May 4, 2017
As we celebrate Vocations Sunday, Fr Con O’Connell reflects on his calling as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart:
“For me, my vocations call follows the double path of Religious Life and Ordained Priesthood within the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC). Somehow, I felt drawn to the MSC emphasis on the compassion of Jesus and His commitment to justice for the underprivileged.
Indeed, this emphasis is to be seen in Jesus the Good Shepherd. He cares for the sheep – especially the hungry, thirsty, and wounded sheep.
It is 28 years since I took my vows as a religious brother, and 24 years since I was ordained a priest. I remember lonely days, sad days, and confused days. There were times when I asked myself what on earth I was doing. However, the happy days, the exciting days, and the days when I felt that I was exactly where God wanted me to be outweigh the darker days.
Fr Con O’Connell MSC
Serving my fellow humanity as an MSC priest and brother has been a joy and a privilege. It is a clichĂ©, but I have received more than I have given. Each year, I ask God and myself, ‘Is this still my path?’ So far, the answer each year is yes. ‘Trust in the Good Shepherd and take another step.’
Trusting means risking. Jesus teaches us that true happiness on lies the other side of our fears. I believe that when I die, I won’t regret the risks taken that ended in failure. My biggest regrets will be the risks that I did not take.”
If you want to know more about a vocation as a brother or a priest, you’re welcome to click here.
You can also call Fr Alan Neville MSC, our Vocations Director,
on (086) 785 7955.
May 2, 2017
Meet Mark Quinn, one of two pre-novitiate students who began his studies in our MSC formation house in Dublin in autumn 2016.
By spending time in personal reflection, and living and working as members of a larger group, MSC pre-novitiate students gain a rich and varied experience of the community, its works, and its mission within our world.
Mark is from Castlebar, Co. Mayo and is a chef by profession. A number of volunteering experiences in Africa led him to consider missionary life, and he has now come to explore his vocation with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Here, he shares his reason for choosing to study with the MSC.
âIn the midst of a deep discernment process, I found myself on a volunteer trip in the coastal city of Dar es Salam, Tanzania. One evening, while travelling home from our daily trip to the orphanages, my gaze was drawn to a small girl standing outside a makeshift hut as we sped along the dusty road. While her impoverished surroundings were heart-breaking, it was the expression on her motionless face that captured my attention. Her eyes transfixed on mine, I felt as if Christ himself was looking at me, calling me, or asking something of me that I was yet to fully understand.
A couple of days later, home in Ireland and with East Africa still fresh in my mind, I began to look deeper into religious missionary orders in Ireland. If I am to be honest (and maybe a bit superficial), I was initially attracted by the MSCâs online presence. It showed that the congregation was very much contemporary, and alive and kicking. I contacted Fr Alan, who came to my home to meet with me for a relaxed chat. He was genuinely interested in my story and was honest and informative about the MSC.
A few weeks later, I was invited to stay with the MSCs at their formation house in Dublin. It was great to see and talk to more young men in formation, and I was able to meet a number of priests who are working in a wide variety of roles for a question and answer session. It was a revelation for me to learn about the diversity and internationality of the congregation, and how I could bring my skills to them as well as being formed by their unique charism.
Then, in July, I was also able to take part in their fantastic annual volunteer programme. I travelled to the Holy Family Care Centre for children orphaned by HIV/AIDs or TB in South Africa, where I could see first-hand the heart of Jesus being brought to life. It confirmed for me that God was indeed calling me to be a missionary. But not just any missionary, a missionary of his Sacred Heart!â
Apr 4, 2017
Together on the Way to the Lord
Giacomo Gelardi, from Italy, is one of five novices who are working and studying with the community of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Myross Wood House, Co. Cork. Here, Giacomo reflects on his experience to date.
The MSC novices with their group leaders (L-R): Fr Nicholas Harnan MSC, Jaime Rosique Mardones, Giacomo Gelardi, Piotr Zlobinski, Domenico Roza, Fr Michael Curran MSC, Daniel Filipek, and Fr Michael Huber MSC.
âIt only seems like yesterday, but it has already been seven months since I, along with four other novices, embarked on an experience that, with the help of God, will take us to consecrate our lives to Him.
Each of us travelled from a different part of Europe in August 2016, arriving in a quiet corner of Ireland to begin our novitiate with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Myross Wood House in Leap, West Cork. The novitiate year is devoted to deepening our knowledge of ourselves, of the divine within us, and of our relationship with God â and our response is a resounding âYes!â, declared with complete freedom and awareness.
During these months, under the wise guidance of the Novice Master, Fr Michael Huber MSC, we have been expanding our knowledge of the MSC congregation, beginning with the spirit that inspired the MSC founder, Fr Jules Chevalier. At the same time, we have also been developing a prayer life that is the foundation of human and spiritual growth towards a profound understanding of Jesus being present in each instant of our lives. This whole experience is enhanced by a wonderful natural setting in West Cork, where calm and solitude induce reflection and contemplation.
The Lord has granted our community the grace of getting on well together â within the limits of our humanity, obviously!
People may be curious to know what encouraged a Polish theologian, an Italian journalist, a Spanish lawyer, a Slovak computer scientist, and an Italian chemist to join the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Although the familiar answer is âbecause God called usâ, each one of us had a personal reason that drew us to this religious congregation.
Piotr, who hails from Poland, tells us that he was inspired by reading a book written by Fr Emilien Tardif MSC. Piotr was particularly impressed by the idea that we should be bold in prayer, and ask for the complete healing of soul and body â not just for small things. This brought him to believe in and place his trust in God.
Domenicoâs experience was somewhat different, as he began his career studying journalism in Italy. Having moved away from the Lord for a number of years, he began to understand the longing to dedicate his life to Him when living in the MSC college institute in Florence, which was led by Fr Carmine Pace. Domenico decided to read the MSC Constitution, and he was struck by a particular passage from Fr Chevalier: âKnowledge becomes dangerous without piety. They will learn far more at the foot of the Cross than in booksâ.
For Jaime, it was the example of the priests in the MSC school in Barcelona, Spain, that had an impact on him. He had studied there since he was a child, and the spirituality of the Sacred Heart still fascinates him, particularly as a model by which he can live his favourite Gospel passages: âthe good thiefâ (Lk 23:40-43) and the giving of oneself in the manner of Simon of Cyrene (Mk 15:21-22).
Danielâs initial interest came about as a result of the spiritual retreats organised by the MSC community in Nitra, Slovakia, which focused on spiritual and psychological development. During these retreats, Daniel gained a greater knowledge of community life, with the understanding that he could fulfil his own broad concept of mission within the MSC congregation.
As for me? I was a bit like Jonah â I ran away ignoring the Lordâs voice (Jon 1:1-3). Then, one day, I met Fr Alan Neville MSC, who showed me the friendly and humorous face of God. After visiting several communities in Ireland, I recognised that with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, I can be at home, and I can realise my desire to love and be loved completely.â
Mar 31, 2017
Flame 2017 took place in London on Saturday, March 11th, at the SSE Arena in Wembley. Flame is an international youth event attended by young Catholics from all over the world, and this yearâs event, with the theme â10,000 Reasonsâ, included headline speakers such as Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Cardinal Charles Bo, and singer and worship leader Matt Redman. Travis, a member of the Cork NET Team, attended the event with the group and now shares his London adventure…
Flame Festival 2017, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
âFlame for us, as the NET Team, started with a phone call from Fr Alan Neville MSC, who got in touch with us to ask if we would be interested in attending the youth event in London in March. We learned that the Catholic Youth Ministers Federation were responsible for organising Flame, and that the purpose of the event was to encourage us, and Catholic youths everywhere, to begin making positive changes through Jesus Christ.
The Cork NET Team, myself included, were incredibly excited to learn that we would be given the opportunity to attend the Flame event as volunteers with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We were delighted to be able to learn more about performing acts of service in our daily lives, especially with an awareness of the current events that are taking place all over the world.
The team and I arrived in Heathrow, London, at around 9.00am on Friday, March 10th, the day before the event. We spent a fantastic day in London, and we then went to St Albanâs Church to stay the night with the MSC community there. We joined forces with other youths and youth volunteers the next morning, ready to share this new experience with each other.
We when finally settled in the stadium, we were amazed to be greeted by the sight of over 10,000 people who were equally as excited to be there! Some of those attending didnât have a full awareness of what the event involved, but were still glad to be somewhere new, meeting others who shared their passion.
In addition, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart invited us to Flame to help them with their exhibit there. This involved sharing more about the ways that Catholic youths can make changes for the better, as well as sharing information about the different events that the MSC run throughout the year. We were delighted to be on the receiving end of encouraging responses all round.
Overall, Flame was a hugely positive experience for us all. We attended three sessions on the day, which involved talks, testimonies, prayer, reflection, music, and much more. I was astonished to be in the presence of so many faithful people, who all wanted to be there and to share this experience together. I felt so affirmed, and on reflection, I can safely say that this must be one of the greatest experiences Iâve ever had!â
Mar 14, 2017
Gospel Reflection for the Third Sunday of Lent
The Gospel (4:5-42).
A spring of water welling up to eternal life.
This is a rather lengthy reading containing different themes. Central themes are the Samaritan woman, the well, and the water. In Jesusâ day, there was deep enmity between Jews and Samaritans, who were regarded by the Jews as heretics and not part of the Jewish people at all. This division seems to have had very old roots. There was enmity between the northern kingdom, Israel, with Samaria as its centre, and the southern kingdom of Judah. A noted well in the area was connected with the patriarch Jacob.
In the evangelist Johnâs writing, the episodes in this reading function at two levels â this earthly one, and at a spiritual level, to which the earthly ones point. Thus, the water from the well is a symbol of the water that Jesus will give his followers, welling up to eternal life; this is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans worshipped at their own sacred site and the Jews at their Temple in Jerusalem, which led Jesus to speak of the coming age when both would be irrelevant, and God worshipped in Spirit and in truth. His own hunger gives Jesus an opportunity to speak of his intense desire, his hunger to complete the work the work the Father had given him, with the sowing of the Gospel seed and the ensuing harvest.
As a reflection on this reading, we can recall Jesusâ promise to give to those who believe in himself a spring of water welling up to eternal life â that is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives faith and hope, while Christian faith brings certainty.
A common feature of the world in which we live is doubt in matters relating to faith â doubt about elements of moral teaching, about truths of faith, and even at times about the very existence of God. An assertion of a certain philosophy, prevalent today, is that there is no certainty about anything. All we can have is speculation and guesswork rather than certainty, and opinions that vary from age to age.
An atmosphere of this sort adds to the difficulties of religious observance. Such doubt about fundamental matters is completely contrary to the teaching of the faith in matters relating to truths concerning this life and the life to come. Christian faith is thus described in the Epistle to the Hebrews (11:1): âFaith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseenâ. Two of the terms used there call for our reflection: assurance and conviction.
The assurance and conviction spoken of in this verse are not psychological attitudes of souls rooted in the human mind or soul. They refer instead to the divine, theological, virtue of faith â a gift from God that gives conviction which is beyond that which human nature can provide. This assurance and certainty bring with them a peace of soul, the peace which Jesus has granted to believers, and a peace that no-one can take from them.
Mar 7, 2017
As a worldwide initiative, the idea behind Nightfever is a simple one: open doors and open hearts. On designated nights, Mass is held in a city centre church, and afterwards, the church is filled with candlelight and prayerful music. Volunteers invite passers-by on the street to come inside and light a candle of their own, and many stay to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of peaceful and prayerful reflection in the loving presence of God.
Luke is a member of the Cork NET Team, a youth evangelisation team run in partnership by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and the Dominicans. Here, Luke shares his experience of Nightfever in Cork City…
âFor over a year, I have been involved with a wonderful outreach group called Nightfever. Today, Iâm delighted to talk about my time as a volunteer with this group, which will hopefully help to shed some light on the power and efficacy of this largely under-appreciated ministry.
In the last four months, there have been three Nightfever events in St Augustineâs Church, Cork City. Hundreds of people have come into the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist on account of these three events. Many of these people have not been season ticket holders, so to speak â some may not have ever even set foot in a church before.
Amazingly, this is achieved by the simplest of invitations. Volunteers go out in pairs (one boy and one girl), and watch out for people passing on the street. We approach passers-by and invite them to light a candle in the church⊠and thatâs it. We might mention that there is some beautiful reflective music inside as a bit of an incentive, but that is the full extent of the invitation. Those who say yes are led by the volunteers from the street into the church, right up to the altar where they light their candle before the Lord.
I have had the privilege of welcoming people as they approach the altar at two out of three of these events. I have seen people being moved to tears in seconds â just once look at the Blessed Sacrament is enough. For some, itâs just this sense that something is different here, and I have observed countless people looking around as if trying to figure out what that is. These people often pause and take a good look at the monstrance, seldom realising that it contains the one that is different, the one that is divine.
Nightfever really has deepened my faith. I would encourage any young Catholics who are interested in joining us in this outreach in Cork to get in touch with the Fr Alan Neville at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart for more information.â
You can contact Fr Alan by email at fralan@mscvocations.com, or by phone on 086 785 7955.
