Nov 20, 2018
Remind family, friends, and loved ones that they’re always in your thoughts this Christmas with a beautifully designed Mass card from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
In an age of email, text, and social media, it’s something special to find a surprise popping through the letterbox, and never more so than at Christmas time. Whether you’re sending festive greetings to friends and family you see every day, or reaching out to loved ones around the world, our Christmas Mass Bouquet cards are a wonderful way to let those you hold dear know that you’re thinking of them at this special time of year.
Each card is designed with care and brought to life with stunning gold highlights and embellishments. Cards can be ordered individually, or in sets of five, with a selection of different designs to choose from. Every card contains a thoughtful blessing and is signed by MSC Missions Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC for inclusion in our annual Christmas Triduum of Masses in December.
Don’t forget, when you choose to send one of our Christmas Mass Bouquet Cards, it is far more than a kind festive gesture. Your support helps us to continue bringing the gift of hope to vulnerable families and communities across the globe, at Christmas and throughout the year. While we celebrate in the warm embrace of home and family this festive season, our MSCs are continuing their 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.
The best Christmas gifts can’t be wrapped in a bow – capture the true spirit of Christmas and give the gift of prayer to your loved ones this year.
MSC Christmas Mass Bouquet Cards are available to order online, and from our MSC Missions Office on the Western Road in Cork.
A lovely range of Christmas gifts is also available.
BROWSE OUR RANGE OF CHRISTMAS MASS BOUQUET CARDS
Nov 15, 2018
A project that began two years ago is now nearing its final stages of completion at the church of St Francis Xavier in Tsakane, South Africa. Parish priest Fr Martin Morrissey MSC is leading the project, which sees a new church put in place for the growing congregation.
A township located just outside Johannesburg, the name “Tsakane” actually translates as “happiness” or “joy”. As is the case in many parts of South Africa, however, Tsakane struggles with significant social and economic issues, and our MSCs are on hand to provide practical aid and spiritual guidance to the local communities.
The congregation of St Francis Xavier are delighted with the development of the new church, having previously gathered to pray in a school classroom. Getting the site was a huge achievement, with the titles handed over just over a year ago, and new church is growing, step by step. An altar and sanctuary area have been set up, and the windows have been put in, while a new ceiling still has to be put in place.
Fr Martin and the community are working hard to bring their plans to fruition, although the budget is tight. Fr Martin was able to source benches from another church around 80km away, acquiring 28 church benches for 50,000 South African Rand (approximately €3,500). The same benches would have cost 300,000 Rand, or around €18,500, if they had to be bought new.
The community of St Francis Xavier now numbers over 100 people, and is growing steadily. In October, parishioners enjoyed a day of great celebration when a total of 27 adults celebrated the sacraments of Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation.
On a recent visit to Tsakane, Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC visited with Fr Martin, and was welcomed with open arms by the parishioners of St Francis Xavier. Fr Martin and the community extended their sincere thanks to all of our mission friends in the Irish Province for their ongoing support, and we send our very best wishes to them as they approach the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the church of St Francis Xavier!
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA
Nov 6, 2018
While many children all over the world look forward to the school holidays with anticipation and delight, this is not always the case in regions where an education is not something students can take for granted, and school days can often bring a welcome break from the difficulties of home life. When they are not at school, many students of the Loreto schools in Rumbek, South Sudan, might only have as little as one meal in five days during the dry season.
The Loreto Rumbek blog shares some of the challenges that their students encounter when they are not at school, from hunger and hardship to the threat of not being able to return to their education.
School Holidays and the challenges they bring to our students
Child education for girls is an efficient strategy for breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty and lifting families and communities from a place of marginalization. Thousands of girls are kept from school due to poverty, financial constraints, early marriage and conflicts in some areas in South Sudan.
For the lucky ones, their parents send them to school despite the challenges, not only as a chance to improve their futures, but also to boost the family’s fortunes.
When Loreto Girls Secondary School breaks for holidays, the students have the chance to spend time with their families and relax from their studies. At the end of the short vacation students and staff alike return and press on together, as the Loreto family.
Some of the students come from far away places and the roads are poorly constructed and insecure, so the school hosts them over the holidays. During this time, the girls are provided with more freedom with school facilities to encourage them not to miss being home and also to enjoy the break. They get ample time for activities like volleyball, watching movies, singing, and dancing together.
But, they also do some work while here. In the morning hours, the girls are given some light tasks to perform. They earn a small stipend in return, which helps them purchase a few personal items. For those students who are in greater need of some extra money, for school fees or shopping, they are given specific jobs to perform.
As Collet explains, “I enjoyed the holiday at school. I also communicated with people from home so I don’t miss home much. I did some little work and got some money which I used to buy soap and some other things. We also spend time with the other students harvesting groundnuts and making the school a better place for us like cleaning the compound. We relaxed as we enjoyed stories and movies after.”
Healing Programmes
They enjoy the stay and also have the chance to share life experiences and stories in groups of peers. With guidance from one of the school nurses, Nicole Hess, a group of girls attended a five-day trauma healing program. One of the goals was to help them learn how to manage their emotions during hard situations that directly affect their life, like forced marriages.
They also learn about suffering, grief, forgiveness, and resilience. It’s a spiritually based program that teaches them to carry their burdens and suffering to the cross. It emphasizes that full healing can only come from God.
For those at home, the stay may not be that easy and the holiday can come with challenges. Some of the girls have to work hard to afford transport back to school and for personal effects. Others face threats of forced marriage which is a major challenge. They have to advocate for their own education with the hope of coming back to continue learning, so as to be ambassadors of hope to the larger society.
With the holidays comes uncertainty
According to Hellen Agapic of Senior Three, “My holiday was a bit tough this time. My younger sister is 14 years of age and was forced to get married to a man who has 12 wives. My sister told me if she’s forced to marry that man she will go to hiding. School has taught me the disadvantages of early marriages so I advised her not to accept. My father wanted cows to pay for the crime my brother committed. My father told me I will not go to school because I advised my sister not to get married or he will take me to the prison or I will also get married. I convinced my father to allow me to continue with education so as to have a bright future. When Sr Orla knew about it, she sent someone to talk to my father to allow me to come to school and he accepted.”
This is just one case. Although most of the girls report back to school, sometimes Loreto may lose a few students that do not return. It is always a risk when the girls go home that some may be forced to get married, having no choice but to succumb to this fate. Currently Loreto has many girls trying to attain their education.
The hope is that one day all young women in South Sudan will not only have the opportunity to go to school, but will supported and encouraged to pursue their education.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are 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, read the original blogpost, 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.
Oct 31, 2018
During the month of November, we take time to remember specially loved ones who have gone before us, and whose memory still burns brightly in our hearts and minds. Every year, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart mark the end of the month of the Holy Souls with our annual Light Up a Memory Mass, a beautiful candlelight service that celebrates the memories of those we hold dear.
Each November, we invite our mission friends to send the names of their dearly departed for remembrance, and this list is kept on the altar throughout the month as we pray that they are granted peace in their eternal rest. This time-honoured tradition is a source of great comfort and solace, and the annual Light Up a Memory Mass is a wonderful way to mark the end of this month of remembrance.
On this special night, the Sacred Heart Church will be a beacon of welcoming light in the winter darkness, illuminated by the glow of hundreds of candles. With uplifting choral music and prayerful reflections, we come together to pray by the glow of candlelight, with each flame burning brightly in memory of those whom we have lost.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to remember those who are no longer with us,” says Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office. “The light of a candle is a welcome sight on a dark winter night, and each of these flames is a beautiful symbol of remembrance in honour of the loved ones who are always in our thoughts.”
All are welcome to take part in this year’s ceremony on Saturday, November 24th at 6.30pm. Tune into our live stream to watch this year’s Light Up a Memory Mass live, along with all of the Masses for the Holy Souls throughout the month of November.
If you would like more information about our Light Up a Memory Mass, please contact the MSC Missions Office by phone on 021 4545704 or by email at info@mscmissions.ie.
Oct 26, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Sunday, September 30th
Pedrouzo to Santiago
Distance: 19.8 km
“On the final day of my Camino journey, I was on the road at 5.45am, beginning my day in the darkness. I found myself walking through the darkness into the light, and realised just how important the light is to us.
That last morning, I set out before dawn; the sun didn’t rise until around 8.00am, so I was walking through the darkness for over two hours before the light dawned. That two hours meant I didn’t just walk from darkness into light, but through darkness into the light, and that makes all the difference. It put me in mind of aiming for a goal, any goal in life. Say your goal is to get married, and you’re planning a wedding. It will be a wonderful celebration, but you have to go through a certain period of preparation, often a period of challenges and struggles, to get there. For me, that day, my goal was to reach Santiago de Compostela, but it wasn’t just a matter of leaving in the morning and getting there easily. First, I had to make my way through the darkness and get through the period of struggling before I could reach that ultimate goal.
In that period of darkness, I often found myself walking in the light of others who guided my way. Because I didn’t have a torch myself, I would walk behind somebody else who had a torch or a headlamp, and they would safely guide my path. Once again, a reminder to us to be thankful to those who light our way in life in those times of darkness and confusion, and the light of the Lord that guides us safely home always.
That morning was also a lesson in taking stock. I was following a couple who were walking ahead of me, when they stopped to take a photo. They told me to turn around, and when I did, the most glorious sunrise was taking place over my shoulder. If I hadn’t stopped to look back, I would have missed the whole thing – and what a fitting way to start the final day of the trip.
The last walk took me to Mount Gozo. Here, pilgrims get their first glimpse of Santiago. You can see the spires of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela all the way from here, and it is wonderful motivation to press ahead and jump the final hurdle.
One thing that really struck me along my journey was the abundance of little shrines that punctuated the roadside as I walked. This was particularly evident as I neared my final destination. People leave broken shoes, stones they’ve carried, and their own personal petitions, written down. They also leave photographs of themselves for other to pray over. It’s a poignant reminder of all who have gone before us, and the burdens they carry along the way – and hopefully, the peace and resolution they have found at the end of their journey.
On entering Santiago, a tunnel leads pilgrims into the town square, where relief overcomes weariness and celebration is the order of the day! Here, I queued for just under an hour with other pilgrims to collect a certificate to say that I had completed the Camino.
I ended my Camino experience with the Pilgrims’ Mass at the Cathedral, which is reputed to be the resting place of St James. Throughout the Mass, you can see pilgrims and tourists climbing the steps behind the altar to rub the saint’s head.
Everybody treats the experience with due respect and reverence, and the Cathedral itself is a sight to behold – especially the botafumeiro, the 1.5-metre-high thurible that dates back to 1851 and is so heavy that it takes eight men to operate it.
And so ended my Camino journey. There was a great sense of relief for me – yes, I could actually walk that distance. Yes, that I could once again do what I used to do in my youth, sleeping in hostels with the minimum of equipment. Along with this came the renewed awareness of how little we need to survive, or how little we can survive on, and that is something I hope to take home with me.
Would I do it again? Without a doubt! Next time, however, I might try coming from a different direction, perhaps the Portuguese Way… Until then, Buen Camino!”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 4
Oct 25, 2018
In September, MSC Missons Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC walked the Camino de Santiago for the first time. Walking approximately 113 km over five days, Fr Michael undertook the final stage of the Camino Francés, or the French Way. Here, he shares his daily diary with thoughts and reflections from the Way.
Saturday, September 29th
Ribadiso to Pedrouzo
Distance: 22.8 km
“Day 4 of my journey saw me set off once again along ancient paths that have been walked for thousands of years. Along the road, I came to a stop where pilgrims could buy a bottle of beer and write their name on it, and the owners would display it for a year, so anyone who passed could see who had gone before them. It was such a popular idea that it had actually moved premises with the owners, who had to find a new place to set up shop after the rent on their previous premises had become too high. It’s still going from strength to strength today, and it a lovely way to leave a marker, something of yourself, along a path that so many walk.
While walking, I realised how lucky I was to have such good weather on my journey. I could see tide marks on some parts of the path, where the water rises when it rains. I was blessed with sunshine, and avoiding trudging through puddles and floods!
On the road today I came across a signpost, indicating Santiago to the left and Lugo to the right. It struck me as somewhat entertaining that I flew into Santiago Aiport, then took a two-hour bus journey to Lugo, followed by a half-hour bus journey to Sarria. When I finally arrived in Sarria, I promptly set off in the other direction, on foot. Talk about going backwards to go forwards!
At the end of the day, just like the days before, my boots were coated in a thick covering of dust – and my once-black socks were now well and truly grey! On my Camino journey, I became very aware of shaking the dust off my feet. The Gospel speaks about doing just this (Matthew 10:14: ‘And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.’). If you are rejected in a village, if the people there don’t want to hear your message, you should leave – and when you’re leaving, you should shake the dust off your feet. All of the things you accumulate in that village, you give a good shake on the way out, and just go away out of the place leaving all of the negativity behind you.
The Camino experience is similar. You start off with nice clean shoes or boots, and at the end of the day, you see that they’re covered in dust, things that you have picked up during the day without realising it. It’s important to give them a good shake at the end of the day, to shake off the dust and debris you’ve picked up along the road, and start off afresh the following day.
This really came into my conscious as I was travelling. We begin life with an ideal, and then life itself takes over. You begin to accumulate things around your life, and you’ve forgotten that simple ideal, or the ideal you had in your youth. It’s only when you take time out to stop and think that you realise, I’m accumulating too many things here; I need to take time out and go back to the basics, take a step back.
This could take the form of the simplest things. The importance of a day off during the week, for example – the Sabbath experience. You stop your usual day-to-day schedule; you don’t go to work. You shake off the dust of the week. You decide that today is a family day, a day when we do things together. Sometimes, you must say no to life’s demands. You might look at the time you spend with your partner or your family, and say no – we’re going to have a date night or a family night this Friday night. It’s not just going to be a normal busy dinner time, we’re going to turn off the television and light a candle and share a meal. We’re going to go back to basics.
It’s important that we don’t just do this when we go on retreat, or celebrate an anniversary or a special occasion. We must make it a day-to-day occurrence. We must shake off the dust of life and start fresh every day, with a basic appreciation of all that God has given us and the wonders that life has to offer us.
If there’s one thing I stepped back and appreciated about today, it was the massage shower in the hostel at the end of the day’s walk! It really is the simple things…”
Read more of Fr Michael’s Camino diary:
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 1
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 2
Fr Michael’s Camino Diary Day 3
