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…)
Aug 11, 2015
We had the opportunity to embrace Croatain culture
It’s a hard knock life really. This summer a group of thirteen young people and four adult leaders had the opportunity to leave behind the clouds and rain for a five day youth festival in Croatia with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. There we joined other MSCs and young people from Germany, France, Austria, and of course Croatia.
We celebrate Mass with the Bishop of Krk
It was a wonderful celebration that brought together really engaging catechesis with great craic. We looked at what it meant to be part of God’s family in the morning and then headed to the beach for canoeing and water volleyball in the afternoon. There were days away, where we had the opportunity to experience some of Croatia’s fascinating history, food and culture. We also sailed around one of the national parks and swam in some of the bluest water we had ever seen.
Back home exhausted by happy!
Above all the festival was about exploring our faith in the light of the spirituality of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. It’s no accident the importance of community and the need for a good sense of humour are deliberately included in our MSC Constitutions. This was evident throughout the festival as great fun was had and good friends were made. It’s all part of being MSC!
Jul 19, 2015
Last Sunday we had the extraordinary opportunity to celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life with a powerful Mass in the RTE Studios in Dublin. We had a viewship of around 60,000 people not just in Ireland, but around the world.
You can view the programme by clicking here.
We had people from a variety of religious congregations and a number of lay groups
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Jul 14, 2015
It’s a point of encouter for people exploring faith
June was another busy month for the MSC Vocations team. Henry and I just finished the Camino when we hopped on a plane for St. Albans. We had one day to wash our clothes and clean our boots before our first summer festival.
Spirit in the City is a three day celebration of Christian faith in the heart of London, hosted by the Catholic churches in the West End. This is the second year the MSCs have been involved and it’s one of the highlights of our calendar. It’s about sharing the Good News of Christianity, while welcoming people of all faiths, ages and walks of life in the middle of the entertainment district. It gives an opportunity to raise deeper questions about life and to show that Catholicism can’t be pigeonholed around a few issues. The festival was set up with the understanding that we are all searching for new ways to connect with God and others around us.
It’s a day for everyone to celebrate God’s love
Spirit in the City does this through live music, workshops, talks, opportunities for prayer, reflection and reconciliation. We began on Thursday evening with a Mass in Warwick St. Church with Bishop Nicholas Hudson, followed by an open air party in Golden Square. People who stopped to find out what was going were invited to join the festivities and more than a few were really surprised that it was a Catholic festival. Apparently it’s not the sort of thing normally associated with us! We finished the evening with a simple night prayer. (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…)
Mar 15, 2015
Welcoming all the youth from St. Albans to Flame 2
For Cardinal Tagle it was all about mercy. For the youth it was an opportunity to gather to celebrate faith. For the MSC Vocations team it was all about the Smarites!
Flame 2 was the largest Catholic Youth Event in UK in 2015. It brought together amazing speakers like Cardinal Tagle from the Philippines, Baroness Shelia Hollins, and Fr. Timothy Radcliffe OP. Worship was led by the double Grammy Award winning Matt Redman and his band. All in all it was an incredible day, but it was a lot of hard work!
Henry and Pat O’Brien running the Guinness Book of Records Smartie Challenge
Seeing as the MSCs were one of the main sponsors of Flame this year Henry and I were at Wembley SSE Stadium bright and early with our Starbucks in hand. Once we got our high vis. vests and event passes it was off to set up the vocations stand before the onslaught of thousands and thousands of teenagers. They came from all over England and Wales and created an atmosphere that could normally only be found at World Youth Day. It’s hard to describe, but it’s one of joy and hope and once you feel it you can’t forget it. (more…)
