Patrick McCrystal
Executive Director, Human Life International (Ireland)
1964 born, eldest of five.
1987 Qualified in Pharmacy 1987, Queens University, Belfast
1993 He ceased dispensing as a pharmacist the contraceptive pill and other drugs, due to their abortifacient action. As a result he was unemployed in his profession for three years, even though he attended about 30 interviews seeking a job.
1996 Published his first book entitled "Contraception and Evangelium Vitae". This book explored the abortifacient nature of the pill and was published by Human Life International (Ireland).
1997 Appointed Executive Director of Human Life International (Ireland).
2001 Married Therese and they have nine children aged 21 yrs down.
2004 Patrick and Therese featured on EWTN in the documentary produced by HLI entitled "Death in the Water", a story of how HLI (Ireland) counteracted the propaganda of the Dutch abortion ship which came to Ireland in 2001.
2009 Published his second book "Who's at the Centre of your marriage...the Pill or Jesus Christ?" Published by Human Life International (Ireland) (HLI Ireland), a core message of the book is that if a married couple wish to maximise their marital harmony they absolutely must avoid contraception and the book outlines the reasons why.
2009 Barbara McGuigan interviewed Patrick on the EWTN/Ave Maria Good Fight radio show on 31st October 2009. She said: “ I have read many books on contraception and Humanae Vitae but your book is one of the best. I love it because it is so practical, so understandable and so Holy! – it upholds the teaching of the Church and the catechism. I am not into flattery but it is honestly one of the best books I have ever read.”
2009 Travelled with Franciscan Friars of the Renewal to Lebanon as part of a ten man team conducting a pro-life, pro-faith mission throughout the nation. He was interviewed twice on Lebanon's Catholic Telelumiere Catholic satellite network, which beams into every Arabic speaking nation in the world.
2009 Invited to Germany to conduct a five day retreat on Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae during which he gave thirteen talks on the encyclical.
2010 Travelled to the U.S.A. for four T.V. interviews on his book for EWTN's global Catholic satellite network. His book subsequently went all over the world in every continent.
2010 He and colleagues moved HLI (Ireland)’s entire operation to Knock, Co Mayo Ireland, where they opened the Guadalupe Centre, a Catholic pro-life centre.
2013 He and colleagues opened the “Cloak” charity shop, Knock, Ireland under the patronage of St. Joseph.
2013 Patrick and colleagues mailed every pharmacy in Ireland in a survey on the so-called “morning-after” pill and other abortifacients.
2016 - 2023 He and colleagues launched a national billboard, bus and Facebook campaign of the Holy Face of Jesus in Ireland, with total 72 million views on social media, 14,000 new visitors to website in one week, 100 simultaneous Holy Face public prayer vigils on Good Friday. The campaign went global after a 2016 interview on Lifesitenews.
2016 He co-hosted a weekly radio show in Ireland on Radio Maria.
In 2020, he and colleagues launched HLI (Ireland)’s “Let’s Talk” a now-weekly You-tube podcast on all matters faith, life and family. Also in 2020, he and colleagues launched a campaign to sponsor 28 Tanzanian seminarians to the priesthood, who would otherwise have been lost to the priesthood. The first of these young priests was ordained in 2022, with more scheduled for ordination in 2023.
October 2021 Inspired by the Polish men’s rosary movement, he, in a private capacity, with a colleague co-founded the Irish Men’s Rosary movement which takes to the streets every first Saturday and has spread to 20 towns across Ireland and 30 countries of the world, in honour of Our Lady of Fatima.
Having totalled approx. 200 secular media interviews and debates, on radio and TV, his life was profiled by Shalom World TV’s 100-Fold series in 2021.
He and colleagues have conducted speaking tours, conferences, Catholic activism formation courses, co-founded an all-Ireland pregnancy information project, marriage renewal seminars, co-launched Women of Grace in Ireland, rosary and Holy Face prayer campaigns, all-night vigils, nationwide advertising, newsletters, printing Catholic resources and opening two shops in Knock, Ireland where HLI (Ireland) is based. Patrick and colleagues are regularly invited to speak at youth events and conferences on marriage, faith and life themes.
A critical component to their work comprises of initiating national repentance and reparation events in a accordance with 2 Chronicles 7:14, where the people of Ireland pray and repent for widespread national apostasy to draw down God’s healing of our land.
He and colleagues run the Ask Majella pregnancy information network in 32 counties in Ireland, with approx. 600 mothers in unexpected pregnancy choosing life for their babies.
He initiated and conducts the annual men’s Croagh Patrick climb and annual conference since 2011.
He is an avid beekeeper since 2004.
ALL glory goes to God!