What does it mean to be called by God? Many people who consider that they may have a vocation to the priesthood or religious life often feel that they are not good enough. They haven’t had the dramatic moment of conversion or call like Matthew, Peter or Paul had. They think that they must be wrong, because God couldn’t possibly be calling them! Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. (more…)
It’s been a long time coming, but there a sense that the Vatican have really begun to explore the importance of social media in our world today. Pope Benedict XVI launched his Twitter account earlier this week and now has well over 500,000 followers, even though he hasn’t started tweeting yet. Tweets will begin on the 12 December to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and come every Wednesday thereafter to begin with.
More and more people are engaging with one another online through sites like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Linkedin to name but a few. These present fantastic opportunities for people to discuss, celebrate and explore their faith. They also enable us to share the Good News that we profess through our lives, which is of vital importance during this Year of Faith.
“Part of the challenge for the Church in the area of new media is to establish a networked or capillary presence that can effectively engage the debates, discussions and dialogues that are facilitated by social media and that invite direct, personal and timely responses of a type that are not so easily achieved by centralized institutions,” the Catholic church has said in a press release detailing the Pope’s decision to join Twitter. “Moreover, such a networked or capillary structure reflects the truth of the Church as a community of communities which is alive both universally and locally. The Pope’s presence in Twitter will represent his voice as a voice of unity and leadership for the Church but it will also be a powerful invitation to all believers to express their ‘voices’, to engage their ‘followers’ and ‘friends’ and to share with them the hope of the Gospel that speaks of God’s unconditional love for all men and women.”
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
It wasn’t a promising start. It was a morning of driving rain and misty drizzle as our bus headed through West Cork on the way to Kealkill. Whatever else it was it definitely wasn’t a morning for a pilgrimage. However with a simple prayer we began our 18km walk to Gougane Barra in honour of the feast of St. Finbarr. (more…)
Aylesford Friary, in Kent, was alive last weekend with music by the MOBO nominated Jahaziel and Indecisive; workshops on a range of issues relevant to young people today; and a sense of celebration that has to be experienced to be believed. Each year hundreds of young adults gather from all over England and beyond for the Brightlights Festival to celebrate and share their faith. The tone of the three days is always relaxed and there is something for everybody. This year’s theme was 12: Ears that hear, eyes that see, focusing on discipleship. It was about a invitation to journey, beginning with the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul, and listening to where God was calling you in your life.
In addition to all the craic there were gentle and reflective liturgies throughout the three days. In addition to morning and night prayers we celebrated a number of liturgies of the Eucharist, as well as the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These experiences were enhanced by the work of the RISE Drama Group and the composition of original music for the occasion by Edwin Fawcett.
This is all part of what it means to come to Brightlights. There is an atmosphere here that is truly unique. It’s about building community and recalling that each of us have unique vocation, but also a common calling. It reminds us that we have a phenomenal message to share with the world if only we have those ears to hear and eyes to see.  It is an event that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been delighted to support and hope to continue into the future.
Amazing sunshine at the opening of the Eucharist Congress 2012
It was a day of football and faith. While the result from Poland wasn’t great it was a wonderful day in Dublin. We had over 12,000 pilgrims from Ireland, England, Korea, Peru, Canada, South Africa, in fact from all the corners of the world for the opening of the 2012 Eucharistic Congress. It marked the beginning of a week of workshops, liturgies and talks aimed at bringing people together to grow in communion and celebrate their faith.
Over the next seven days a wide variety of themes are going to be explored such as ecumenical dialogue, married life, priestly and religious vocation, the importance of reconciliation, the celebration of the Word and above all communion in the Eucharist. We’ll keep you updated on all that’s happening. If you’re coming along drop by Stand 71 and say hello.