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by admin | Oct 3, 2013 | Belonging, Communal Work, Community Life, Community Prayer, Compassion, Engaging Vocations, Latest News, Our Values
This autumn, as part of our exciting new vocations programme in Ireland for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ( MSC ), we invite you to go on a journey of faith. It’s an opportunity to take a step back from the business and rush of your world and listen for that still, small voice of God. Where is God inviting you?
We all have a calling. For some it’s to married or single life and if that’s for you then that’s wonderful. For others though there is another possibility, that of religious life and priesthood. Maybe it’s been an idea at the back of your mind for a while or perhaps it’s something more recent. Whatever the case it hasn’t gone away. The possibility that you may have a vocation as a priest or a brother keeps on coming back to you in times of quietness and prayer. It’s not about certainty, but about openness to the invitation of God. (more…)
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by admin | Sep 24, 2013 | America, Communal Work, Community Life, Community Prayer, Latest News
Fr. Vinnie Screene MSC celebrating a wedding in his parish in Maracaibo
It was an interesting experience. One of my first Masses here in Maracaibo, Venezuela was celebrated with a packed church in pitch darkness. I had an altar server with a torch, prodigious endurance and a steady hand. This isn’t a tradition or idiosyncrasy of the Latin American Church. The night before some robbed the copper cable that ran the electricity in to the church of Nuestra Senora de la Paz ( or Our Lady of Peace to you and me ). Apparently it goes for a hefty price around here. (more…)
by admin | Sep 7, 2013 | America, Belonging, Communal Work, Compassion, Latest News, Prophetic, Solidarity, What we do
Fr. John Jennings MSC working in a local school
What does it mean to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart? Who are we and what do we do? How are we different from the diocesan priests and members of other religious congregations? It’s a difficult question to answer, but perhaps the best I can do is to show you. As part of our vocations blog we’ll follow four members of the Chevalier family, ministering in radically different parts of the world, but united in a common MSC mission: That the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere known and loved.
Fr. John Jennings is an MSC missionary from Cork, Ireland working in one of the most marginalised barrios in Caracas, Venezuela. In addition to parish work John ministers as a part time chaplain in some of the country’s largest prisons. (more…)
by admin | Sep 2, 2013 | Africa, Belonging, Communal Work, Compassion, Inspiring Others, Latest News, Our Values, Overseas Volunteering, The Life, Volunteering
All good things come to an end.
It is hard to believe we are nearing the end of our stay at Holy Family Care Centre. It has been the most enriching experience. There has been much laughter, a few tears and alot of reflection over the past few months. As well as enjoying our surroundings here we have had the pleasure of enjoying the stunning scenery of ‘Gods Window’, Pilgrims Rest & many more scenic spots. It was lovely to get out as a group and share some quality time together. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends, yet finding it difficult to deal with saying goodbye when the time comes, but like everything in this world it will never be as hard as it seems at the time. We have really got to know all the kids and workers here at Holy Family over the past months. We can recognise the voices calling out for us at our gate, the different cries of the crèche children and the different laughs that echo around the centre. We opened our hearts fully and really connected with each and every one. We have learned more from them than they have from us and boy o boy can these kids teach you a thing or two. (more…)
by admin | Aug 27, 2013 | Inspiring Others, Latest News, Openness, Pilgrimage, Solidarity
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…)
by admin | Aug 3, 2013 | America, Belonging, Engaging Vocations, Festivals, Latest News, Openness, World Youth Day
Following World Youth Day in Rio 2013 some of the young people with the MSC Vocations team reflect on the week’s highlights.
Kieran Torbuck
One of my favourite experiences of the World Youth Day (WYD) so far had to be the visit to the Sugar Loaf Mountain. Despite the wind and cold, spirits were high as pilgrims from the world over united in song and chants, sharing photos and gifts. This was our first real experience of the WYD atmosphere and I’m pleased to say that it only grew bigger throughout the week as we made new friends.
The Opening Ceremony was another highlight for me, since although we were divided for our group it was easy to meet other groups and everyone was happy to mix and invite us in. For me, it is this feeling of togetherness, unity and celebration that has made WYD such a fantastic experience. (more…)
