Dec 2, 2020
This year’s Light Up A Memory Mass took place on 28th November and was like a ceremony like no other. We couldn’t attend in person but at least we could join together virtually and stream it online. And how beautiful did our church look for the occasion, with hundreds of candles lit up to represent our loved ones who have passed away. It really was a unique and special occasion.
Now in its seventh year, the first Light Up a Memory Mass took place in 2014 and it has since become a much-beloved tradition for local parishioners in Cork, and for mission friends located far and wide, all over the world.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all who took part in this year’s Light Up a Memory celebrations, both in the Sacred Heart Church and around the world. Once again, it was a very poignant and truly special evening of prayer, reflection, and fond remembrance for everyone involved.
You can watch the full service here
Nov 23, 2020
In the Bible signs are a part of any great journey. Noah had his rainbow. Moses followed a pillar of fire. Jonah had a whale. I had a taxi. I had just arrived into Addis Ababa on an overnight flight and had an impossible task ahead of me. In a short transit window, I had to negotiate an unfamiliar city, unravel a bureaucracy, and be back with my South Sudanese visa in hand before my flight to Juba in the afternoon. I grabbed the first taxi and as I searched for the seat belt, I knew things would be alright. The interior of the cab was decorated by the driver with image after image of the Sacred Heart. It might not be a dove with an olive leaf, but it would do.
Travelling to South Sudan can be a challenge, even under the best of circumstances. My first trip in 2014 was by pickup truck from Kenya in the company of the wonderful Kiltegan Missionaries. It took us three separate attempts, because the road was flooded and completely impassable. In 2017 I arrived by air and was delayed again because the local flight I was waiting for missed the runway in another airport and hit a fire truck. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but plane, the truck, and all the luggage went up in smoke.
With all of the restrictions around the current pandemic, I approached my new appointment to Loreto School for Girls in Rumbek with both optimism and realism. News and air schedules changed regularly and two of my flights had already been cancelled. From the moment I took the Covid travel test on a Tuesday morning in November, I had just seventy-two hours to arrive in Juba, South Sudan’s capital. Any later and I would be denied entry. The clock was ticking and there was no margin for error.
It had taken an Aircoach, followed by two flights through strangely empty airports in Dublin and Heathrow, to get me to Addis. Armed with a sheaf of documentation provided by the school in Rumbek I presented myself to the Irish Embassy. Their incredible team were going to help push the application process as fast as it could go. In the company of the Irish Ambassador’s driver we pulled up the South Sudanese Embassy just as its Deputy Ambassador arrived. A tall, red bearded Catholic priest is an incongruous sight in Ethiopia and after he came over to see what was happening, he invited me into his board room. My paperwork and passport was whisked away and I sat down to the Irish Times cross word puzzle. While I was still trying to figure out 13 Across “Able to bounce back from adversity” 9 letters, my visa was processed and we were off again.
Arriving in South Sudan’s capital on Thursday afternoon with my Covid test and passport firmly clenched in my fist, I passed through the necessary health, visa, and customs checks, before spending the night in a local hotel. Over breakfast, purely by chance, I met two members of our sister congregation, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. They were on their way back to their mission in Mapuordit, and were taking the same flight as myself with the UN World Food Programme.
Finally, after four days of cars, buses, and planes I arrived in Rumbek. It was a glorious reception with hundreds of children turning out in uniform, who began singing in wonderful harmony once we disembarked the plane. The moment was spoiled somewhat, when halfway through their song they all just stopped and wandered about chatting and joking with their friends. They were there to greet to a Christian archbishop and they mistakenly thought he was with us. Still, a team from Loreto was there to give us a warm welcome. The sisters stayed the night, before leaving early the following morning. They would have to drive for an hour, then get out and wade through flood waters for another hour, before picking up a lift on the far side to continue their journey home. Sr. Wendy has been in South Sudan on mission for twenty years serving her local community. There are plans already on the go to meet up again. For my part, it was time to unpack and discovery my new home. But we’ll hear more about that next time.
God bless or Bi Nhialic arrer kek yin as they say here.
Fr. Alan
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Nov 20, 2020
Our dear Fr Alan MSC has left us to join our Missionaries in South Sudan. Fr Alan has been Vocations Director here and has done some amazing work with us since 2011, having previously spent time ministering in Ireland, the UK, South Africa, and Venezuela.
As Vocations Director, Fr Alan helped people who were trying to discern a call to priesthood and religious life. Fr Alan had closely with those who were exploring the nature of their vocation, providing support and guidance during their period of discernment.
Within his role, Fr Alan was youth minister for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Here, he worked with a team of dedicated youth workers to support young people as they celebrate their faith. Fr Alan has been involved in Catholic youth festivals, pilgrimages, the MSC overseas volunteering programme, and World Youth Day celebrations, helping young people from all walks to life to embrace God’s love.
We wish him the best of luck and look forward to his reports!
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are always proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Nov 9, 2020
On November 1, 2020, the Philippines was hit by the strongest typhoon recorded this year (Typhoon Rolly). One of the most affected areas was the Bicol Region (south of Luzon). Houses were buried, livelihoods were destroyed and families were displaced. Our Mission Partners in Gunobatan, Albay are now preparing for the Relief Operation Program in evacuation centers that are being set up by the local government.
Meanwhile, the MSC Philippine Province through the MSC Mission Office Phillippines organized a Call for Donations Campaign to send help to our brothers and sisters in the province. They conducted a 15 Day Donation Countdown that started last November 3, 2020 until November 18, 2020. In this way they can gather enough funds for the Mission Outreach for the affected families. According to our Mission Partner, sending the support later would be a great strategy since at this time lots of support are coming from different organizations and institutions. In their experiences before, they really had a hard time sustaining the people in evacuation centers especially during the later part of their stay in the centers. It is in this regard that they would appeal for donations to you and help us gather funds for our brothers and sisters who were greatly affected by Typhoon Rolly. Your support will be a great help to bring back the lives of the affected families in the region.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Oct 21, 2020
“As we continue to live through these challenging, troubling, anxious times where we are stripped of so many certainties and usual ways of living and ministering, we remain men of hope, men with a mission, men of the present and the future – why? … because we are men who have been found, touched and transformed by the love of God revealed in the heart of Jesus.
Today, we remember our Founder, Fr. Jules Chevalier. We appreciate and thank God for all the activities and initiatives you are doing all over the MSC world to celebrate this day. It is in this spirit that we present this Videoclip in memory of Fr. Jules Chevalier. We hope that for all of us, this 21st of October 2020 will be a significant day that will encourage us to keep on committing ourselves to the Mission.
The greatness of Fr. Chevalier is that despite so many negative experiences throughout his life, setbacks in the growth and development of the little Society, internal divisions and many, many personal sufferings, he did not allow his life and view to be dominated by negativity. It always amazes me, reading the writings of his latter years: he clearly did not belong to those people who only blame the darkness; he always tried to light a candle and to make a difference in the world by being a missionary, by being a man of hope, a man of heart. His whole life is summed up in the title chosen by himself: Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We are MSC! We are God’s heart on earth!”
Fr Carl Tranter
Provincial superior,
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Oct 2, 2020
It’s been a busy few months for our friends in Rumbeck in South Sudan. The fields are harvested and after 6 months absence, the students and the teachers are returning back from their different places of quarantine.
We have experienced many emotions but overall there has been great joy that we can return to teaching.
While malaria season continues they have been counting their blessings that they haven’t seen the obvious signs of coronavirus, but continue to take extra safe measures and hope and pray that they can prevent it from prevailing. Their delicate infrastructure simply would not be able to cope.
Earlier in the month of September, the Councils of Ministers in South Sudan made a decision concerning the reopening of schools and Loreto Rumbeck has decided to stagger the return of their students by 2 week intervals as a quarantine measure and to enforce social distancing measures.
Also in September “Mary’s meals” assisted the Rumbeck community by distributing food to local schools supported by the Diocese of Rumbek (DOR) through DOR Education. Loreto Primary School is one of the beneficiaries of Mary’s Meals. The distributions consisted of maize, beans, oil, salt, and soap. Since the students were still at home, parents and guardians collected the supplies on behalf of the students. This was done to encourage the pupils to continue their focus on education even while they were at home. Mary’s Meals has supported the Loreto school for many years and this has heavily impacted our high levels of school attendance – especially in the lower primary grades.
Recently an extra room, “a space for healing” was built for counselling at the school. The youths find great benefit in Sr Petra’s counselling sessions and as they were previously been held in the computer lab, it wasn’t ideal as they were being continuously interrupted. This was facilitated by you the donors support and Loreto Rumbeck are extremely grateful.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are always proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
