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…)
Jan 28, 2013
Fr. Alan was interviewed last Sunday on Midwestern Radio about the new MSC Volunteering project.
For more information on the MSC Volunteering Programme click here.
For the interview with Monica Morley and Fr. Alan on Midwest’s Faith Alive programme click here.
Oct 18, 2012
This coming Sunday we celebrate Mission Sunday. It about celebrating the hundreds of years of selflessness, compassion and faith that make up the Mission tradition in Ireland. The theme in Ireland this year is Growing in Communion. We have an example of that growing in communion with Aisling Foley, a member of Viatores Christ. “I felt I had left my heart in Africa,” was Aisling’s response when she returned home from her first visit to South Africa.
She had volunteered to work with Home of Hope, a project that provides accommodation and foster care for children at risk. She took redundancy from her job as a solicitor and returned to South Africa for a year. That year has now become three! “I truly believe that I was guided to work in Home of Hope and that my mission is to stay here until God tells me that my work is done,” wrote Aisling. Every day these amazing children I work with teach me so much about tolerance, patience and love and these lessons will stay with me for life.”
Aisling follows in the spirit of Pauline Marie Jaricot, the young French woman who reached out to the needs of the Missions just after the French Revolution. Pauline’s wisdom was that all should be supported, none neglected, especially the most needy. Among Pauline’s achievements was the founding of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith 190 years ago this year. It is the Society that organises the celebration of Mission Sunday each year.
The poster above shows Aisling Foley, a lay missionary from Co. Cork with Neo in her office in the Western Cape in South Africa. Aisling is a member of Viatores Christi and Neo is one of the children with whom she works in a school called Amathemba (‘Our Hope’) for children with Fetal Alcohol spectrum Disorders.
This year the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are starting their volunteering programme with our sisters in South Africa. It’s an opportunity to make a real difference in our world, while having an unforgettable experience that will change your life. If you would like more information simply click here.
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
Jun 4, 2012
Some of the children who stay at the Holy Family Centre
You couldn’t have planned it if you tried. After a very long drive and a good night’s sleep I’m up and wandering around the Holy Family Centre with Sr. Susan. There are children running around, playing football or simply chatting with one another. As I turn the corner by the hall next to the pitch there are two children aged 11 and 7 and the older one is reading her Bible to her friend. It’s all about Moses, Pa-hair-ooh ( think about it! ) and the ten plagues. She stumbles over some of the words, but soliders on with great energy. It’s about frogs, locusts and plenty of drama. What’s not to love! (more…)
May 31, 2012
After Mass in the neighbouring township of Ivory Park
There’s a clock on the office wall of the Tshwaranang Hospice and Care Centre that advertises the services of a local funeral director. It’s a sombre reminder of the reality facing South Africa in light of the HIV / AIDS crisis. But in a place that could easily be overshadowed by despair hope reigns, at least for now.
As we walk around the ground with Mna. Joanna, the centre director, we meet Sammy working in the garden. Sammy was once a patient in Tshwarang, but because of the care he received he has now recovered, at least temporarily. He is now looking after the vegetables that the Centre grows and sells in order to help support itself.
Tshwaranang Hospice
The word ‘Tshwaranang’ means ‘holding hands.’ It is small centre, with only eighteen beds. On the weekend we visit one person has died and two more patients have been admitted. What is important here is the quality of care. From the food prepared in the simple kitchen, to the grounds where the patients sit out on warm days, to the gentleness of the nurses, there is a sense of something special happening.
Tshwaranang is a place where the Gospel message is very much alive. It’s not enough to treat the sick because they are in need of medical attention or even because they are our brothers and sisters. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus tells us the mark of a Christian will be their ability to see the divine in the poor, the imprisoned, the refugee and the infirm and to treat them as they would treat Christ himself. This is an essential part of our truest vocation and the greatest challenge of our faith, to see the divine spark in all people, especially those at the margins.
‘The Africa Bug’
