It’s 2019 and perhaps it’s time for something new. Maybe you’re looking for a challenge. You want to push yourself, move out of your comfort zone, and make a difference in the world. If that’s the case our MSC Volunteering Project could be just what you need.
Summer with the MSC Volunteering Project is an unforgettable experience
We send volunteers to South Africa for seven weeks from the start of July until the end of the third week of August. There they work alongside the fantastic team based in the Holy Family Centre. It’s in the foothills of the beautiful Drakensburg Mountains in the Northern Province, about one hour east of Kruger National Wildlife Park. Holy Family is home for up to seventy children who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS or TB. They range in age from babies and toddlers to teenagers.
Joy, one of our volunteers, with the kids on an outing
As you can imagine it’s a lively place! The kids are simply wonderful. They are so full of life, enthusiasm and joy. They love to sing and dance, run relay races with tyres and play football, go on outings, and sit around and chat.We are looking for people who would like to take part in the project. It is aimed at those between the ages of 23 and 40 and who perhaps have some practical skills. We need people with backgrounds in teaching, nursing, carpentry, electrics, mechanics and anything else. Volunteers are asked to contribute €1,500 and we match this with €1,500 ourselves. This covers flights, food, accommodation, insurance, transfers, and training. We look to support the children, but also to share our skills with others.
For our volunteers it’s a learning experience that they will never forget. The MSC Volunteering Project made a deep impression on those who have volunteered with us.
Have you ever felt you were called to be so much more?
So, it’s 2019!
New Year is a time when you stop to think about life and where you’re going. It’s easy to slip into a pattern. It’s familiar, comfortable, and not especially exciting. However, you still feel that you could be called to be more. If that’s the case have you ever thought of exploring a call to be a Catholic priest with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart? It may be an entirely new question or perhaps it has been on your mind for some time and won’t go away. As 2019 begins perhaps now is as good as a time as any to find out more. We are happy to help in whatever way we can. Perhaps there are specific questions you might like answers to or maybe you want to simply have a chat over a coffee. It might be a once off thing or it could lead to a longer conversation. You decide. We believe that God calls everyone, including yourself, and it our role to help you find out what that might be.
Who we are
Fr. Seamus Kelly MSC working with street children in Maracaibo, Venezuela
There are over two thousand of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (or MSCs as we are more commonly known) ministering in Ireland, England, and in fifty other countries around the world. As religious, community life is important to us. We live and pray together, but then work in a wide variety of situations, based on a person’s gifts. We minister in parishes, retreat ministry, schools, hospitals, prisons, universities – well, wherever we think we’re needed. At the moment we have men in Venezuela living in some of the poorest barrios; there are brothers working on islands in the Pacific that are being profoundly impacted by climate change; and we have priests in Ireland ministering to families in Dublin, Cork and Galway.
What we believe
Our spirituality is about sharing the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus with all those around us, especially those in any kind of need. Pope Francis speaks about the need for us to be, “Missionaries of God’s love and mercy.” This invitation, better still this challenge, has never been more important than it is today. There is a huge hunger for the Gospel message. What’s needed now are men who have the joy, courage, and faith to share it. In addition since our foundation, the MSCs have emphasised the need for a sense of humour in our way of life. As you get more involved in ministry at the margins you realise what a gift it is!
Where to from here
If you would like to find out more you can call Fr. Alan Neville MSC, our Vocations Director on +353 (0) 86 785 7955 Ireland or +44 (0) 75 2676 4236 UK or simply email him on vocations@mscmissions.ie He will be happy to speak with you and provide a listening ear, as you discern where God is calling you. In the meantime have a look at some of the stories below of people like yourself who were asking some of the same questions and took a leap of faith.
Giacomo, a doctor in chemical engineering from Italy now studying theology in Dublin, talks about his experience working with people with disabilities in the L’Arche Community in Cork.
Roisin and Deidre will support the children’s education during there time in Holy Family
Roisin Brennan, a childcare worker from Kilkenny, shares some of her experiences on the MSC Volunteering Project 2018:
“Where to start … Well I’m already considering returning in the future. The people here are so welcoming. You are guaranteed to have a great laugh with the children and staff. There are hugs galore and the children really do touch your heart. They are so happy to have volunteers to play with and teach them new games, I have learnt a lot from the children and working as a team at Holy Family Centre.
Roisin works with the kids developing their painting technique
The winter camp was great fun. The children loved baking, crafts, and having someone to run get out and play with. Time flies, as everyday there is a new adventure to be had.
The Holy Family Centre is situated in a stunning, rural location, surrounded by the spectacular Drakensburg Mountains. There is a great atmosphere in the local town. The support from Fr. Alan and Sr. Susan in the MSC Volunteering Programme was fantastic from start to finish. Sr. Sally, the director of Holy Family, works tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly has offered endless support throughout our time here.
I would highly recommend the whole experience!” (more…)
It was an intrepid group of pilgrims who set out on the Camino last month. Fifteen relative strangers were bonded together by a desire to walk to a different rhythm of life. We left behind the hustle and bustle of Cork, Dublin, and London for a week on the Way of St. James.
It’s hard to describe the Camino. It is a somewhat ineffable experience that those who have walked it, no matter where they are from, how old they are, or whatever their faith perspective is, understand what it means. In many ways it is the perfect antidote to the rat race and its attendant stress that we have come to see as a virtue. Pilgrims here move with a new freedom, where each day they walk to the horizon with the rising sun at their backs, and when they get there they walk on to the next horizon.
Sunset on the Way
This year we had our largest group yet and everyone gelled well. The first day took us to the town of Sarria, about 110km from Santiago. It was an early pilgrim meal, followed with the group’s first attempt to get unpacked and settled down in the albergue dormitory with the lights off. It’s not for the faint hearted, but by Day 3 you could do it blindfolded There were, after all, about twenty other people in the room, some who had walked all the way from France and beyond. (more…)
One of our members was sentenced in Cork Circuit Criminal Court yesterday having been found guilty of a most serious offence against a young person during the early 1980s.
We sincerely hope that the outcome of the court process will assist the person against whom this offence was so wrongly perpetrated – and we sincerely apologise to this man and his family for all of the hurt caused. We fully accept and acknowledge the immense pain, harm and distress suffered by persons who have been abused as well as their families
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have rigorous child safeguarding procedures in place, which are fully implemented. The National Board for Safeguarding Children and TUSLA both audited our safeguarding systems recently.
Anyone who has been abused and wishes to make contact with us will receive our support. We also encourage people who have been abused to report the matter to the Gardaí and TUSLA. Should people wish to speak to a representative of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on a safeguarding matter, you can contact our Designated Liaison Person, Ms Mary Tallon.
Email: safeguarding@mscmissions.ie Landline: +353 1 4906622
Mobile: +353 87 381 9515
We also ask those who were abused to consider contacting Towards Healing, an independent, confidential and free helpline providing professional support for people who have experienced sexual abuse. They can be contacted on:
Freephone: 1800 303416 (Republic of Ireland)
Freephone: 0800 0963315 (Northern Ireland and UK)
Hearing Impaired Text Line Number: 085 8022859
The helpline is open Mondays to Thursdays 11:00am – 8:00pm and Fridays 11:00am – 6:00pm.
From the 22nd to the 27th of January 2019 World Youth Day is going to take place in Panama in Central America and the MSC Vocations Team is going to be there. If you want to be part of the largest youth event on the planet read on …
What is World Youth Day?
WYD is an encounter of young people from all around the world with Pope Francis in a fun, faith filled atmosphere. It draws people from every corner of the world for an unforgettable experience. “WYD is much more than an event. It is a time of deep and spiritual renewal; its fruits benefit the whole of society” (Benedict XVI). It is an extraordinary way of sharing faith to strengthen youth in our Church. WYD is held every three years and the last one was held in Krakow (Poland) in 2016.
Great, so what’s the point?
It’s a chance to be part of the largest youth event on the planet and to meet Pope Francis
The initiator and first promoter of WYD was Saint John Paul II, who started this movement in order to enhance our personal encounter with Christ, which is life-changing. WYD also promotes peace, unity, and fraternity among people and nations, commissioning the youth as ambassadors of this message. When you gather for the World Youth Day Vigil with millions (and I do mean millions) of other young people you are reminded that you are part of something global, faith filled and amazingly joyful.
It’s about making a real difference as well, like building a multi-sensory garden
What actually happens?
WYD is a multi-day event with two main group of events: the first one is related to the “Days in the Dioceses”, during which the participants visit to different dioceses in the host country, and on this particular occasion, other Central American countries. During these days before WYD, pilgrims interact with local families (who host them) and strengthen their faith through activities with the communities in the parishes. In Krakow we built a multi-sensory garden for people with disabilities and helped to run a youth ministry programme in the local parish.
The second group is the “Main Events”, referring to the activities planned in the host city: the opening Mass, the welcoming of the pope, the way of the cross, the vigil with the Holy Father and the final Mass. It’s an opportunity to meet with other young people from all around the world. There were millions of youth at both Rio and Krakow and the atmosphere is incredible.
What we believe
Where to from here
