Oct 18, 2015
In 2015 we have been called in a special way to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life. It’s an opportunity to give thanks for the men and women who have worked so selflessly to serve the people of God at home and abroad. It has led the priests and brothers of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) to minister in over fifty countries around the world, working with some of the most marginalised communities. However it’s not just about the past. This is a story that is ongoing and that today moves us into areas that are both challenging and prophetic. The call to mission, wherever it may lead, is as important now as it ever was before.
Henry, one of our students, at the Spirit in the City Festival
On the Way
The Holy Spirit continues to inspire people to follow their vocation as a religious sister, brother, or priest. Some may question if such a way of life has anything to offer our world today. However it’s clear that in a society that esteems money, sex, and power as all-important, perhaps the gentle witness of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience may call us to a more genuine living out of our human dignity.
Courage for Mission
Living out your vocation is less about certainty and more about having the courage to explore the possibilities. Many feel that they are not strong enough, not holy enough, or not prayerful enough to serve God as a priest, a sister or a brother. There must be so many others better suited to the task. However, it’s striking that Jesus didn’t go directly to the Temple or to the synagogue to call his first disciples. He invited fishermen and tax collectors. As it says in 1 Samuel 16:7 “People judge by outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.” He looked for those who felt a call to be part of something great; who had a sense of commitment beyond themselves; and above all had an openness of heart for God and others.
Some of the Youth from the MSC Croatian Festival
We are, each of us, called to be part of God’s great mission, to be bearers of Good News and witnesses to hope, truth, and compassion. According to Shaw “This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. … Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
Creating Space to Listen
This rejoicing in life is part of the underlying mission of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Each year our Vocations Team creates opportunities for discernment, where people can find the time and space to listen to the still small voice of God in their lives. This summer alone we have led young adult groups along the ancient pilgrimage routes of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella. We’ve also been part of several youth festivals at home and abroad where people have celebrated life and grown in faith.
Working hard on the MSC Volunteering Programme
In addition this coming year once again we’ll be running our MSC Volunteering Project. Participants will be trained and sent to work with our sisters in South Africa who care for children who have been orphaned by HIV / AIDS and TB. 2016 is also going to be the year of World Youth Day. We had an incredible trip to WYD in Rio 2013 with a group of young people from Ireland and England. Next year we’ll be travelling to Krakow to join over 4,000,000 other pilgrims to meet Pope Francis and rejoice in hope together.
Discernment Road Trip
If you’re interested in getting involved in pilgrimage along the Camino, volunteering in South Africa, Catholic youth festivals or World Youth Day 2016 we would be happy to hear from you. There are so many different opportunities now for people to explore God’s call for them, wherever it may lead.
Feeling the heat at the FLAME II Festival
In addition for those who are exploring the possibility of a vocation to religious life or priesthood we have our Road Trip. Over a weekend we’re going to be travelling to a number of different MSC communities in Dublin and Galway. You will have an experience of the richness of religious life and the breadth of MSC ministries, including our parishes, student community, hospitals, prison chaplaincy, and our retreat spirituality centre. The Road Trip takes place this coming November.
If you would like to know more you can contact me by email fralan@mscvocations.com or by phoning (086) 7857955. You can find further information about the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on our website www.mscvocations.ie
Aug 11, 2015
We had the opportunity to embrace Croatain culture
It’s a hard knock life really. This summer a group of thirteen young people and four adult leaders had the opportunity to leave behind the clouds and rain for a five day youth festival in Croatia with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. There we joined other MSCs and young people from Germany, France, Austria, and of course Croatia.
We celebrate Mass with the Bishop of Krk
It was a wonderful celebration that brought together really engaging catechesis with great craic. We looked at what it meant to be part of God’s family in the morning and then headed to the beach for canoeing and water volleyball in the afternoon. There were days away, where we had the opportunity to experience some of Croatia’s fascinating history, food and culture. We also sailed around one of the national parks and swam in some of the bluest water we had ever seen.
Back home exhausted by happy!
Above all the festival was about exploring our faith in the light of the spirituality of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It’s no accident the importance of community and the need for a good sense of humour are deliberately included in our MSC Constitutions. This was evident throughout the festival as great fun was had and good friends were made. It’s all part of being MSC!
Oct 3, 2013
This autumn, as part of our exciting new vocations programme in Ireland for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ( MSC ), we invite you to go on a journey of faith. It’s an opportunity to take a step back from the business and rush of your world and listen for that still, small voice of God. Where is God inviting you?
We all have a calling. For some it’s to married or single life and if that’s for you then that’s wonderful. For others though there is another possibility, that of religious life and priesthood. Maybe it’s been an idea at the back of your mind for a while or perhaps it’s something more recent. Whatever the case it hasn’t gone away. The possibility that you may have a vocation as a priest or a brother keeps on coming back to you in times of quietness and prayer. It’s not about certainty, but about openness to the invitation of God. (more…)
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…)
May 24, 2013
For those who are considering the possibility of a vocation to priesthood or religious life this coming Sunday something special is happening. As part of Vocations Ireland’s exciting new exploreAway programme for 2013 we are holding a taster afternoon for those who want to find out more about exploreAway, with no strings attached. (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…)
