Nov 11, 2021
In November, we remember, as we pray especially for loved ones who have gone before us. This year, we invite you once again to take part in a special live streaming of our annual Light Up a Memory Mass, which will be celebrated on Saturday, November 27th by main celebrant Fr John Fitzgerald MSC. The candlelight memorial service will take place at 6.30pm and will be streamed live from the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
Traditionally, the Month of the Holy Souls is a time to reflect and pray for friends and family who have gone to their eternal rest in the Lordâs love. Sadly, loss and grief have been companions to many during the coronavirus pandemic, and this November, we remember specially those who are no longer with us.
Each year, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart invite mission friends to send the names of their dearly departed for remembrance, and the list is kept on the altar throughout the month as we pray for their perpetual peace. Marking the end of the month of remembrance, the Light Up a Memory Mass lights up the winter darkness in honour of our faithful departed.
Since the first MSC Light Up a Memory Mass took place in 2014, this has become a much-loved tradition to close the Month of the Holy Souls. âBereavement touches us all, and our Light Up a Memory Mass is a very special way for families to remember together,â says MSC Missions Office Director Fr Michael OâConnell, who will also be participating in this yearâs ceremony. âIt is a welcome moment to pause, to reflect, and to honour fond memories, with every candle a tribute to beloved friends and relatives.â
All are welcome to join us in reflection on this special night, and to submit the names of departed family, friends, and loved ones for remembrance. We would greatly appreciate your support for our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our annual Mass. You can then submit the names of your departed loved ones online, and our MSC priests will remember them specially during our Light Up a Memory Mass.
While the pandemic has meant that the way we pray together has had to change, we remain ever united in spirit and in faith. Please join us for an evening of reflection and remembrance in honour of the loved ones who are always in our thoughts.
Find out more about our annual MSC Light Up a Memory Mass.
Please click here to watch the Light Up a Memory Mass, and all November Masses for the Holy Souls, on our live stream.
Oct 6, 2021
This yearâs annual Masses for deceased MSCs and Daughters of the Lady of the Sacred Heart will take place around the country in November, as we remember those who have gone before us in the light of the Lord.
Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC writes:
“Sadly, this year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, our usual manner of gathering is not possible. We have, therefore, arranged for a Mass to be celebrated on Sunday, November 7th at 3.00pm in the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork, which will be live streamed on the internet to allow everyone to participate. All are welcome to access this mass on a computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone by visiting our website’s live stream page.
In addition to the live-streamed mass from Cork, the MSC communities in Woodview, Dublin, and CroĂ Nua, Galway, will be celebrating their own community Mass for our deceased members that Sunday morning.
Mass will also be celebrated on Sunday, November 14th in St Patrickâs Church, Ballybay at 2.00pm. This will be live streamed and can be accessed by visiting the live stream at www.churchservices.tv/ballybay.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to invite family and friends to attend any of these Masses in person this year. We look forward to the possibility of coming together once again next year to remember and celebrate the lives of those who have gone before us. In the meantime, we hope that you will be able to join us virtually on November 7th and 14th this year.”
With my prayers and very best wishes,
Fr CarlÂ
We invite you to join us for live-streamed Masses on the following dates:
Sunday, November 7th at 3.00pm:
Sunday, November 14th at 2.00pm:
We would like to invite you to pray with us during the month of the Holy Souls as we remember the MSCs and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who worked so hard to ensure that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is known and loved everywhere, and by everyone.
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Sep 21, 2021
We would like to invite you all to join us for a very special Triduum of Masses on our virtual pilgrimage to Lourdes, which will take place online from Thursday, September 23rd to Saturday, September 25th.
For over half a century, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have led annual pilgrimages to Lourdes. Last year, the arrival of the COVID pandemic meant that, for the first time in over 50 years, we were unable to travel to Lourdes with our mission friends and fellow pilgrims. Instead, we hosted a virtual pilgrimage, and this year, with many restrictions still in place and with safety still a significant concern, we invite you to take up your pack and join our group of virtual pilgrims as we pray together from home.
Every year, each one of our pilgrims undertakes a journey that is entirely individual, yet remains a quintessential part of something bigger. People join us for a host of different reasons, from struggles with personal challenges to a simple desire for prayer, reflection, and thanksgiving. The experience of pilgrimage is different for everyone, but that awareness of being part of something special, of something more, remains the same for all.
Undertaking a pilgrimage is a truly special experience, with strangers becoming friends on a shared journey. This year, we will once again be praying together from home â but we will be praying together. That spirit of unity and community never fails, as the message of Godâs love overcomes all barriers in the pilgrimage celebration of faith, togetherness, and intimacy with God.
You are very welcome to join us as we follow in the footsteps of St Bernadette on this yearâs virtual pilgrimage, with Masses streamed streamed live from the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, and a torchlight procession streamed live from Lourdes on the evenings of Thursday, September 23rd and Friday, September 24th at 8.00pm. Thursday, September 23rd will reflect on following in the footsteps on St Bernadette, Friday, September 24th will be a Day of Healing, and Saturday, September 25th will be a Day of Thanksgiving. Like so many other things that have had to change over the last two years, this will be a new and different experience for us all, but a valuable and meaningful one nonetheless. We look forward to having you pray alongside us on this yearâs journey.
Click here to view the full schedule for our 2021 Virtual Pilgrimage
Watch our 2021 Pilgrimage Masses & Celebrations Live
Submit your prayer intentions online for our 2021 Virtual Pilgrimage
If you would like to read more about previous pilgrimages,
and view our galleries of images from Lourdes, please visit our posts on our 2018 and 2019 journeys.
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Sep 14, 2021
Heartfelt thanks to all who participated in our 2021 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which took place from Tuesday, August 31st to Wednesday, September 8th at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
While this year’s Novena once again took place behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was nonetheless a truly blessed celebration of a much-loved annual tradition. It is of course difficult to navigate a new way of living, and in this case, a new way of praying, but the fact that we could not come together in person did not take from the wonderful sense of community and connection that comes with being part of our great family of faith. Over 9,300 people joined us in prayer via our live stream over the course of the nine days, reminding us of the tremendous spirit of our extended Sacred Heart family, at home and across the world.
The theme of our 2021 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was “Hope of the Hopeless”, and Fr Paul Clayton-Lea was the lead celebrant this year.
Fr Paul is a priest of the Archdiocese of Armagh, who has enjoyed a wide and varied ministry to date and is currently the priest in residence in the parish of Termonfeckin, Co. Louth. Having studied Education and Family Ministry at Fordham University in New York in 1988, he also ministered in the Riverdale area of the Bronx at the time, and has since served as a teacher of politics and religion, a college chaplain at DKIT, a Diocesan Advisor for Religious Education, and a parish priest. Author of In The Light Of The Word: Family Life Through The Lens Of Scripture, which was published by Veritas in 2018, Fr Paul is also about to resume his position as editor of Intercom, the monthly magazine of the Irish Catholic Bishopsâ Conference. We were delighted to welcome Fr Paul to the Sacred Heart Church, and we are very grateful for his contribution to this yearâs celebrations.
âMay Mary and her merciful heart bless all of us.â
Fr Paul provided us with pause for thought in his daily sermons, summing up our great blessings in the closing Mass on the evening of September 8th. âWouldnât it be beautiful to be free of the lure of the world?â he asked. âFree from the things that draw us in and suck us in all the time, making us want this and want that and want more. Mary may not offer us all the wealth that we want, all the success that we want, but she will make sure that we do not want.â
âMay Mary and her merciful heart bless all of us,â he concluded.
At the closing Mass, Fr Tom Mulcahy MSC spoke on behalf of Fr Michael OâConnell, who had travelled to Dublin on the final day of the Novena to attend the Perpetual Profession of Br Giacomo Gelardi to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. âFr Michael asked me to speak to you to thank you for being with us and walking with us,â said Fr Tom. âWeâre a tremendous outreach in the world; I remember being at an international conference and one of the Indian brethren said, âIf it werenât for the Irish Province of the MSCs, we couldnât continueâ. So, weâre helping so many other people. Youâre helping so many other people. You walk with us and pray with us and celebrate with us.â
Once again, we send our sincere thanks to everyone who took part in what was a truly blessed occasion, and for your ongoing friendship and support. God bless you all.
If you would like to watch this yearâs Novena Masses,
please click here to view recordings of our 2021 MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart.
Sep 11, 2021
On September 8th, 2021, Br Giacomo Gelardi MSC made his Perpetual Profession to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at the Sacred Heart Church, Killinarden â a truly great occasion for the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and for the Sacred Heart family all over the world.
Irish Provincial Leader, Fr Carl Tranter MSC, spoke of âgreat joy for the Irish Province, and indeed, for the entire congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heartâ on the occasion of Br Giacomo’s Final Profession.
“Heartfelt congratulations to Giacomo on the occasion of his Final Profession in Killinarden on the afternoon of September 8th.
We had a really lovely celebration, warmly hosted by the parish and local community with a reception afterwards in the parish primary school.
Giacomoâs mother, Francesca, his sister, Maria and his brother Luca, had been able to travel from Italy for the celebration. Twelve MSCs also joined Giacomo for the occasion.
Thank you for your ‘yes’, Giacomo; to the call of the Lord on your heart, and to this little Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and its mission. Â We are proud to count you as a brother among brothers and continue to hold you in our prayers for the next step of your journey.”
Fr Con OâConnell MSC, one of the Vocations Directors for the Irish Province, also writes of the âgreat celebrationâ that comes with Br Giacomoâs profession:
“It was with great joy that the Chevalier Family yesterday celebrated the final vows of Br Giacomo Gelardi MSC. He is now a full member of the Irish Province of the MSC.
Originally from Urbino in north-eastern Italy, Giacomo worked for many years in the pharmaceutical industry. It was in his mid-thirties while living and working in England that he felt called to religious life and priesthood.
Br Giacomo has completed most of his training so far at our formation house in Dundrum, except for his novitiate year, which he did in Myross Wood in Leap, West Cork. It was there that he took his first vows.
Over the last few years, Giacomo has spent a lot of time in our parish of Killinarden, West Tallaght, Dublin, so it was appropriate that it was in Sacred Heart Church, Killinarden, that he made his final profession of vows. He did this in the presence of some of his fellow MSCs, family, friends and local parish members.
After the church celebration he and all his guests were treated to a fabulous reception laid on by the parish. While numbers had to be restricted due to COVID-19, guidelines it was a great celebration.
Br Giacomo’s journey continues as he moves on to our community in Western Road, Cork. Do keep Giacomo in your prayers as he prepares for Diaconate and then Priesthood. Thank God for his generosity in devoting himself to religious life within the MSCs.”
We join Fr Carl and Fr Con in sending our heartfelt congratulations to Br Giacomo, and we wish him every blessing as he continues on the path of his missionary journey.
Click here to watch Br Giacomo’s Perpetual Profession ceremony.
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Aug 4, 2021
Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2021
Our annual Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful time of reflection and thanksgiving, when we bring our prayers and petitions before Our Lady.
Our Novena of Masses runs for nine days and will take place from Tuesday, August 31st to Wednesday, September 8th.
All are welcome to join in the Novena by watching our daily Masses live from the Sacred Heart Church in Cork. These Novena Masses will take place daily at 10.00am and 7.30pm.
Please note that this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will be streamed online only, due to ongoing COVID-19 government restrictions.
Be part of this yearâs Novena to the Sacred Heart
At this special time of year, you can help us to help others by supporting our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our daily Novena Masses. You can then submit your personal prayers and intentions online, and our MSC priests will remember your petitions specially throughout the course of the Novena.
The theme of yearâs Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will be “Hope of the Hopeless”, and it will be celebrated by Fr Paul Clayton-Lea.
Fr Paul is a priest of the Archdiocese of Armagh, who has enjoyed a wide and varied ministry to date and is currently the priest in residence in the parish of Termonfeckin, Co. Louth. Having studied Education and Family Ministry at Fordham University in New York in 1988, he also ministered in the Riverdale area of the Bronx at the time, and has since served as a teacher of politics and religion, a college chaplain at DKIT, a Diocesan Advisor for Religious Education, and a parish priest. Author of In The Light Of The Word: Family Life Through The Lens Of Scripture, which was published by Veritas in 2018, Fr Paul is also about to resume his position as editor of Intercom, the monthly magazine of the Irish Catholic Bishopsâ Conference. We very much look forward to welcoming Fr Paul to the Sacred Heart Church as we celebrate this yearâs Novena together.
Each year, the Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart offers great solace and comfort, as we bring our intentions before our Holy Mother. The past year and a half has brought with it enormous challenges, and now, we look to the future with renewed hope; all are very welcome to join us online for our Novena Masses as we come together to reflect and give thanks in the grace and love of Our Lady.
OLSH Novena at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork
Daily Novena Masses: 10.00am & 7.30pm
Day of Reconciliation: Friday, September 3rd
Day for the Dead: Monday, September 6th
Day of Healing: Tuesday, September 7th
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Thursday, September 9th (10.00am – 2.00pm)
All are very welcome to join us for our daily online Novena Masses on our live stream. While we continue to be restricted in our ability to pray together in person, we remain ever united in spirit as part of our great family of faith.
We welcome each and every one of you to this yearâs Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
We hope and pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all of us.
TAKE PART IN OUR 2021 OLSH NOVENA
