Mar 26, 2026
It’s a joy to be able to share the most recent photo updates we’ve received from the Mary Ward Primary Health Care Clinic in Maker Kuei, South Sudan, where the Loreto Sisters are running a specialised care programme from twin babies from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“At the moment, we have 24 sets of twins and one set of triplets in the programme,” writes Sr Helena. “The children are usually brought to us shortly after birth and leave them programme when they reach the age of nine months.”
The programme provides medical and nutritional care for young babies at high risk of malnutrition and disease, as families simply cannot afford to care properly for two infants, while breastfeeding mothers are often not able to produce enough milk due to lack of sufficient nutrition for themselves. The Loreto Sisters give these babies the food and medical treatment they need for the first nine months of their lives, while also equipping their caregivers with the skills and knowledge they need to sustain these improvements beyond the scope of the programme.
“Two weeks ago, we discharged two sets of twins who joined the programme in July last year,” Sr Helena explains. “On the same day, we registered the set of triplets, born five weeks ago.”
“We usually announce the day when we discharge twins, so that families can come and register their twins on the same day. That means we nearly always have all 50 places (25 sets of twins) covered.”
This May, the MSC team are walking St Declan’s Way to raise vital funds for the Healthy Start facility in Maker Kuei. Our own Fr Alan Neville MSC has been living and ministering in South Sudan since 2020, and he continues to work closely with the Loreto Sisters in their ongoing work in medical care and education in the Rumbek region.
With thanks to Sr Helena for these wonderful photos, and to our MSC pilgrims, mission friends, and benefactors who are working to support this life-saving initiative in South Sudan.
Mar 19, 2026
Our own Fr Alan Neville MSC has been in touch from Rumbek, South Sudan, with a special message for our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Last summer, our mission friends here helped us to raise funds to support Fr Alan and the team at the Catholic University of South Sudan in Rumbek in their untiring efforts to support education, particularly for young women, in the region. In a country that has suffered so greatly, young people, especially young women, need to work extremely hard for their education, yet the benefits will help to build a brighter and stronger future for the next generation in Rumbek and beyond.
“This is a message of thanks to everybody who has been so generous in supporting the Mission Support Centre appeal last year for the Catholic University here,” says Fr Alan. “As you can see in the background, we are currently digging the foundations for a new teacher education block. Education here has a long way to go, there have been many decades of under-investment during the time of the Sudan government, and now the people are working very hard to build up primary and secondary education, and here we are working too to train secondary school teachers so they can go back to their communities and they can really lift up the young people they have there to help them to build their country.”
We join our voices with Fr Alan’s in thanking you all for your generosity and your solidarity, and we look forward to hearing more from the university as the progress continues.
Read more about Fr Alan’s ministry in South Sudan
Mar 11, 2026
While we are now well into spring, time, distance, and technical difficulties mean that we have just received these wonderful Christmas pictures from our MSC brothers in Ecuador, and they are a joy to see at any time of year!
MSCs have been ministering in Ecuador for almost 30 years, since 1998. Currently, Fr Marcelo Campoverde and Fr Jose Baak are working across two mission areas in the parishes of San Francisco de Asís and San Juan Evangelista, ministering to more than 30,000 people across over 50 communities. These indigenous communities are extremely poor and live in very isolated rural locations, and our MSCs work to support them through many and varied challenges including malnutrition (especially in children), poor educational and employment opportunities, and the difficulties of living in remote areas with harsh desert climate.
In recent years, our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been greatly compassionate in their support of our mission in Ecuador, raising funds for a new parish kitchen, repairs to the church, pastoral centre, and parish house, and food baskets for hungry families.
“I send warm greetings from Ecuador,” writes Fr Marcelo, who himself comes from an indigenous background. “It may have been a long time, but I wanted to share with you all some of the activities we’ve had during Christmas, as you are such generous supporters of our parish.”
“Now we are in another beautiful season, and I wish you a blessed Lent.”
All images were kindly sent from our Ecuador mission by Fr Marcelo Campoverde MSC.
Mar 5, 2026
It’s always a joy to share updates from the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines, where sustainability and hope are at the heart of everything they do.
One of the current programmes running at the centre focuses on urban gardening, growing vegetables to supplement a nutritious diet in people’s home in a city environment. “With limited space and increasing awareness about sustainability, health, and food security, more people are turning balconies, rooftops, backyards, and even windowsills into productive green spaces,” the Centre shared on a post on their Facebook page.
The outreach programme promotes the growth of fresh, healthy food for a sustainable source of nutrition, while also saving money, encouraging physical and mental wellbeing, and building a sense of community in busy urban spaces.
“Urban vegetable gardening proves that you don’t need a large plot of land to grow your own food. Whether you have a single pot on a fire escape or a thriving rooftop garden, every little bit counts. It’s a step toward more sustainable living, better nutrition, and stronger communities—all while adding a little green to the gray of city life,” says the CFTP community, encouraging all those interested to contact them for further information and support.
Urban gardening at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines. (Image: via @CenterFTPoorMSC on Facebook.)
The community at the MSC Centre for the Poor welcomed the new year with a “meaningful and grace-filled” retreat focusing on Spirituality of the Heart, with particular emphasis on meditation. The programme was led by Fr Richie Gomez MSC, “creating a space of shared reflection, silence, and attentive listening”.
The team at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines began 2026 with a wellness retreat led by Fr Richie Gomez MSC. (Image via @CenterFTPoorMSC on Facebook.)
Over the course of three days, participants reflected on the heart “as a sacred place of encounter, healing, and commitment,” a reminder that “true spirituality begins within and flows outward into our mission, relationships, and daily service.”
“Through moments of stillness, reflection, and guided meditation, participants were encouraged to listen attentively to the movements of the heart,” said a post on the Centre’s Facebook page. “We were reminded that true spirituality is not merely about doing more, but about being present—allowing God’s love to gently transform our thoughts, emotions, and actions.”
“When we pray, reflect, and listen as one, our hearts become more attuned to wisdom, clarity, and peace,” posted the MSC Centre for the Poor.
January ended with a planning session for the year ahead, with Fr Richie Gomez and Mam Joy Bungabong leading the community in a discussion about different programmes and initiatives to take place throughout the year ahead. “With renewed clarity and shared direction, we look forward to a year filled with meaningful service, strengthened collaboration, and a deeper commitment to our mission for the poor and the communities we accompany,” shared the Centre’s Facebook page.
We have no doubt that the year ahead will be a fruitful and enriching one for all involved, with every blessing to the CFTP community in the Philippines for a positive and powerful 2026!
Images via the Facebook page for the Center for the Poor – MSC.
Jan 22, 2026
Congratulations and blessings to the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the Pacific Islands! The OLSH Sisters have officially marked the beginning of the Kiribati Province Mission in Tonga, an island located in the South Pacific Ocean.
In a Facebook post by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the OLSH Sisters wrote:
“With the support of the Australian Province, on Monday 12 January we joyfully celebrated and commemorated the beginning of the Kiribati Province Mission in Tonga.”
“We give thanks for this exciting new chapter in the life of our Congregation,” they continued, “and pray that Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will continue to guide and inspire this mission in Tonga, so that all may come to know the love of the Heart of God through the charism and mission of the Daughters.”
They finished with a fitting quote from MSC founder Fr Jules Chevalier: “With faith and love, nothing is impossible.”
Our extended Sacred Heart family have long been present in the Pacific Islands, with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ministering in the region since 1888, while the official erection of the MSC Province of the Pacific Islands was celebrated in May 2021.
We send our heartfelt good wishes to the OLSH Sisters at the beginning of this new mission, with every blessing to them as they start this exciting new chapter.
Images via the Facebook page for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Australia.
Jan 14, 2026
As another new year begins, we’re glad to share news from Sr Sally and our friends at the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa.
The Holy Family Care Centre is located in Ofcolaco, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, and is run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with a dedicated team who provide residential care for up to 80 sick and vulnerable children. Many of these children are living with chronic illnesses such as HIV/AIDs, TB, and other critical conditions. Many of the children have lost their parents, and all are extremely vulnerable, so the Holy Family centre is a true home to them. Here in the Irish Province, our mission friends and extended Sacred Heart family are glad to be able to provide long-standing friendship and support to Sr Sally and the OLSH Sisters in Ofcolaco.
The new toddler room at the Holy Family Care Centre, supported by the generosity of our mission friends and benefactors in the Irish Province
Throughout 2025, our mission family and benefactors here at home have given invaluable support to our friends at Holy Family, with our Camino pilgrimage in September raising €13,000 for the children in their care. The generosity of our mission friends in the Irish Province has also contributed to a special new dormitory dedicated to the toddlers and pre-schoolers at the centre, who had previously been sharing a room with older children up to the age of 10. Sr Sally has sent us a wonderful video of the Holy Family toddlers enjoying their new space, and their smiles and songs say it all!
It hasn’t been all fun and games at the centre, as January has brought with it rain and floods that have blocked the road leading to the facility, certainly making life more challenging for the Holy Family team
As we begin to journey together through another new year, we thank you, with grateful hearts, for your continued friendship and support of our mission projects, and we wish Sr Sally and all the Holy Family community a happy and healthy 2026
