Biography of Fr. Shay Cullen
Fr. Shay receiving the Humanitarian Award at the Meteor Awards in 2009
Shay Cullen is a Missionary priest from Ireland, a member of the Missionary Society of St. Columban and Founder and President of Preda Foundation since 1975. He has worked protecting women and children from sex slavery and promoting human rights, peace, and non-violence in the Philippines since 1969.
Born in Dublin on March 27, 1943, he was educated at Presentation College, Glasthule, Co. Dublin. Ireland. He completed his college education at St. Columban’s, Dalgan Park, Navan, Ireland and was ordained in April 1969 and went to the Philippines that year.
His mission for justice and peace is ecumenical in reach. It is based on taking a stand for human rights and protecting the dignity of every person in particular exploited women, children, and youth. His advocacy team provides community education on human rights and working for a corrupt free society.
Shay Cullen established The Preda Foundation in Olongapo City in 1974 and has being rescuing enslaved children and women from sex slavery and children from jails.
He established Preda Fair Trade as a private enterprise to alleviate poverty, support indigenous people and support his charitable projects to promote human rights, justice and peace. The project has 50 professional staff and they rescue sexually abused children from traffickers, brothels, and prisons. The Preda Foundation provides separate therapeutic homes for the rescued children boys and girls.
Shay Cullen is an international speaker and human rights campaigner. He began and led a successful campaign in the Philippines to close and convert the US Military bases to commercial use and curb sex tourism from 1983 to 1992
He is the author of Passion and Power, his autobiography. He has written a novel Rickey and Julie, available on Amazon. He is a writer and a weekly columnist for the Manila Times on Sunday and The Universe in he IK and in other international magazines. His columns are uploaded weekly to this website as well as the Preda Facebook page, and the Preda Fair Trade website. He has been nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize, and received other human rights awards. He can be reached at [email protected]
