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…)
Apr 5, 2013
A two hour Mass. You can’t be serious! In one respect you are absolutely right. Some of the most wonderful celebrations of the Eucharist are to be found in Lourdes during the annual Irish Pilgrimage Trust / HCPT week in Lourdes. It really about celebrating faith and community in an atmosphere that’s almost impossible to describe. (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…)
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…)
