Jul 23, 2014
MSC Volunteering on Safari
It’s another day in the Holy Family Centre ( HFC ) during the winter holidays. Along with the staff the MSC Volunteers took the kids out to Moholoholo Animal Rescue and Game Preserve. The children were roared at by lions, got chased by a cheetah and were able to pet a hawk. When you follow that up with a picnic in the park it makes for an amazing day and a typical one for our volunteers. This is the second year that we’ve run the MSC Volunteering Project in South Africa. It’s an opportunity to give a number of young adults from Ireland and the UK an experience of making a difference by sharing their gifts and talents in the developing world. (more…)
Sep 2, 2013
All good things come to an end.
It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of our stay at Holy Family Care Centre. It has been the most enriching experience. There has been much laughter, a few tears and alot of reflection over the past few months. As well as enjoying our surroundings here we have had the pleasure of enjoying the stunning scenery of ‘Gods Window’, Pilgrims Rest & many more scenic spots. It was lovely to get out as a group and share some quality time together. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends, yet finding it difficult to deal with saying goodbye when the time comes, but like everything in this world it will never be as hard as it seems at the time. We have really got to know all the kids and workers here at Holy Family over the past months. We can recognise the voices calling out for us at our gate, the different cries of the crèche children and the different laughs that echo around the centre. We opened our hearts fully and really connected with each and every one. We have learned more from them than they have from us and boy o boy can these kids teach you a thing or two. (more…)
Jul 11, 2013
Kevin Murphy is an electrician from Scotland. He arrived in the Holy Family Centre at the beginning of July. In addition to teaching the older teenagers about basic construction skills Kevin will introduce the kids to the wonder of Celtic FC! He’ll also be running football games, organising crafts afternoons, taking part in days out and fixing broken lights. With over seventy children in Holy Family a handyman is always in demand!
Kevin writes …
My time with the MSCs and in the Holy Family Centre has been an amazing experience so far. The training weekends in the MSC house in Western Road were fantastic and very well organised. Myself and the other volunteers were welcomed with great hospitality and a lot of humour. Both training weekends took in all the rules and regulations, but also had great fun coming up with children’s games, activities and group building exercises for the volunteers to get to know each other. (more…)
Jun 7, 2013
“You are authentic disciples of Jesus Christ,” said Pope Francis when he was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.
Speaking about the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, he spoke of their ministry, saying “only a priest in love with the Lord can renew a parish. But at the same time he must be a missionary who lives the constant desire of looking for those who are separated and who is not content with just administration.” (more…)
May 25, 2013
Yesterday was all about engagement. It’s more than just a buzz word. It’s about looking at how we as a Church in general and as vocations directors in particular outreach to young people. Sixty vocations directors from a wide variety of religious congregations gathered in the Emmaus Centre in Dublin to share, brainstorm and realise new and exciting ways of making contact with people considering a call to religious life and the priesthood. (more…)
Mar 21, 2013
‘The Africa Bug’
Last weekend saw the first gathering of our lay missionary volunteers in Sacred Heart Community, Western Road. It was an opportunity for the four people who are preparing to journey to South Africa for three months to meet up and get to know one another. As part of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme ( MSCVP ) they are going to spend the summer working with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and the team in the Holy Family Centre in Ofcolaco. The Centre is home to around seventy children, ranging from babies to teenagers, who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS and TB. (more…)
