May 14, 2026
An invitation to join us at our 2026 Novena to the Sacred Heart
Our annual MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart is a blessed time of reflection and thanksgiving, when we bring our prayers and petitions before the generous love of the Sacred Heart. This year’s Novena of Masses will take place from Thursday, June 4th to Friday, June 12th.
All are welcome to join in this year’s Novena Masses, which will take place daily at 10.00am and 8.00pm at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork. Daily Novena Masses will also be available to watch live, as we welcome those who cannot be with us in person.
The Sacred Heart Parish welcomes each and every one of our mission friends and parishioners, from near and far, to pray with us during this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart.
“Leave everything in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and begin again with joy.”
~ St Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)
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.
This year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart will be celebrated by Fr John H. Walsh OP. Born in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Fr John entered the Order of Preachers in Cork after leaving school. Educated in Maynooth, Oxford, and Rome, Fr. John has served as a preacher of parish missions and retreats, and was also promoter for the Rosary Apostolate and a superior of Dominican communities in Ireland. Presently, he is the director of the St. Martin Apostolate in Dublin and the editor of the St. Martin magazine, as well as promotor for itinerant preaching for the Irish Dominicans.
Each year, the Novena to the Sacred Heart offers great solace and comfort to all who take part, as we bring our prayers and personal intentions before the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As we continue to navigate the ongoing challenges of these turbulent times, we come together in the spirit of hope, reflection, and thanksgiving in the sacred space granted to us by the Novena. All are very welcome to join us, in person and online, for our Novena Masses as we come together to reflect and give thanks in the grace and love of the Sacred Heart.
Together, we pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all involved.
MSC Sacred Heart Novena at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork
Daily Novena Masses:
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 1: Thursday, June 4th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 2: Friday, June 5th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 3: Saturday, June 6th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 4: Sunday, June 7th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 5: Monday, June 8th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Reconciliation services
Day 6: Tuesday, June 9th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 7: Wednesday, June 10th
10.00am & 8.00pm
*Please note there will be an additional Mass of Healing at 3.00pm in the Sacred Heart Hall*
Day 8: Thursday, June 11th
10.00am & 8.00pm
Day 9: Friday, June 12th – Feast of the Sacred Heart
10.00am & 8.00pm
For those who cannot be with us in person, you are very welcome to join us for our daily online Novena Masses on our live stream, united in spirit as we pray together as a great family of faith.
Novena Prayer to the Sacred Heart
O Divine Jesus, who said,
“Ask and you shall receive”,
I kneel at your feet.
From whom shall I ask if not from you,
whose heart is the source of all blessings.
With a lively faith in you,
I come to ask…
Share your petitions silently with the Sacred Heart.
I admit I am most unworthy of your favours, Jesus,
but this is not a reason for me to be discouraged.
You are the God of mercies and you will not refuse a contrite heart.
Look with pity on me,
I beg you, and your compassionate Heart
will find in my weakness a motive for granting my request.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.
Amen.
May 14, 2026
MSCs in India are working to help very vulnerable children in Karankadu, an extremely poor village located close to the Bay of Bengal and populated by just 468 families, with a Catholic community of 1,600 people. Karankadu is a fishing village, and due to its location, suffers badly from the damaging effects of monsoons.
Fr Regimus, parish priest at Our Lady of Angels Church in Karankadu, is working towards the repair and refurbishment of the local primary school, which is currently attended by 186 students (numbering 103 girls and 83 boys). There is no money for the decoration, repair, or refurbishment of the school, which has had very minimal maintenance completed since it was first built. Classrooms lack the most basic facilities, with children sitting on the floor and using their own school bags as desks. In such circumstances, it is very difficult for teachers to provide a high-quality education, feeding into the challenges the children face in progressing further and improving their quality of life as they grow.
The lack of classroom furniture causes several problems, including physical discomfort and development complications, hygiene issues, and considerable discomfort in the hot weather.
“This mitigates against the provision of quality education, which is so important at this stage of the child’s development, for enabling them to reach the maximum of their ability and for their future social and economic wellbeing,” writes Fr Regimus.
Building blocks for the future
One of the world’s most populous countries, India suffers with a tremendously imbalanced distribution of wealth and vast levels of poverty. Millions of children face various extremely difficult and complex challenges around homelessness, hunger, and access to education, leading to future issues with unemployment. The provision of a comprehensive education provides the children with both academic and social skills that will help them not only in their individual circumstances, but within their larger communities, and ultimately, for generations to come.
Fr Regimus has been able to raise half of the €20,000 needed to complete the necessary repairs to the school, and the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are helping Fr Regimus and the school community with the remaining funds, allowing them to plan for the refurbishment work during this year’s summer holidays, to purchase classroom equipment such as desks and chairs, and to improve the community’s daily life there. Updated facilities will have a hugely positive impact for the children, not only for their learning experience today, but also into the future. Their ability to gain a good education and skill set now will help these young people to avoid further issues further down the line, including unemployment, poverty, discrimination, child labour, and early marriage.
With the children of Karankadu facing so many significant challenges in their young lives, the support of our mission friends and benefactors in the Irish Province is nothing short of life-changing. We wish Fr Regimus and the school team every blessing with the success for their refurbishment work this summer, and we look forward to seeing their progress as they work to provide the chance of a brighter future to young people in rural India.
The school staff at Karankadu, with Fr Regimus in the centre.
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR GLOBAL MISSIONS.
May 7, 2026
Sincere thanks to everyone who came along to participate in our annual May fundraising event for the community of the Holy Family Care Centre, a dedicated facility for vulnerable young children run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, with the support of the MSC, in Ofcolaco, South Africa. This year’s fundraising event took place at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, after Masses on May 2nd and 3rd, and raised a total of approximately €4,226.81 for the Holy Family children.
Each May, the Sacred Heart community comes out in force to raise funds for the ongoing work of the Holy Family team, with a local plant and cake sale that always receives wonderfully generous support from parishioners and mission friends. It is always a lovely opportunity for old friends and new acquaintances to chat over tea and home-baked treats, and every year is much-anticipated by MSCs, local mission friends, and Sacred Heart parishioners.
Just some of the wonderful team who participated in our annual Sacred Heart Parish Plant & Cake Sale in aid of the Holy Family Care Centre in Ofcolaco, South Africa.
The Holy Family Care Centre has been run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in South Africa, with the support of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, since its establishment in 2002. Sr Sally Duigan FDNSC heads up the team at the centre, which is a true sanctuary and home away from home for young children who are very ill, and in many cases, do not have close family to take care of them. With many of the children being HIV positive, and in need of extremely specialised care, the demands on the centre are great. The Holy Family facility has resources to accommodate 70 children, yet Sr Sally and the team always do their best to accommodate every child that needs them, and so they often have 80 children or more in their care.
The availability of funding is a constant challenge, and the support of our MSC mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province is invaluable. Speaking of the long-standing friendship between the MSC Mission Office and the Holy Family Care Centre, Sr Sally said, “The children and staff have benefited enormously from the funding received from MSC Mission Office Ireland, and we are so grateful.”
“We continue to give our children love, security and care in the hope they will thrive. We want them to have the energy to enjoy playtime, be able to learn and live a happy life.”
Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to organise this year’s fundraising event, and to everybody who contributed and took part in even the smallest way, despite the rain and cloudy weather! Every little plant and every bun sold is part of a much bigger picture, connecting the Holy Family community in South Africa with the Sacred Heart family in Cork, and we are so very grateful for your ongoing friendship, generosity, and kindness.
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Apr 30, 2026
This year, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the MSC Missions Office on the Western Road, Cork, and as part of our anniversary commemorations, we’re looking back on old issues of our newsletter, the MSC Message, on a walk together down Memory Lane.
Fr Jules Chevalier and the Foundation of the MSC
The Winter edition of the MSC Message in 1999 took us to Issoudun, France, giving readers a short history of the founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Fr Jules Chevalier, and the establishment of the first society of the MSC in the small town of Issoudun.
While the 1999 article gives a short overview, you can find out more about Fr Chevalier and the foundation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart here.
The Russian Mission
In Autumn 1998, the MSC Message featured an update from Irish MSC Fr Con Doherty, writing from the Russian mission. Having returned to the Sacred Heart parish on the Western Road, Cork, in recent years, it is fascinating to read Fr Con’s account of life in the Caucusus region of Russia almost 30 years ago.
The Irish MSCs on the mission at the time had attended the Consecration of Bishop Klemens Pikkel in Marx, were teaching weekly catechetical classes for adults and children, and were looking forward to celebrating the First Holy Communion of six children and one adult in St Joseph’s Parish, Nal’chik, that October.
You can read more about the scope of the Russian mission here.
A prayer for students
Finally, and fittingly for this time of year, Summer of 1998 brought us a lovely prayer to St Joseph of Cupertino, patron saint of students.
“Joseph Desa (b. 1602) had an abiding vocation to serve God, but the various authorities considered him of ‘poor intelligence’. He prayed that on the occasion of his examination, he would be asked questions to which he knew the answers. Joseph went on to study for the priesthood and eventually was ordained. He devoted his life to prayer and good works. He is the patron saint of students.”
Dear Saint Joseph of Cupertino, please intercede for me that I may be successful in my exams, in my future career, in life and in my Faith. Amen.
With every blessing to all students approaching exams this summer, and the families and teachers supporting them along the way. You are very welcome to light a candle or send us a prayer request for a special student, or order an exam Mass card on our website, and our MSCs will be glad to keep your intentions in their prayers.
Read more from our 60th anniversary celebrations…
Apr 25, 2026
Holy Week on our MSC Mission in Ecuador proved to be a very special time indeed, with a host of celebrations throughout the week culminating on the glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
“It was a beautiful experience; I loved living with my indigenous community,” writes Fr Marcelo Campoverde MSC. “Eighteen missionaries who came from Quito, the capital, also helped me; it was a beautiful experience for them too.”
“That’s all I can share with you,” he said. “The photos speak for themselves!”
Thanks to the support of our mission friends and benefactors here at home, we have been able to provide great help in recent years to Fr Marcelo and several indigenous communities in Ecuador. We are very grateful for your ongoing support and friendship as we work to help these communities in real and pressing need.
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR GLOBAL MISSION PROJECTS
Apr 23, 2026
On April 12th, the Venezuelan community marked Divine Mercy Sunday with a special celebration in the parish of La Santa Cruz. On this “day of love”, MSCs and volunteers from Mis Ángeles social visited very vulnerable families, delivering toys to the children along with clothing for the adults and food for each household.
“Under the motto of compassion, the team brought words of encouragement and hope to each home,” wrote Bro. Deiby Fuenmayor MSC. “These visits allowed faith to be translated into concrete actions, closely accompanying those who are going through moments of difficulty and loneliness.”
The outreach support was possible with the support and donations of “good-hearted people,” which allowed “God’s mercy to reach the most disadvantaged brothers and sisters in a tangible way”.
“The church parish is deeply grateful to the community for joining this noble cause,” finished Bro. Deiby. “As we celebrate this special day, we reaffirm our commitment to be instruments of peace and solidarity aid for the well-being of all our neighbours.”
As ever, our prayers are with our MSC brothers and the communities they serve in Venezuela – such wonderful pictures are testament to the uplifting power of faith, community, prayer, and love, even in the most challenging times.
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR GLOBAL MISSION PROJECTS
