Nov 24, 2014
Vocations ministry in Ireland is busy at the best of times, but it looks like 2015 is going to be exceptional! Pope Francis has continued to revolutionise and encourage the Church by designating November 30th 2014 until February 2nd 2016 the Year of Consecrated Life. He believes that, “Religious life ought to promote growth in the church by way of attraction. The church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! . . . It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up.”
A Year for Getting Up and Going!
This year in Ireland we are going to continue and expand our vocations ministry. We will have opportunities to walk the road less traveled along pilgrim pathways to Lourdes, Medjugorge and Santiago de Compostella. We’re going to take part in festivals at home and abroad where you can celebrate what it really means to be a Catholic with thousands of others. We’ll have Samuel groups, discernment weekends and Road Trips for those of you who are perhaps looking to really listen to where God is calling you, whether it’s marriage, the single life, priesthood or a religious vocation. We’ll also have our third year of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteering Project for people wanting to work in solidarity with the margnialised in South Africa. If the challenge is to wake up the world, then the question must be, ‘Why are you still lying around?!”
Over the coming week we are going to be advertising all of our programmes for 2015. Like our Facebook page or subscribe to our blog to make sure you get all the up to date information for the Year of Consecrated Life.
Oct 14, 2014
Spirit in the City Festival in London
It has been a summer of celebration for the MSC vocations team, filled with festivals, pilgrimages and volunteering. Most exciting of all we opened our new student community in Dublin on September 8th with two candidates, Kevin and Henry. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In fact we’ll start at the very beginning of summer. It is, as the song goes, a very good place to start.
Arriving after 111Km on the Camino
June opened with a young adult pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. For those of you who haven’t heard of The Way it’s an 800km walk across the north of Spain to the resting place of the Apostle James. It has been part of Catholic tradition for well over a millennium. Each year it inspires hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to leave hurry and noise of life behind, to walk or cycle or ride on horseback to Santiago in a spirit of reflection and prayer. Our group this year came from Scotland and Ireland and they were profoundly moved by the experience, in spite of the torrential rain once or twice. June was also a good time for festivals and we took part in Brightlights young adult weekend and the Spirit in the City evangelisation day in Leicester Square. They are at the forefront of engaging young adults and exploring what faith means today. (more…)
Aug 5, 2014
Pilgrims from absolutely everywhere!
The first thing that strikes you when you arrive for the first time for the Medjugorje Youth Festival is the heat. It’s hot and I mean roasting. The second thing you notice is the sheer diversity of young people gathered from all around the world for a week of prayer, testimonies and fun. You have pilgrims from Paraguay, Vietnam, Congo DRC and even the UK and Ireland.
Prayers offered in every imaginable language
There are even pilgrims from Syria and the Ukraine, who share on how their faith has helped them to deal with the challenges of life in their countries. This what the Medjugorje Youth Festival is about. The week is not about being some sort of holy huddle, separated off from the world. It’s about sharing stories and exploring faith. Above all it’s about celebrating what we feel and know to be true about God’s love for us and His invitation to share that message with the world. As part of the celebration pilgrims are adding their prayers to a hundred metre tapestry that will brought up during the final Mass on Tuesday. It represents the hopes and petitions of over 40,000 pilgrims, written in every language imaginable. During each of the youth Masses this week we have had over 500 priest concelebrating. Honestly we look likes clowns coming out of a mini there’s so many of us – if that’s not too irreverent!
Cenacolo Community’s production of Credo
Later tonight I’m going to see Credo, a musical and theatrical presentation by the Cenacolo Community. Cenacolo is an integral part of the Medjugorje experience. It is not simply a residential centre for people struggling with addiction. Rather it is a place of hope. Working without psychiatrists, doctors and social workers it bases itself on a Catholic ethos of prayer and compassion. The results speak for themselves and the community has spread and there are now 60 houses world wide. I’ll let you know how it went.
Aug 3, 2014
Shelter from the Storm on the Camino
Travelling Light and The Journey are the themes of two of the biggest Christian festivals this summer. It seems that the idea of being a pilgrim is becoming increasingly popular in our world today. It’s not really a surprise, as many of the aspects of a pilgrimage echo that of life.
As part of our young adult ministry and vocations programme we ran two pilgrimages along the Camino in June. It was a perfect opportunity to leave everything behind, except for a sleeping bag, a small backpack and comfortable boots. There a freedom to The Way, that is difficult to find elsewhere. It’s about waking up before dawn each morning and heading off with the rising Sun at your back. As you walk to the first horizon, you know that when you get there you’ll simply walk on to the next one. (more…)
Apr 2, 2014
It’s about freedom. It’s about walking to the horizon and when you get there you keep on going. It’s about taking part in something that is at the same time enjoyable and profound. For those of you who are looking for something a bit different this summer why don’t you join us as we walk the Camino. We’ll be leading a group of young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 from Sarria to Santiago de Compostella. Between the 3rd and the 10th of June we’ll cover the last 100km of The Way and have a few days to relax in Santiago itself.
The Camino of Santiago has been a site of pilgrimage for well over a thousand years. People have walked from all around Europe and more recently have journeyed from the four corners of the world to ‘abrazar’ or embrace the famous statue of St. James and pray at his tomb. But the Camino is about the journey as much as it is about the destination. The Camino meanders across the north of Spain through town, villages, fields and woodlands. It’s during this time that people on The Way take time to reflect on their lives and explore what’s possible. On top of all that it’s great fun as well. In all the years I’ve walked the Camino I have yet to meet a person who regretted coming.
The landscape is as varied as the people you meet. You’ll find pilgrims coming from everywhere, of all faiths and none. However they are all searching, very much aware that they are on a spiritual journey. Each morning as the sun rises we will start with a simple reflection. Then shouldering our packs we set off for the horizon, meeting people along the way or perhaps walking in solitude, depending on what you feel like at the time. In the evening there’s an opportunity for Mass if you wish ( or if not that’s fine too ) and then a meal with a glass of wine as the sun sets. It’s heaven in hiking boots!
The cost of the pilgrimage is fairly reasonable. People will arrange their own flights and transfers to Santiago and back home. Accommodation along the Camino is in Albergues or dedicated pilgrimage hostels. They cost around €10 / £8.50 a night. Then you need to account for food. The towns where we will stay offer pilgrim menus for around €10 /£8.50 for a simple three course meal. You can pick up other basics during the day in the many small stores along the route. Excluding flights and transfers about €35 / £30 a day should be more than adequate.
If you’d like some insight into the Camino check out the film The Way released in 2010, starring Martin Sheen. It gives a good flavour of what you can expect.
[youtube ueDALC6E8_0 nolink]
If you’re considering it and are not sure feel free to email me or give me a call on (086) 7857955 (Irl) or (075) 26764236 (UK). People may be concerned about the level of fitness necessary. You don’t need to super fit, but a moderate level is desirable. Again if you have any doubts a quick email or phone call can put them to rest.
It promises to be an incredible experience. Find yourself on The Way.
Aug 27, 2013
Moments of wonder during the Pilgrims’ Mass
This August saw the beginning of a new idea. It’s about welcome. It’s about both the beginning and the end of a journey. This year the MSC Vocations team, along with priests and religious from the La Retraite Sisters, the Faithful Companions of Jesus and the Redemptorists, set up a ministry of hospitality in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostella.
Welcoming team of Sr. Lynne, Sr. Maryanne, Sr. Helen and Fr. Alan
The Camino of Santiago has been a site of pilgrimage for well over a thousand years. People have walked from all around Europe and more recently have journeyed from the four corners of the world to ‘abrazar’ or embrace the famous statue of St. James and pray at his tomb. But the Camino is about the journey as much as it is about the destination. The Camino Frances begins just inside the French boarder and meanders across the north of Spain through town, villages, fields and woodlands. It’s during this time that people on the Way take time to relfect on their lives and explore the sense of their vocation in the broadest sense. The landscape is as varied as the people you meet. You’ll find pilgrims coming from everywhere, of all faiths and none. However they are all searching, very much aware that they are on a spiritual journey. (more…)
Vocations ministry in Ireland is busy at the best of times, but it looks like 2015 is going to be exceptional! Pope Francis has continued to revolutionise and encourage the Church by designating November 30th 2014 until February 2nd 2016 the Year of Consecrated Life. He believes that, “Religious life ought to promote growth in the church by way of attraction. The church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living! . . . It is this witness that I expect of you. Religious should be men and women who are able to wake the world up.”
