Apr 13, 2022
On Easter Monday, Fr Absalón Alvarado MSC, our Superior General, will arrive in Ireland to spend three weeks visiting our MSC members in England and Ireland. It has been 14 years since the last visit of our Superior General, then Fr Mark McDonald, in 2008.
On Sunday, April 24th, Fr Absalón will be the main celebrant at Mass in the Sacred Heart Parish on the Western Road, Cork. This Mass will be live-streamed at 10.00am, and all are welcome to participate.
In the course of his trip, Fr Absalón wants to get to know the members of the Irish Province; to understand our reality, listen to our hopes and dreams, share in our struggles and disappointments, and confirm us in our mission to be God’s heart on earth. He will certainly want to encourage our MSCs, but in the first place, he comes to listen and walk with us for three weeks.
Journeying together in the Way of the Heart
Originally from Guatemala, Fr Absalón was elected Superior General for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at the General Chapter in Rome, in September 2017. Fr Absalón was in the role of Provincial Leader of the Central American Province prior to his election, and is the first MSC Superior General from the Global South.
With a Masters in Theology and a PhD in Psychotherapy, Fr Absalón has also ministered as a Vocations Director and Formator, as well as spending some time working in parishes in Nicaragua.
During his time in the Irish Province, Fr Absalón will travel to several MSC communities around Ireland and England, as well as visiting various projects and ministries that are currently underway. We look forward to following his journey, and we would be delighted to welcome mission friends from the Irish Province and beyond to join us in prayer via our live stream for our special Mass on Sunday, April 24th.
Please click here to watch a recording of Mass celebrated by
our MSC Superior General on Sunday, April 24th.
Apr 7, 2022
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Philippines have begun work on the housing project which will help families whose homes were destroyed by Typhoon Odette, a devastating storm that struck in December 2021, killing over 400 people and leaving hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes.
This month, MSCs in the Philippines have begun distribution of housing materials to five communities across Bayagnan Island in Surigao City. The materials provided will allow for the repair and construction of homes for over 330 households, where houses have been severely damaged, often completely destroyed, by the typhoon.
Recalling the impact of Typhoon Odette, which struck on December 16th 2021, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart – Social Initiative and Collaborative Action Project said, “When it made landfall, winds of up to 210 km per hour were uprooting coconut trees, ripping down electricity poles, and hurling slabs of corrugated tin and wood through the air.” The MSC-SICAP group, working in conjunction with the MSC Centre for the Poor, are currently carrying out a strategic disaster response plan, with several recovery stages in place to aid in the restoration of communities across Surigao.
The Facebook page for the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines has shared photos and updates of the housing project as it progresses, describing the successful beginning of this stage: “The MSC Task Force Odette distributed the housing materials to the first batch of totally affected families in Bayagnan Island, Surigao City. It was a great moment for the community to show bayanihan spirit and help one another to make the activity a successful one.”
As we journey together through the Lenten season, we continue to offer our prayers and our support to our MSC brothers in the Philippines and the communities they serve there as they work to rebuild affected communities in the wake of Typhoon Odette.
Images via the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. Facebook page.
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Mar 31, 2022
We were delighted to receive a recent update from the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Brazil, where a second-hand clothing store is run by the Sisters at the Social Centre in Alfenas.
All money raised from sales in the store is used to buy food for the poor. Volunteers help to prepare the food supplies for poor families in the area, and each month, the OLSH Sisters distribute 65 food parcels to local families in real need of help and support.
The Sisters are in the process of renovating the space in order to make it more practical, and also to promote a more appealing shopping experience with the aim of raising much-needed funds. New areas have been added to display the clothes and shoes for sale, and the Sisters continue in their work to feed and care for hungry families in the Alfenas region.
Our 2022 World Projects Appeal is continuing to raise funds for outreach programmes such as this one, run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Brazil and beyond. “Your generous donors are remembered in prayer all over the world, with deepest gratitude,” writes Sr Jenny Christie FDNSC, International Development Officer for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Please keep our Sacred Heart Sisters in Alfenas, and across the world, in your prayers as they continue to share the message of God’s love, whenever and wherever it is needed most, despite the challenges posed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
PLEASE SUPPORT OLSH OUTREACH AROUND THE WORLD
Mar 24, 2022
MSCs in the Philippines joined forces with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and local volunteers to offer emergency relief aid to survivors of a fire that tore through the community of St Teresa of Calcutta in Quezon City on Tuesday, March 8th.
The MSC Scholasticate Community visited the community of the St Teresa of Calcutta Chapel to help with relief aid, including food provision and the distribution of care packages, shortly after the fire took place on March 8th. The St Teresa of Calcutta Chapel is just one of the chapels of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station in the area, which is under the pastoral care and guidance of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
More than 80 families were left homeless following the blaze, where possessions, houses, and valuables were all lost to the flames. The MSC Scholasticate Community distributed care packages containing food and essentials, including pre-loved clothes and goods for families that had been left with nothing following the fire.
The MSC Scholasticate Community shared an update on the relief aid on their Facebook page, writing, “Gratitude is due to the OMI Theologate Community, SFIC Philippines, and some other individuals for sharing their resources in helping the affected community.”
“Together, we all make present the Heart of God on Earth,” they finished.
Please keep our Sacred Heart family in Quezon City in your prayers as they help survivors of the fire to find safety and security in the wake of this disaster.
Images via the MSC Scholasticate Community – Philippines on Facebook.
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Mar 16, 2022
The beginning of Lent was cause for great prayer and occasion in Metuge, Mozambique, where our MSCs celebrated with communities of the St Anthony of Metuge parish, in the Sede, São Paulo, Santa Terezinha, and São Tiago regions.
Masses and prayers took place across the parish – with unexpected challenges arising along the way, in the midst of the rainy season. Our MSCs encountered two separate incidents of trucks stuck in the river as they travelled to and from one of the Santa Terezinha communities, one on the way there and one on the return journey. They were able to help in the recovery of the first, but the muddy riverbed and powerful waters won the battle on the second. “This is how it is,” reads a post on the MSC Mozambique Facebook page. “This is our mission in this rainy season.”
The MSC Mozambique Facebook page also shared pictures of Mass in the region of São Tiago, where the community is made up almost entirely of people who have been displaced by war, violence, and unrest. In the face of such troubles, and now more than ever in such tumultuous times around our world, our faith is a refuge and a comfort, and these Masses marking the beginning of the Lenten season were very special occasions of hope and unity for all involved.
Now in its fourth year, the MSC Mozambique mission has celebrated with local communities in times of joy, and has walked with them and helped them rebuild in the wake of natural disasters. Please keep our MSC community and the families they serve in Mozambique in your prayers this Lenten season.
Images via the MSC Mozambique Facebook page.
PLEASE HELP US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MOZAMBIQUE
Mar 10, 2022
“It has been a busy week. There are rarely quiet weeks in Loreto, but this last one has certainly kept us all on our toes. Thankfully it has all been positive, and in light of the challenges we see on the news now, we are especially grateful.
Last Monday the Irish Ambassador to Ethiopia, Djibouti and South Sudan, Nicola Brennan, visited the school with a member of her team. Their arrival meant a 50% increase in the number of Irish people in Lakes State. It was only for a day, but in that short time they saw all of the exciting ministry that Irish missionaries are involved in, including the schools, the Primary Health Care Clinic, the Catholic University, outreach to people living with leprosy, and the local parish run by the Spiritans. It is the same anywhere around the world. The Irish are a small group, but we punch well above our weight.
Ash Wednesday brought not just the beginning of the Lenten season, but also the news we had been waiting nearly a year for, the date for the consecration of Bishop-elect Christian Carlassare. Fr. Christian was shot several times last April in a home invasion in the Holy Family Cathedral. After a period of convalescence, he is ready to return and will be consecrated on the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25th.
With just over three weeks’ preparation time, everyone has leapt into action. We are expecting anywhere between 5,000 and 7,000 people to attend from all over the Diocese and South Sudan. Some will even come from as far away as Italy, the Bishop-elect’s home country. It will be a wonderful, grace-filled, joyous, prayerful, and chaotic day. His return will mark a new chapter for the Church here that will seek to address the desire for vision, reconciliation, and evangelisation.
“The challenges we face are formidable.”
Last, but by no means least, on Friday we had the graduation of our Senior 4 students. They will soon finish in Loreto altogether and sit their final national exams. Many hope to go on to university and study law, teaching, journalism, healthcare, business, IT, and a host of other subjects.
On the day the students were joined by 1,000 family members and friends who celebrated the day with them. While this ceremony is similar to many taking place around the world about now, here it is remarkable. These young women have had to fight against almost insurmountable odds to stay in school. When they began four years ago in Senior 1, there were ninety of them. This year’s graduating class was comprised of fifty-two students. Many were taken out of school for forced early marriage, and, despite the very best efforts of the team here, did not return. It is important to note that when it comes to retention of students and completion of studies Loreto ranks among the very best in the country, but the challenges we face are formidable.
During their graduation, the girls spoke of their own hopes and dreams for the future. Their time in Loreto has helped them to reach a standard that will give them a say in their future that many young women here will be denied. After the Graduation Mass, the morning programme of speeches was interspersed with cultural dances and songs. Parents’ representatives spoke of their pride in their daughters and their belief that these will be the future economic, social, and political leaders of South Sudan. The day was also a good opportunity to showcase the work of the school with the visiting political dignitaries and bring them on board with the work we do.
Now that the week is over, another one has begun and it looks to be exciting as well. Please keep our preparations for the Bishop-elect’s consecration in your prayers. I’ll keep you updated on the coming and going. Thank you for all the support that you have given to our ministry here. During the week the MSC Missions Office transferred money that was given for our work in South Sudan. It is just enough to complete a new project for a toilet block, replacing outdated pit latrines. Little by little we are improving every day.
Ben Nhialic areer kek a yin,
Fr Alan
P.S. Almost forgot. We also got news that Pope Francis is coming to South Sudan in July. We are already planning our walking pilgrimage to meet him in Juba. It’s only 427km!”
Read more from Fr Alan’s missionary journey in South Sudan:
PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
