Sep 16, 2020
This Year, a year like no other we have had to cope and adjust to many new ways of doing things.
For over fifty years we have organized an Annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes but as you are all aware such travel is not permitted this year. That is why with the use of technology we are inviting you to join us on a virtual pilgrimage online at here
It will include Daily Mass at 10 am from Sacred Heart Church in Cork.
Angelus and Rosary with reflective images at Noon repeated at 3pm.
A reflection at 7.30 followed by a live stream from Lourdes. See our online schedule here.
It may not be the same as being there, but we hope through images and reflections during the week it will in spirit bring us to that place of peace and calm.
From Nevers, Bernadette made a spiritual pilgrimage to Lourdes every day: “Every day I go in spirit to the Grotto. I make a pilgrimage there.”
If you would like us to send out your petitions to Lourdes, please feel free to forward them to Fr. Michael O’Connell MSC at our Mission Support Centre.
You can also send in your prayer intentions online here
We pray through the intercession of Our Lady Lourdes that this time of prayer and reflection may bring us peace and healing during these troubled times.
Fr. Michael O’Connell MSC
MSC Pilgrimage team.
Prayer to the Immaculate Conception for a Spiritual Pilgrimage
Our Lady of Lourdes,
You who revealed your presence to Bernadette
By simply saying “I am the Immaculate Conception”,
Grant us the grace to be present with you
at the Grotto of Massabielle.
We cannot be there today,
but we are present in spirit
with Bernadette and all the pilgrims from Lourdes
who have gone before us.
You gave birth to the Saviour of the world,
Look tenderly on our world in her distress.
Open in us a path of hope,
Guide us to Him who is the Living Source,
Jesus, your Son, who teaches us to say ……………..Our Father…
We might be unable to come and gather together physically in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, but we are all invited to come on a spiritual pilgrimage.
From Nevers, Bernadette made a spiritual pilgrimage every day:“Every day I go in spirit to the Grotto. I make a pilgrimage there.”
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us:
“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them”.
(Matt. 18:20)
Lourdes Pilgrimage 2019
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Jun 23, 2016
Moving at a different pace
It wasn’t looking good. Anytime I checked the weather app it said rain. When I checked back a few minutes later, hoping against hope, it was only getting worse. The threat of thunder and lightning is certainly not the ideal circumstances for a 114km walk along the ancient and beautiful pilgrimage route toward Santiago de Compostella. Still with bags packed, water bottles filled, and enthusiasm unbridled we began our Camino from the sleepy town of Sarria just before dawn. It was to be the beginning of a wonderful adventure. (more…)
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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 18, 2015
There’s something amazing about the pilgrims on the Way
Buen Camino!’ It’s a familiar phrase that pilgrims say as they meet one another on the Way. It’s both a greeting and a blessing for those who walk to Santiago de Compostella across the north of Spain. There is a strange sense of community out here, where people of all religious backgrounds and none undertake a journey of faith.
I was watching a documentary recently about the Church in Ireland. One of the contributors pointed out that in Irish the word for church translated literally was ‘teach an phobail’ or simply ‘the house of the people.’ It’s with this understanding in mind that I’ve joined a group of people on the Camino, welcoming pilgrims on the Way. Some of the team are working in Santiago de Compostella. I’m based halfway along the Camino Frances in the little town of Moratinos, where I live with the wonderful Rebekah Scott, her husband Patrick, five dogs, two cats, and a budgie. (more…)
Jul 8, 2015
Only 100km to go!
The plane was late. Only an hour, but in Spain connections are precarious. However finally everybody touched down and we managed to make a mad dash to get our bus. When we arrived in Sarria we began to move at an entirely different pace. On the Way you have to leave the hurry and bustle of the world behind, if only for a short while. It’s an experience that has drawn people from all around the world, including nine pilgrims making up our MSC Camino group.
Just after dawn the next day we began our 111km journey to Santiago de Compostella. It’s an incredible experience of walking from horizon to horizon across the beautiful Galician countryside. We followed in the footsteps of countless thousands of pilgrims, stretching back over a thousand years, towards the resting place of St. James the Apostle.
Follow Your Heart – Wisdom on the Way
Our group was made up of college students and staff, with Henry and Giacomo along for good measure. We walked about 25km per day, arriving at our destinations before the heat of the noon Sun. Then there was the opportunity to have a siesta, explore the town, and chat with fellow pilgrims. In the evening there was time for Mass and the famous €10 Camino three course dinner. There were surprisingly no blisters ( well, not many anyway ) and everybody got on like a house on fire. (more…)
Dec 30, 2014
Take time to walk the Way
You’ve heard about it from a friend. Perhaps you saw the movie. You know, the one with Martin Sheen. Maybe you stumbled across it somewhere online. For whatever reason as the New Year begins you’re thinking of walking the Camino, but you’re not sure where to start. Look no further.
The Camino is about walking each day towards the horizon and seeing what could happen
This summer we’re leading a group of young adults along the last week of the Way from Sarria to Santiago de Compostella. This will be our third year leading groups on the Camino and so far it has been a fantastic experience. It’s both profoundly spiritual and great fun. It’s a wonderful opportunity to try something entirely different, as each morning you take up your backpack and walk to the horizon with the sun rising behind you. You’ll follow in the footsteps of hundreds of thousand of pilgrims stretching back over a millennium. We’ll make our way through he beautiful Galician countryside by roadside, forest path and cobbled lanes, until we reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella. (more…)
