FORMER Fianna Fáil local election candidate and trainee psychotherapist Suzzie O’Deniyi has hit out at a proposal to remove prayer from the Dáil and replace it with a “30-second to one-minute moment of reflection”.
Speaking to the Limerick Post this week, O’Deniyi, a former pupil of Scoil Carmel secondary school in Limerick City, took the view that the issue is about respecting our foundations versus rewriting them to suit today’s discomfort.
She also strongly believes that prayer is alignment and not oppression.
“The Labour Party and Social Democrats have made their position clear, they want to remove prayer from the Dáil and replace it with a ‘30-second to one-minute moment of reflection.’ Let’s call this what it is, not progress, but political overreach dressed up as reform,” Ms O’Deniyi hit out.
“This proposal reflects a growing disconnect from the very roots that shaped this country roots that have sustained Ireland through oppression, famine, and division.
“I spend my time in rooms where people are searching, often desperately, for meaning, stability, and direction. I’ve seen what happens when individuals are unmoored from their values and purpose. The same applies to nations. Prayer is not oppression, it’s alignment. It grounds the mind, the heart, and the soul before the business of governance begins.”
Ms O’Deniyi is of the view that daily prayer in the Dáil is not about proselytising. Instead, she considers it a solemn moment.
“It is a brief yet profound reminder that leadership is a moral responsibility, not just a political privilege. And in a time of global unrest, uncertainty, and widening division, the call to pray is grounded in values and is not outdated, it’s essential.
“Labour and the Social Democrats claim to champion inclusion, but how is erasing a long-standing spiritual tradition inclusive? Inclusion is not censorship. You can not promote diversity by dismantling identity. You can not celebrate Irish culture while gutting the very faith that built it.”
She is now urging every TD who understands the weight of leadership to vote against this motion.
“This is about more than prayer. It’s about respecting our foundations versus rewriting them to suit today’s discomfort. You don’t modernise a nation by hollowing out its soul. You don’t foster unity by silencing what grounds it.”
