Sep 24, 2013
Fr. Vinnie Screene MSC celebrating a wedding in his parish in Maracaibo
It was an interesting experience. One of my first Masses here in Maracaibo, Venezuela was celebrated with a packed church in pitch darkness. I had an altar server with a torch, prodigious endurance and a steady hand. This isn’t a tradition or idiosyncrasy of the Latin American Church. The night before some robbed the copper cable that ran the electricity in to the church of Nuestra Senora de la Paz ( or Our Lady of Peace to you and me ). Apparently it goes for a hefty price around here. (more…)
Sep 7, 2013
Fr. John Jennings MSC working in a local school
What does it mean to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart? Who are we and what do we do? How are we different from the diocesan priests and members of other religious congregations? It’s a difficult question to answer, but perhaps the best I can do is to show you. As part of our vocations blog we’ll follow four members of the Chevalier family, ministering in radically different parts of the world, but united in a common MSC mission: That the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere known and loved.
Fr. John Jennings is an MSC missionary from Cork, Ireland working in one of the most marginalised barrios in Caracas, Venezuela. In addition to parish work John ministers as a part time chaplain in some of the country’s largest prisons. (more…)
Aug 3, 2013
Following World Youth Day in Rio 2013 some of the young people with the MSC Vocations team reflect on the week’s highlights.
Kieran Torbuck
One of my favourite experiences of the World Youth Day (WYD) so far had to be the visit to the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Despite the wind and cold, spirits were high as pilgrims from the world over united in song and chants, sharing photos and gifts. This was our first real experience of the WYD atmosphere and I’m pleased to say that it only grew bigger throughout the week as we made new friends.
The Opening Ceremony was another highlight for me, since although we were divided for our group it was easy to meet other groups and everyone was happy to mix and invite us in. For me, it is this feeling of togetherness, unity and celebration that has made WYD such a fantastic experience. (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…)
Feb 15, 2013
Last week I was at a talk in Dublin on the work of the VSO and the future of overseas volunteering after 2015. All in all an interesting morning with good contributions from representative of the UN, the European Parliment and academia. They also invited Fr. Fachtna O’Driscoll, the Provincial of the SMA Fathers, to address the group about the missionary legacy of the Church and its future. In the course of his talk he revealed a startling statistic. By adding up the number of years that missionary brothers, sisters and priests worked all around the world he estimated that their commitment added up to more than 200,000 years altogether.
Fr. Tom O’Brien MSC working in Venezuela
It was an astonishing figure. When he said it the reaction of the people in the room was interesting. There was admiration, a little indifference, but above all surprise. There is something to be proud of when we think of all those people who had the courage to follow their vocation; to go out to the whole world and to proclaim the good news. (more…)
