Feb 13, 2019
In the summer of 2018, we reached out to our mission friends to support our MSCs and local parishes in Kerala, India, where the worst flooding in almost a century caused untold devastation. Heavy rainfall wreaked havoc across the state, and the MSC Kerala House suffered from severe water damage.
Fr Richard Suresh MSC has been in touch from Kerala to update us on the ongoing repair work in the Sacred Heart Seminary in Kanjoor. “Painting work, roofing work, and pathway repair has been going on,” he writes. “It is very difficult to get workers in Kerala, as there are many, many houses that need workers to carry out repairs. We have not yet been able to finish the repairs as we had planned, due to the lack of workers available, but we are still working on it.”
The flooding hit Kerala in August 2018, killing hundreds and forcing millions to flee from their homes. Cars, livestock, homes, and businesses were washed away in the deluge.
The Sacred Heart Seminary in Kerala was severely affected due to its close proximity to the River Periyar, and is currently undergoing the repairs outlined by Fr Richard. At the seminary, MSC students journey together on the path to priesthood, and the house serves as a local foundation for parish outreach and ministry. The repair works are essential to ensure the safety and security of the MSC community in Kerala, allowing them to continue their vital work in aiding local families who have suffered terrible losses in the floods.
“Thank you for all your support, concern, and love towards our Indian MSC community,” writes Fr Richard. “Please keep us in your prayers, and we assure you that you are in our prayers also.”
PLEASE HELP OUR MSCS IN KERALA
Read more about the damage caused by the Kerala floods
in a letter from Indian Union Secretary Fr Syam Kumar MSC.
Feb 7, 2019
Every three years, young Catholics from all over the world gather together to celebrate World Youth Day – and this year, Panama was lit up in the spirit of faith, prayer, and an overwhelming joy.
Fr Alan Neville and the MSC Vocations team travelled to Panama to join this year’s celebrations, and even the intense heat and early starts couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm!
A 2.30am start for their flight to Panama on January 18th was no deterrent to these early birds, and on the first day of the event, they met with fellow pilgrims from Venezuela, Poland, and the USA.
This was the perfect chance to explore Panama City, and Day 2 offered the opportunity to visit the BioMuseo, where our MSC team met with a group of pilgrims from Guatemala along the way.
January 22nd marked the official opening of World Youth Day 2019, and what an event it was! Prayer, music, good food, and new friends made for a day to remember in the Panama sunshine.
A morning of catechesis with Bishop Edward Burns, from Dallas, Texas, proved powerful for our MSC group. “Bishop Ed spoke about the joy he encounters in living his vocation,” says Fr Alan as he recalls the bishop’s words: “To say ‘Yes!’ to the Lord is to enter into the mystery of God’s love for us.”
January 26th saw the MSC team join pilgrims from over 140 countries at the St John Paul II Park for the Vigil Mass, while the following day demanded a 5.00am alarm clock ahead of the Papal Mass at 8.10am.
Fr Alan was up with the lark and ready to go! “I’ve got the gúna (it’s Irish – you might need to Google it),” he posted on the MSC Vocations Facebook page, “and we’re good to go.”
In a beautiful Mass, Pope Francis spoke of the necessity of building bridges rather than walls, and said that although the celebrations were coming to an end, the fruit of World Youth Day continues in parish and communities around the world as pilgrims make their way home. Cardinal Farrell also announced that plans for the next World Youth Day celebrations are already well underway, due to take place in Lisbon in 2022.
January 29th brought Fr Alan and our MSC group back to home soil. “What an amazing week and a fantastic group,” wrote Fr Alan. “Thanks Panama – you were amazing. Roll on World Youth Day in Lisbon 2022!”
If you’d like to read more about World Youth Day celebrations in past years,
take a look at these posts from Rio de Janeiro in 2013 and Krakow in 2016.
World Youth Day 2013 – Celebrating Faith With Millions
World Youth Day 2016 – The Road to Krakow
World Youth Day 2016 – The Gathering
Jan 31, 2019
With Communion and Confirmation season just around the corner, young boys and girls all over the country are making preparations for their big day – and we have everything you need to make their special day one to remember.
From gold-foil embossed cards to a specially selected range of gifts, you’ll find the perfect keepsake to mark the big day.
Our beautifully designed Communion and Confirmation cards each contain a prayer for the child celebrating the sacrament, and those named in each card will be remembered in the Masses and prayers of our MSC priests at this special time.
From prayer books and missals to photo frames and albums, our collection of gifts and keepsakes has something for everyone.
Our First Holy Communion and Confirmation sets make a wonderful gift with all of the essentials to celebrate the day. Choose from a boy’s, girl’s, or classic white set, each one containing a prayer book, a set of Rosary beads, and a pendant or rosette.
Our classic Roman Missals are an ideal gift for a special Confirmation Day, with elegant gold highlights and gilt-edged pages. Choose from a pure white or dark blue cover, which is also made with Balacron for extra durability.
Of course, no Communion or Confirmation day would be complete without photographs to mark the occasion! From decorative resin to classic silver-toned photo frames, you’ll be sure to find a lovely way to display treasured memories of a very special day.
Remember, when you choose from our range of cards and gifts, you’re not just making a special gesture for a loved one, but you’re also reaching out to help vulnerable children across the globe. Your support helps us to continue bringing the gift of hope to families and communities in need all over the world. Our MSCs work in regions of extreme poverty and hardship, bringing vital aid to people who have nowhere else to turn, and every order we receive makes a real and valuable difference.
BROWSE OUR COMMUNION & CONFIRMATION RANGES
Jan 22, 2019
The MSC Pre-Novitiate Formation House in Righini, Congo, currently houses 15 MSC students and two formators. It is a place of reflection, of learning, and of prayer, as young men embark on the missionary journey.
The residents of the formation house live primarily on a grant provided by the MSC French African Union – a grant which allows each person a sum equivalent to €11 per day. The formation house also owns an old minibus, and until recently, the students and their formators used this to attend the local university daily, as well as travelling for parish ministry.
In April 2018, the minibus broke down and is now beyond repair.
The pre-novitiates now travel on public transport every day, a situation which is unpredictable and time-consuming. The students are unable to travel together, and often cannot keep to their daily schedule.
The MSC community in Righini are now raising funds to purchase a new minibus, which will allow the pre-novitiate students to travel safely and securely. This will also save a significant amount of money, as the minibus requires $30 worth of fuel per week, as opposed to the $10 per day spent on public transport.
MSC pre-notivitiate students in the Congo are in great need of a new minibus to transport them safely and securely as they undertake their daily studies and go about their parish ministry.
MSCs in the Congo have already raised a significant portion of the money
needed to pay for the minibus, and are now €15,000 away from the total cost.
Can you help them to raise the funds they need to reach their goal?
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN THE CONGO
Jan 22, 2019
An important part of the Sacred Heart family, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) work all over the world under our shared motto: “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.”
OLSH Global Outreach Programmes
Survivors of domestic abuse in Kiribati
Kiribati is a country in the Pacific Ocean, composed of many separate islands. The Daughters have ministered there for many years.
One vital role they play is in the area of assistance to women escaping situations of domestic violence. In many cases, women often have to leave their homes in a hurry, without time to pack essentials such as clothes, toiletries, or food for their children.
€15 will provide a family with the essentials they need in an emergency situation of domestic abuse.
Catechism books in Maranhão, Brazil
In Maranhão, Brazil, the Sisters are in great need of books to help them with the teaching of the catechism. The people there are very poor and would greatly appreciate the gift of books.
€10 will buy one of the 30 books needed.
Street children in the Philippines
The Sisters in Manila provide an after-school tutoring programme for young children from a local slum area.
Many of the children work on the streets during the day, selling sweets or flowers and other small items, and so they miss out on a formal education.
This programme helps 80 children keep up with some formal study, while also providing a simple feeding scheme and a health and hygiene programme to teach these youths important life skills.
€10 will help to teach a disadvantaged child essential life skills.
Kurisanani Education Project, South Africa
The Kurisanani outreach project is run from Tzaneen, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. One element of this outreach programme is the provision of funds for vulnerable children to access education. 200 children are currently benefitting from the programme.
€15 will provide a child with a school resources pack, including pencils, pens, exercise books, and a backpack.
Educating women in South Sudan
In Mapuordit, a remote area of South Sudan, three Daughters minister to local communities. Many young women here are forced into marriage and are denied a basic education.
The Daughters here support young mothers in their return to education by providing them with bicycles and solar lamps.
The bicycles allow them freedom to travel to and from school, as well as helping with chores such as collecting water and gathering firewood. The time saved by cycling long distances, rather than walking, helps them them to keep up their studies, while the solar lamps allow the young women to study at night, despite the fact that there is no electricity in their village.
€90 will buy one bicycle and €30 will buy one solar lamp to help the education of vulnerable young women.
Convent repair in Venezuela
Three Sisters from Brazil currently minister to locals in a remote area of Venezuela. The convent here has fallen into disrepair, and the Sisters are raising funds to paint some of the damaged areas.
€100 will buy the paint required to repair the ruined areas.
OLSH saving young lives in Africa
The Holy Family Care Centre is situated at the foot of the Drakensburg Mountains, in the far north of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart founded the centre in 2001, in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Currently, 70 children are in care there.
“The children in our care come for many reasons, but always because it is a last resort – when all other avenues of care have been explored,” writes Sr Sally Duigan OLSH, Director of the Holy Family Care Centre. “They are admitted with a court order after their local social worker takes their case to the nearest magistrate.”
“The reasons for admission vary, but many children have been abandoned, sexually abused, physically abused, orphaned, or made vulnerable because of HIV/AIDS.”
“This is a place where we OLSH can really live our charism of compassionate love,” says Sr Sally. “Here, we learn to love these children unconditionally.”
PLEASE SUPPORT OLSH GLOBAL OUTREACH
Jan 22, 2019
In 2018, the people of Indonesia suffered the devastating effects of a series of disasters. On September 29th, an earthquake and tsunami killed almost 2,300 people in the regions of Palu, Sigi, and Donggala. With over 220,000 displaced, over 1,300 are still missing. On December 22nd, a deadly tsumani swept along Sunda Strait, injuring over 14,000. MSCs in Indonesia are working to rebuild lives in the wake of these catastrophies.
Drilling water wells
The lack of a clean water supply is an urgent issue. MSCs in affected regions are raising funds to drill water wells in three points, including water storage tanks and public toilet facilities for use by local communities.
Each water well will cost approximately €18,200, and will provide vital clean water and essential hygiene facilities for the affected areas.
Building houses
Thousands of houses have been destroyed beyond repair, and many survivors are currently living in temporary accommodation. The Indonesian Province of the MSC propose to build seven houses in affected regions.
Each house will cost approximately €3,050 to build and will offer renewed hope to a displaced family.
Scholarships for affected children
Education has been severely impacted by the disasters, as children have been orphaned or have been forced to leave school in order to work and help to support their families. Together with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, the Indonesian Province of the MSC will provide scholarships for vulnerable children to allow them to continue their education. The MSC will have the responsibility of funding 100 students for three years.
€15 will cover the cost of one month’s education for a scholarship student.
Essential household goods
Many families affected by these disasters have lost everything, even the most basic necessities. The Indonesian Province of the MSC will help 100 affected families by providing essential kitchen tools for cooking and eating.
€50 will provide kitchen essentials including cooking and eating utensils for one family.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN INDONESIA
