Mar 5, 2026
It’s always a joy to share updates from the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines, where sustainability and hope are at the heart of everything they do.
One of the current programmes running at the centre focuses on urban gardening, growing vegetables to supplement a nutritious diet in people’s home in a city environment. “With limited space and increasing awareness about sustainability, health, and food security, more people are turning balconies, rooftops, backyards, and even windowsills into productive green spaces,” the Centre shared on a post on their Facebook page.
The outreach programme promotes the growth of fresh, healthy food for a sustainable source of nutrition, while also saving money, encouraging physical and mental wellbeing, and building a sense of community in busy urban spaces.
“Urban vegetable gardening proves that you don’t need a large plot of land to grow your own food. Whether you have a single pot on a fire escape or a thriving rooftop garden, every little bit counts. It’s a step toward more sustainable living, better nutrition, and stronger communities—all while adding a little green to the gray of city life,” says the CFTP community, encouraging all those interested to contact them for further information and support.
Urban gardening at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines. (Image: via @CenterFTPoorMSC on Facebook.)
The community at the MSC Centre for the Poor welcomed the new year with a “meaningful and grace-filled” retreat focusing on Spirituality of the Heart, with particular emphasis on meditation. The programme was led by Fr Richie Gomez MSC, “creating a space of shared reflection, silence, and attentive listening”.
The team at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines began 2026 with a wellness retreat led by Fr Richie Gomez MSC. (Image via @CenterFTPoorMSC on Facebook.)
Over the course of three days, participants reflected on the heart “as a sacred place of encounter, healing, and commitment,” a reminder that “true spirituality begins within and flows outward into our mission, relationships, and daily service.”
“Through moments of stillness, reflection, and guided meditation, participants were encouraged to listen attentively to the movements of the heart,” said a post on the Centre’s Facebook page. “We were reminded that true spirituality is not merely about doing more, but about being present—allowing God’s love to gently transform our thoughts, emotions, and actions.”
“When we pray, reflect, and listen as one, our hearts become more attuned to wisdom, clarity, and peace,” posted the MSC Centre for the Poor.
January ended with a planning session for the year ahead, with Fr Richie Gomez and Mam Joy Bungabong leading the community in a discussion about different programmes and initiatives to take place throughout the year ahead. “With renewed clarity and shared direction, we look forward to a year filled with meaningful service, strengthened collaboration, and a deeper commitment to our mission for the poor and the communities we accompany,” shared the Centre’s Facebook page.
We have no doubt that the year ahead will be a fruitful and enriching one for all involved, with every blessing to the CFTP community in the Philippines for a positive and powerful 2026!
Images via the Facebook page for the Center for the Poor – MSC.
Feb 26, 2026
This month, we’re looking back at an issue of the MSC Message from 20 years ago, in 2006.
Blessings from the Sacred Heart Church
The newsletter welcomed newly appointed parish priest at the time, our very own Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, who has come full circle and is now parish priest at the Sacred Heart again, 20 years later! He was pictured with another familiar face here on the Western Road, former Missions Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, as they placed a box of benefactors’ petitions on the altar for the 2006 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Direct from the MSC Mission Fields
In a page dedicated to stories from the MSC Mission Fields, we read about MSCs Fr Vinnie Screene and Fr Adrian McHugh, who were ministering in Venezuela and South Africa respectively.
“Fr. Vinnie Screene, msc – a native of Skehanagh, Co. Galway – is seen here with volunteer helpers in one of our Soup Kitchens in Maracaibo, Venezuela.”
“Whilst on holiday in Ireland recently Fr. Vinnie told us that one of his big tasks on his return to Maracaibo would be assisting poor families with the cost of school books. MSCs regard education as the foundation to enable poor people to better themselves. Distribution of food parcels to sustain poor families is a regular part of missionary work.”
Fr Adrian McHugh, from Swinford, Co. Mayo, was pictured with a group of very vulnerable children receiving warm blankets in Musina, South Africa.
“Whilst South Africa is known for its blistering heat, the temperature can drop well below zero during the winter. The cold added to poor diet and nutrition along with bad housing creates great hardship especially for children and old people. At St. Martin’s School vegetables and maize are cooked in large pots in the yard to provide a nutritious meal for children. Fr. Adrian is now planning a Drop-In Centre for AIDS sufferers and their families.
AIDS is a huge problem. Africa has 10% of the world’s population but 90% of AIDS sufferers.”
Prayers & Reflections
Finally, the MSC Message also featured some particularly lovely prayers and reflections that stand the test of time, and are equally powerful today.
One, from William Penn, speaks of the value of kindness: “I expect to pass through life once. If therefore there is any kindness I can do to any fellow human being, let me do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again.”
Another, from St Therese of Lisieux, is especially beautiful for this time of year, as we welcome Spring:
“Happiness – people search for it
in vain: it’s not on earthly ground;
With me, it’s quite the opposite –
it’s in my heart that joy is found.
This joy – don’t think it comes and
goes:
Coming to me, it came to stay.
Delighting like a fresh spring rose
it smiles upon me every day.”
Twenty years on, tradition – and the heart of our mission – is still going strong. We’re looking forward to our 2026 Novenas to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart later in the year, while our ministry in Venezuela and South Africa continues, with our MSCs on each mission ministering to the changing needs of local communities in today’s society.
Jan 22, 2026
Congratulations and blessings to the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in the Pacific Islands! The OLSH Sisters have officially marked the beginning of the Kiribati Province Mission in Tonga, an island located in the South Pacific Ocean.
In a Facebook post by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the OLSH Sisters wrote:
“With the support of the Australian Province, on Monday 12 January we joyfully celebrated and commemorated the beginning of the Kiribati Province Mission in Tonga.”
“We give thanks for this exciting new chapter in the life of our Congregation,” they continued, “and pray that Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will continue to guide and inspire this mission in Tonga, so that all may come to know the love of the Heart of God through the charism and mission of the Daughters.”
They finished with a fitting quote from MSC founder Fr Jules Chevalier: “With faith and love, nothing is impossible.”
Our extended Sacred Heart family have long been present in the Pacific Islands, with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart ministering in the region since 1888, while the official erection of the MSC Province of the Pacific Islands was celebrated in May 2021.
We send our heartfelt good wishes to the OLSH Sisters at the beginning of this new mission, with every blessing to them as they start this exciting new chapter.
Images via the Facebook page for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Australia.
