May 21, 2025
Heartfelt thanks to all who took part in our recent fundraising event for the children of the Holy Family Care Centre, a care facility for young children run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, with the support of the MSC, in Ofcolaco, South Africa. The fundraising event took place at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, after Masses on May 17th and 18th, and raised a current running total of €4,216.87 for the Holy Family community.
Our plant and cake sale takes place in aid of the Holy Family team each May, and it’s a much-anticipated event each year for our MSCs, parishioners, and local mission friends alike. This year’s fundraiser really and truly marked the beginning of summer in earnest, with beautiful blue skies and sunshine providing the perfect backdrop for a relaxed weekend for fun, chat, and delicious treats. Old friends and new acquaintances caught up over teas and coffees, while our beloved alpaca friends made a welcome return thanks to Nora Casey of Macroom – and were once again the stars of the show. Even Fr John, Director of our MSC Missions Office, couldn’t resist a visit to say hello to those furry faces!
Established in 2002, the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa has been run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with the support of the MSC for over 20 years, under the leadership of Sr Sally Duigan FDNSC. The Holy Family Care Centre is an invaluable facility for young children who are very ill and who, in many cases, have been orphaned or abandoned. These children are primarily HIV positive and are in need of extremely specialised and highly care. With the resources to accommodate 70 children, the Centre’s facilities are stretched to full capacity and beyond on a daily basis; Sr Sally admits that the team at the Centre does its best never to turn a child away, and the Holy Family team currently have 82 children in their care.
With many children coming from very troubling backgrounds of violence and abuse, the Holy Family Care Centre is a sanctuary for children in need, and the Centre feels more like a home to one big happy family. However, the availability of funding is an ongoing concern, as the Centre relies on donations and the generosity of benefactors, including our MSC mission friends and the local community, for the upkeep of buildings and equipment, and to be able to continue doing the work that they do – “[giving] our children love, security, and care, in the hope they will thrive,” in the words of Sr Sally.
Our annual fundraiser is a wonderful way for our friends and parishioners here in Cork to support our friends across the miles in South Africa, as well as being a thoroughly enjoyable event for all involved! Sincere thanks to everybody who worked so hard to organise such a special weekend, and to all who contributed and took part even in the smallest way. It all contributes to the bigger picture, the global picture, and we are truly grateful for your kindness.
If you can, please support the Holy Family community
Oct 9, 2012
On Thursday coming we’re going to be launching the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme at the DCU Volunteering Expo. We’ll be in the Venue – Students Union from 11:00am to 3:00pm, so if you’re around make sure to say hello. Below you’ll find details of the Programme.
With the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme you will work with a community who need your skills, talents and enthusiasm. It’s about being in partnership with others, teaching and learning at the same time, and sharing of yourself in order to make a real difference in your world.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme (MSCVP) is a new initiative that:
– looks to provide enriching, challenging and meaningful short term voluntary experiences.
– seeks to share the talents of our volunteers with our partner projects.
– works towards promoting responsible volunteering in our partner projects in South Africa.
We are looking for young men and women, between the ages of 25 and 40, who are interested in undertaking three months of volunteering work abroad over summer. Ideally applicants should have relevant skills, such as a teacher, mechanic, carpenter, nurse, electrician, doctor, etc. All necessary training will be provided. Part of the expenses for the trip will be provided, but there will be a need for fundraising.
If you would like further information you can contact Fr. Alan on (086) 7857955 or by email fralan@mscvocations.ie
May 10, 2012
You’d be hard pressed to find a country which has been traditionally more Catholic than Spain. It’s been at the centre of the story of the Church for hundreds of years, but in recent times it has faced many of the same challenges we have in Ireland and England. There has been a falling off in attendance, an aging of the parish congregations and of course a dramatic drop in vocations. Times however seem to be changing, most especially on the last issue.
A still from one of the Bishops’ campaigns
The bishops of Spain have launched themselves into the world of social media and their work around vocations has gone viral. They’ve posted a number of videos on Youtube to mark the country’s Seminary Day on May 19th. Faces of different men appear on screen saying things like, “I can’t promise you a life of adventure, but I can promise you one that will be exciting.” As the camera pulls back we see that the men are priests. This year in Spain there has been a 4.2% increase in men coming forward for the priesthood. A modest increase, but when placed in the context of an almost continuous freefall over the past years it’s a significant result.
[youtube k1pY_IugQfY nolink]
Parishioners from our MSC Parish in England at WYD in Madrid
But where is this shift coming from. Is it a result of the economic downturn in Spain at the moment? Is it part of a wider spiritual awakening that may have been prompted by events like World Youth Day in Madrid last year? What is clear is that there is a need for people to come forward to devote themselves in a special way to following Christ. There is a need for people who have a passion of the Gospel message, a heart sustained by faith and compassion and courage to go out to the whole world.
For more information on the situation in Spain check out this week’s edition of The Tablet.
Apr 2, 2012
This Holy Week and throughout Easter we look at the what it really means to be a follower of Christ. A lot has been written on the subject, but I think an article in today’s Irish Times really sums up what it takes to be a true disciple.
As a minor aside when I went looking for a photo to accompany the article one wasn’t available. If you Google ‘Fr. Brian Ryan’ eight photos come up and none of them are him. If you Google ‘Kardashians’ you get 402,000,000 results. Enough said.
Let’s hear it for the uncle Brians of this world
FRENCH NOTES: Being part of a sport where the successful are lauded as heroes by media, we can lose sight of the fact that the real ones live anonymously amongst us, writes MATT WILLIAMS (more…)
Jan 11, 2012
Looking to make a real difference?
For those of you who are looking to take some time out from college or work and to try something completely different you could consider the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme MSCVP. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart minister in over fifty countries around the world in a wide variety of different areas, including schools, parishes, hospitals and prisons. We have developed a volunteer programme for people, between the ages of twenty three and forty to work for seven weeks in some of these locations.
Through our volunteer programme you will work with a community who need your skills, talents and enthusiasm. It’s about being in partnership with others, teaching and learning at the same time, and sharing of yourself in order to make a real difference in your world.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme (MSCVP) is an initiative that:
- looks to provide enriching, challenging and meaningful short term voluntary experiences
- seeks to share the talents of our volunteers with our partner projects.
- works towards promoting responsible volunteering in our partner projects in South Africa.
We are looking for men and women, between the ages of 23 and 40, who are interested in undertaking seven weeks of volunteering work abroad over summer. Ideally applicants should have relevant skills, such as teaching, mechanics, carpentry, nursing, electrician, medicine, etc. However each person is taken on their own merits. All necessary preparatory training will be provided. Some of the expenses for the trip will be provided, but there will be a need for fundraising.
Where we work
One of the places our volunteers work and stay is in the Holy Family Centre, situated at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains in Ofcolaco, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The Centre works with the sick and vulnerable, especially orphaned children with HIV and AIDS. At any one time there are about seventy children being cared for. The Centre is about much more than just basic food and accommodation. It’s not about providing a house, but a home for these children. Our sister Congregation, The Daughters of the Lady of the Sacred Heart, administer the Centre which is non-denominational. They work with a dedicated team of staff and volunteers who provide individual and loving care for the children. For more information on the Holy Family Centre click here.
In addition to Holy Family Centre this year we are working in partnership with projects in Louis Trichardt that focus on the rights of refugees and the educational needs of children with disabilities. It is our aim to provide a wide range of volunteering experiences, while at the same time working with partners who follow the highest standards of care.
The nature of your work in the project will include day to day concerns, but will also seek to engage your particular skill set. Most importantly your time with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteering Programme will provide a rewarding and unforgettable experience, both for yourself and those you serve.
So what is volunteering with the MSC Volunteering Programme really like?
You can check out the blogs of some of this year’s volunteers:
Joanie’s Blog
http://www.mscvocations.ie/2013/09/02/volunteering-africa-good-things-come-end/
Karen’s Blog
http://www.mscvocations.co.uk/2013/09/13/volunteering/
Kevin’s Blog
http://www.mscvocations.ie/2013/07/11/celtic-volunteer-in-south-africa/
Preparation Session
http://www.mscvocations.ie/2013/05/08/face-paints-football-and-knitting-volunteering-msc-style/
Want to know more?
For more information contact Fr. Alan Neville MSC on (086) 7857955 or by email fralan@mscvolunteering.com
For further resources and latest news around volunteering contact Comhlamh.
MSC Volunteering Project supports best practice in volunteering and upholds the Comhlamh’s Volunteer Charter.
MSC Volunttering Project supports best practice around responsible use of photos and images in volunteering. We are also signatories of the Dochas Code of Best Practice.
If you have any queries or issues about our application of either the Comhlamh or Dochas Codes of Best Practice do not hesitate to contact us. Alternatively you can contact Dochas directly click here.
As part of our commitment to best practice in child safeguarding all successful applicants will complete a Garda Vetting ( Irl. ) or Disclosure and Barring Service ( UK ) check.
