by admin | Mar 26, 2012 | Communal Work, Latest News, Our Values, Overseas Volunteering, Spirituality, UK, Volunteering
Fr. Jules Chevalier MSC
When our founder, Fr. Jules Chevalier, established the group in 1854 he did not believe we should be tied to just one type of work. As a result you will find Missionary of the Sacred Heart ( MSC ) brothers and priests living and working throughout over 50 countries, engaged in all sorts of ministry. Hospitals, prison, schools, colleges, universities, parishes, local community projects, counselling centres and many more locations provide the settings for MSC members to carry out the overall mission of being and bringing the Good News of God’s love to the people we meet. (more…)
by admin | Mar 23, 2012 | Latest News
In a world that esteems wealth, sex and power above all, what place is there in the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience?
In a recent blog we looked that how the Vow of Celibacy was not about closing ourselves off as human beings, becoming the ‘frozen chosen,’ but about opening ourselves to others unreservedly, most especially those in need. We pointed out that it was drawn from a deep prayer life, a healthy sense of our own sexuality and a profound belief in our vocation.
Obedience as Listening
When people talk about the challenges of religious life the vow of celibacy is always given a great deal of attention, but for me at times the greatest difficulty has been understanding the Vow of Obedience. It’s not about doing what you’re told and being unthinkingly submissive. In fact it’s nothing like that at all. Obedience is drawn from the Latin word oboedÄ«re, which means to hear or to listen. The Vow of Obedience is about listening, really listening to the will of God and where He is inviting you in your life. It’s about putting God’s will at times above our own desires, trusting His plan for us. As it says in Jeremiah 29:11 “I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.” (more…)
by admin | Mar 20, 2012 | Africa, America, Communal Work, Community Life, Ireland, Latest News, UK
BHA's Atheist Bus Campaign
I remember living in our parish in St. Albans when the British Humanist Association’s bus advertising campaign came out. Eight hundred buses ran throughout the UK for a number of weeks with the slogan, ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ As usual the ensuing debate, stirred up by the media, generated more heat than light. What struck me though was not BHA’s claim that there was no God, but that I should stop worrying and start to enjoy my life. This bit of hyperbole caused me some concern. It implied those of us who believed in God were a worrisome, scrupulous, miserable bunch. It was a fascinating observation, staggering in the extent of its arrogance. Perhaps as a priest I would have to be particularly overwhelmed with the burdens of faith, incapable of wringing the smallest atom of enjoyment out of life. Many people today believe that the life of a priest is too challenging and difficult. Traditionally parents would have encouraged their son to explore a vocation to priesthood and religious life. These days it seems they actively discourage it because they fear their child would be unhappy. (more…)
by admin | Mar 16, 2012 | Compassion, Inspiring Others, Ireland, Latest News, Solidarity, Spirituality
St Patrick, Apostle of Ireland
“Who am I, Lord, and what is my calling that you should co-operate with me with such divine power? Today, among the people, I praise and proclaim your name in all places, not only when things go well but also in times of stress. Whether I receive good or ill, I return thanks equally to God, who taught me always to trust him unreservedly.” Confessions of St Patrick.
When I went looking for some material on this post online today I was amazed at the amount of ‘Happy St. Patrick’s Day’ paraphernalia that I had to wade through. There are only so many dancing red headed leprechauns a man can put up with! But this isn’t a blog bemoaning commercialism. It’s about celebrating one man’s faith. It’s about looking at the example of his courage and his capacity for forgiveness. It’s about reminding us where we came from as Catholics and challenging us to live out this message in the future. (more…)
by admin | Mar 14, 2012 | Belonging, Community Life, Latest News, The Community
What do the vows offer to our world today?
Very often I’m asked “Should priests be allowed to marry.” “Only if they really love each other,” I reply. It’s an old joke in response to an increasingly popular question. The evangelical counsels or the vows, as they are popularly known, are seen by society at large as increasingly anachronistic. We live in a world that values money, sex and power above all, so we must ask do the vows of poverty, celibacy and obedience have anything to offer? (more…)
by admin | Mar 12, 2012 | Africa, Belonging, Community Life, Latest News, Our Values
Flash Mob Outside Notre Dame de Paris in January
‘Flash mobs,’ said Fr. Jim, our resident artist and proud Kerryman. Thus started another lunchtime conversation in the community of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We tend to follow a stream of consciousness approach to mealtime discussions, which is a polite way of saying that we go all over the place. Over mashed potato and bacon we could end up talking about how Ireland and Wales ( in deference to Fr. Roger – our resident Welshman by way of Australia ) are doing the Six Nations, the Republican primaries or just about anything really. (more…)
