicated to his faith and faith alone. Bush, who is originally from England, arrived in Ireland about three months ago after spending some time in Italy and when we spoke to him, he was spending his nights under the stars in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, relying on the goodwill of the Capuchin brothers for his meals and basic comforts at the soup kitchen they run.
Source: Michelle Hennessy/TheJournal.ie"I’m not perhaps the usual type of person living in this way, but yes, I have no money, I have all my wordly goods on my back in general and I have to find somewhere each night to keep dry and warm and gratefully fed in Dublin's fair city," he told TheJournal.ie.
Though he speaks strongly of his faith and his devotion to the work of God, Bush conceded that his personal circumstances, similar to many others who become homeless, had pushed him into the situation he is in now.
After his marriage ended and he was denied access to his son, he embarked on a pilgrimage around the world, explaining that he chose to "turn to God through these long painful years". Tragically, Bush said three years ago, at the age of 18, his son took his own life.
His pilgrimage continued and he recently spent some time with Franciscan brothers in Waterford before joining Dublin's homeless community.
He eats his meals at the Capuchin Day Centre, where we first met him, spends a good deal of his day praying in a church and then usually a few hours at the Dublin City Library where he uses the computers.
Bush said this lifestyle has brought him a certain clarity about the world, as he explains here:
He is also in a unique position, spending time among Dublin's homeless population, but still looking in from the outside.
Bush said he feels most of all that there is a need for more places that "extend a welcome" to those with drug or alcohol problems who are living on the streets.
There’s a need for more of that sort of facility to give solace to those [people] - it is soul destroying. I’m blessed, in coming from a good, educated background, but with too much time on your hands and just, as it were, on the streets, it can be very painful, especially for young people.
From his time spent at the Capuchin Day Centre, he believes homeless people in Ireland can be better served by facilities run by religious orders, like the Franciscans.
"The beauty of the Franciscan friary, or Capuchin Day Centre, is that it’s underpinned by Christian spirit - everyone’s welcome, I’m quite sure there’s no racial, religious, colour sort of bar on anyone," he said. "Drunken people, I think, are asked to come back another time, but the ethos is quite clearly Christian and I’m sure that is in large part why it works so well."
Pic: Andrew Bennett via Flickr/Creative Commons
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I don’t care if I get slated for saying this but that is just ridiculously ignorant and nothing short of pious stupidity.
Also referred to as proselytising.
I think it sounds like he’s made quite an informed choice based on his own personal spirituality, not on ignorance at all. He sounds like a very interesting person, I’d like to meet him
The Mental stress caused by his relationship with his family seems to have become sublimated into a search for spirituality. Many alcoholics and ex-drug users and those with other mental illness find solace in moving from the ‘real’ world into a spiritual dimension. Seems like a survival strategy to me.
What an absolute clown. All the people in this country looking for a home and this idiot living on the streets for magic sky people !
Jesus only did it for 40 days!! He’s only increasing the statistics. He could offer your time in the kitchens or dishing out help instead of sitting under the stars!! Great work by the capuchin monks by the way!!
These articles so far have been eye opening, but this one is simply unnecessary. I have zero sympathy for someone who intentionally stays homeless.
I find it ridiculous that religions try to claim a monopoly on morality. All in the Christian spirit eh? Does that mean children are abused in the Centre on a daily basis? People are threatened with eternal damnation if they don’t follow the rules? Women are only allowed in as servants? Freedom of thought is frowned upon? Gay people aren’t welcome? Or are we simply cherry-picking the extremely limited positive points of Christianity and shoving the rest under the rug?
If someone needs to get morality from a book which belongs in the mythology section of a library,they’ve got issues or are deluded beyond reality.
Morality predates man made religion!
Sounds like a free loader who prays a lot..Why doesnt he get a job and donate his wages to the soup kitchen?
I am full of sympathy for people who find themselves in dire poverty.
But reading this I got so mad! He is doing what the young people do before they settle down and get work and have a family. Except the young people call it back packing around the world.!
This fellow it would seem is having a free ride based on poverty and faith. His young son committed suicide. Did this not wake him up?.
And if he is truly doing it in the name of god maybe there is a big shock in store for him when his time comes
to join the great majority!
Waster!
Wat harm is he doing to anyone . Let him be
What a tosser. All the “business bunnies”? I hate people who scorn productive professionals out of some notion that they are living in an unrealistic fantasy just because they have running water and don’t sleep outside. Someone working in a bank or insurance company is just as vital a cog in our society as the farmers (like me) who grow our food. Someone choosing to do nothing and just accept charity is ridiculous and totally unfair to people who genuinely need the chairty. What a waste of life and potential. There’s surely some cause worth devoting his life to instead of praying and preying on charity.
Is this supposed to be satirical comedy? Are we supposed to give a toss?
I’ve seen this man in action, he speaks a lot about jesus, and how he’s a messenger of god.
In realty he’s a vicious bully, who talks about his recently deceased son as being dead to him for years.
He’s an evil man who can just jump straight back into normality.
Yet in the name of religion is fooling people into believing he’s intersting.
Sooner the better this man is told to pack up and head off
OK Paul, we get it.
I think Paul Lyons is a computer generated servant of the Devil .
Either that , or he just has a twitch .
I’ve seen this man in action, he speaks a lot about jesus, and how he’s a messenger of god.
In realty he’s a vicious bully, who talks about his recently deceased son as being dead to him for years.
He’s an evil man who can just jump straight back into normality.
Yet in the name of religion is fooling people into believing he’s intersting.
Sooner the better this man is told to pack up and head off.
Check out this lads videos on youtube seriously weird…………The Funeral of Robert Francis Ross Bush: http://youtu.be/AMlKCXFWWhA
Watching the video reminds me of the adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Ceasar.
Mattie Hislop?
I thought these stories were supposed to be posted first thing in the morning so they would be in the way of people not interested in them?
I’ve seen this man in action, he speaks a lot about jesus, and how he’s a messenger of god.
In realty he’s a vicious bully, who talks about his recently deceased son as being dead to him for years.
He’s an evil man who can just jump straight back into normality.
Yet in the name of religion is fooling people into believing he’s interesting.
Sooner the better this man is told to pack up and head off
Nope, we don’t feed Venerable people to Religious orders anymore.
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