Jun 30, 2022
It is with great joy and gratitude that we close the curtain on our 2022 MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart, a truly wonderful occasion for all involved.
Our Novena took place from Thursday, June 16th through to the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday, June 24th, and was celebrated by Fr Paul Clayton-Lea, a great friend to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, around the theme of “Jesus – The Compassion and Mercy of God”.
“We can bring anyone and anything to God for help and healing.”
“We are here to pray during the Novena,” said Fr Paul during the opening Mass. “We come to pray with hope and expectation, and that’s the way it should be, because we’ve been told by our Lord himself never to stop praying. In a sense, I don’t think we ever do; we wake up in the morning and there’s always a half-formed prayer in our hearts, that this will be a good day for ourselves and those we care about. Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open to you, says the Lord. There’s nothing going on in our lives that we can’t take to him in prayer. There’s nothing we need to be shy about, nothing too big or small, nothing too shameful or too personal. We can bring anyone and anything to God for help and healing. When we look at the Sacred Heart statue, those arms open wide towards us in welcome… we can bring anything and anyone to God for help and healing, because that’s why he came.”
This year’s Novena was indeed a sacred time of prayer and reflection, and a beautiful reminder that nobody is ever lost to God. Fr Paul reminded us of this, reflecting, “That is our mission, as those who are devoted to the Sacred Heart: to make it, as the prayer goes, ‘everywhere loved’, to see the love that is coming at us, that is surrounding us each day, and to know, in that love, that nothing and no-one is ever lost.”
A great celebration, from near and far
Just a year ago, our Sacred Heart Novena took place behind closed doors because of COVID restrictions, and it was a real blessing and a privilege to be able to welcome parishioners, mission friends, benefactors, and new acquaintances to pray with us and celebrate with us here at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road in Cork. Fr John Finn put it best on the closing day of the Novena, when he said “It has been fantastic this year to have been able to sit, and stand up here, and meet people again after three years. It’s been wonderful to be able to go into the hall afterwards and have a cup of tea or coffee, and share a bit of cake or a biscuit, and have a chat.”
We also had the pleasure of welcoming almost 9,000 people who joined us throughout the Novena via our live stream, from close to home and across the world. Unseen, perhaps, but never forgotten, Fr Paul even paused to ask the congregation at the Sacred Heart Church to give everybody tuning in online a big wave from our closing Masses on the final day of our Novena celebrations!
With heartfelt thanks
Our sincere gratitude goes to Fr Paul for leading our Novena this year; Fr John Finn expressed our thanks at the closing Mass, saying, “For your gentle words of kindness, it is a real honour and privilege to have you here with us at the Sacred Heart Church.”
We are truly grateful to all who contributed to making this year’s Novena such a resounding success; the time and effort that went into every detail, from the flowers and music and readings, to the teas and coffees and socialising, and the planning of all the details in between, is always hugely appreciated. And to all who joined us in prayer, be it in person or online, your presence has been a blessing and a gift.
“To all of you, most importantly,” said Fr John. “To those who participate in this Novena, some for many, many, many years; many who support the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, who pray with us on the web; who support the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the MSC Sisters. We have projects all over the world that are supported by your kindness and your generosity towards us, thank you for that. We continue to pray for you.”
“Thank you all for being with us, it’s a real joy, and I pray that God will continue to guide you and bless you and be with you and all those you carry in your hearts and in your lives each day…. God bless you all.”
If you would like to watch recordings of this year’s daily Novena to the Sacred Heart Masses, please click here.
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May 10, 2022
Novena to the Sacred Heart 2022
The Feast of the Sacred Heart is fast approaching, and with it comes our special Novena to the Sacred Heart – a beautiful time of reflection when we bring our prayers and petitions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Our Novena of Masses runs for nine days, up to and including the Feast of the Sacred Heart.
This year’s Novena will take place from Thursday, June 16th to Friday, June 24th.
All are welcome to join in the Novena by watching our daily Masses live from the Sacred Heart Church in Cork. Novena Masses will take place daily at 10.00am and 7.30pm.
Be part of this year’s 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 this year’s Novena is “Jesus – The Compassion & Mercy of God”, and it will be celebrated by Fr Paul Clayton-Lea.
Fr Paul will make a welcome return to the Sacred Heart Church to celebrate this year’s Novena, following his wonderful contribution to our 2021 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. 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 editor of Intercom, the monthly magazine of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. We very much look forward to welcoming Fr Paul to the Sacred Heart Church once more as we celebrate this year’s Novena together.
Novena to the Sacred Heart at the Sacred Heart Church
Daily Novena Masses: 10.00am & 7.30pm
Dates to note
Sunday, June 19th
Novena Mass at 10.00am
Corpus Christi at 7.30pm
(beginning with Rosary & Benediction, followed by Mass)
Monday, June 20th
Penitential Services at 10.00am & 7.30pm
Thursday, June 23rd
Novena Masses at 10.00am & 7.30pm
Mass of Healing at 3.00pm
Each year, the Sacred Heart Novena is a time of great solace, peace, and prayer, as we bring our intentions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus. All are very welcome to join us for our daily Novena Masses on our live stream as we come together to reflect and give thanks in the grace and love of the Lord.
We welcome each and every one of you to this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart.
We pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all of us.
TAKE PART IN OUR 2022 NOVENA TO THE SACRED HEART
Apr 29, 2022
It is with grateful hearts that we thank all who joined us in prayer throughout the glorious Easter season this year – a triumphant celebration of the Resurrection that was all the more beautiful for seeing friends and parishioners in person at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, after all of the lockdowns and restrictions of the past two years.
Over the course of Holy Week and Easter, over 6,000 people prayed with us via our live stream, from here at home in Ireland and the UK, to far-flung corners of the globe including Malaysia, Mauritius, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago – and everywhere in between! On Easter Sunday alone, over 1,300 people tuned into our live stream to join in with our Easter celebrations, beginning with our Easter Dawn Mass at 6.00am.
Our Easter Garden took pride of place in the Sacred Heart Church once again this year, with our sincere gratitude to all who took such care in its construction and maintenance. Our Family Tree of Life Book, a lovely Easter tradition that celebrates the joy and value of family at this special time of year, was positioned on the altar as our MSCs pray for all those enrolled throughout the Easter season.
On Easter Sunday morning, MSC Missions Office Director Fr John Fitzgerald celebrated our annual Easter Dawn Mass, reflecting, “There is something there that seems to stretching us, to imagine that from this winter and from this darkness, something is coming, something is coming forth. There is a stretch. There is a stretch in the evenings, the grasses are stretching, and the catkins on the trees are stretching, the lambs in the field are stretching… There is an awakening, a pushing of a boundary, and we are asked to respond.”
“We need this time of the year”, Fr John continued. “We need this time of the calendar year and the liturgical year to survive, where we plant new seeds, where we plant new crops, and we move from the darkness and the harshness, and we take a chance getting up in the morning, knowing that even with the cloud, the sun will rise.”
In celebration of the Resurrection, the theme of hope and light sprang forth on Easter Sunday morning – a theme that resonates with each one of us, as we continue to navigate a global landscape of war, violence, political unrest, and the ongoing pandemic. “We are a people of hope,” said Fr John. “We are a people who must hope a lot, and we dare to hope… It seems like a dangerous world, and yet we dare to come here today to celebrate hope and encouragement.”
It is with this hope singing in our hearts that we welcome the light, the stretch, and the brighter days of spring and summer to come, with every grace and blessing of the Sacred Heart to our mission friends everywhere, this Easter season and throughout the year ahead.
Click here to watch a recording of our 2022 Easter Dawn Mass.
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Nov 11, 2021
As it is written in Ecclesiastes,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1-2)
– and with the dawn of the new year comes a new season for the MSC Missions Office.
The Irish Provincial Leadership Team has announced that Fr Michael O’Connell MSC will be stepping down from the position of Director of the MSC Missions Office in the new year, with Fr John Fitzgerald MSC taking over the role in early 2022.
Fr Carl Tranter MSC
“I am writing today to share the news that, after 22 years as Director of the MSC Missions Office, Fr Michael O’Connell MSC will be standing down from this post in the new year,” writes Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC.
“I am glad to be able to tell you that Fr John Fitzgerald MSC will be stepping into the role of Director,” Fr Carl continues. “Having worked in close proximity with the Missions Office for many years now, I know that Fr John will bring with him many gifts and will be a wonderful addition to the team there.”
As we look ahead to the new year, Fr John is already working closely with Fr Michael and the team at the MSC Missions Office in order to make sure that this new chapter will herald a bright new era for our missionary work in the Irish Province and beyond.
Fr Michael O’Connell MSC
“Thank you for your prayers, for your friendship, for your kindness, for your generosity, and for your continued support of our missionaries as they carry out their great work across the world,” writes Fr Michael, in a message to our mission friends. “Your support has been a real gift to me, and as we navigate our new paths, I know that your kindness and generosity of spirit will extend to Fr John in my stead. As I prepare to take my leave, rest assured that you will remain in my heart and my prayers as Fr John and I work together to make sure that this new season will be a peaceful, prayerful, and positive one for all.”
Fr John Fitzgerald MSC
Fr John echoes these sentiments as he says, “At the moment, Fr Michael is journeying with me, and thanks to his dedication, he leaves a rich legacy; our missionary work continues, however, and I have every confidence in your support for the future. You are a marvellous community of mission friends and your generosity is a true reflection of the love of the Heart of Christ. I too, like Fr Michael, pray that this new season will be peaceful, prayerful, and positive for all.”
With heartfelt thanks to Fr Michael for his tremendous contribution over the past two decades,
we also extend a warm welcome to Fr John as he takes up his new role.
United in faith, we will continue to work together to shine the light of God’s love
where it is needed most.
Please click to read the full letters from Fr Carl, Fr Michael, and Fr John.
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 Lord’s 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. “Bereavement touches us all, and our Light Up a Memory Mass is a very special way for families to remember together,” says MSC Missions Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell, who will also be participating in this year’s ceremony. “It is a welcome moment to pause, to reflect, and to honour fond memories, with every candle a tribute to beloved friends and relatives.”
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 year’s 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 Croí 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 Patrick’s 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 Carl
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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