May 22, 2018
Marius Rahayaan is a student at Siwa Lima St Joseph’s Technical School in Langgur, Indonesia. Built in 1970, the school is run by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart with the aim of educating young people in the region so “they can do something good for themselves and for their families”. In a region where poverty is a pressing issue, St Joseph’s provides the youth of the community with hope for the future. Here is Marius’ story:
“My name is Marius Rahayann and I am 22 years old.
I have a simple family, but I am proud of it. I chose to go to St Joseph’s Technical School because my uncle also graduated from this school, and he now has practical skills and can do something useful for his family. Seeing this gave me great motivation to go to the same school.
I am in the third class now. During my time in this school, I have been actively involved in all of my classes and programmes. I am diligent in my study, I work hard, and I have learned to appreciate and respect my teachers and my fellow students. I have received certificates for my achievements in learning and I am so proud of these.
I am especially proud because I now have the skills to do great things. I can make items which I can then sell to pay my school fees and contribute to my family. I am very glad to be a part of this school, and I am very thankful to be a student here. Above all, I am thankful to God for His blessings on me – may God bless us all.”
PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN INDONESIA
May 15, 2018
Elizabeth Aghar Mark is a graduate of the Loreto Secondary School in Rumbek, South Sudan. She has remained with the Loreto community as part of their graduate programme, where the care, guidance, and tuition given have provided Elizabeth with the potential for a future filled with hope and possibility. Here, Elizabeth shares what the Loreto Graduate Programme has meant to her…
“I have the courage and confidence to accomplish the world.”
“I work as an office assistant, with Sr Orla as my mentor. I deal with photocopying, printing, and working with the school administration.
I enjoy my work, such as photocopying, printing, and making certificates and report cards, as it is giving me great experience in clerical and administration work for the future. Sometimes, there is a lot of work to do, and I have to work for more hours than I am supposed to some days. I see this as a challenge that makes me stronger, and I have the courage and confidence to accomplish the world.”
“At home, I faced another challenge, as some of my relatives wanted me to be married off.”
“At home, I faced another challenge, as some of my relatives wanted me to be married off. This was settled by my father, when I approached him and explained that I want to achieve further studies. My father agreed and suspended the marriage, and now my plan is to go to university and get a job so I can help to support my parents and my brothers and sisters.
In my current role, I have learned computer skills, office management skills, and teaching skills. I was not expecting to gain experience in teaching, and now I would like to be a lecturer in South Sudan after my further studies. I find teaching very exciting, and I hope that the Loreto community can continue with this programme, as it benefits so many graduates by preparing them for the future.”
We at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are proud to be able to support the Loreto community in their graduate programme, and we extend our sincere thanks to our mission friends in Ireland and around the world for continuing to care.
PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
May 11, 2018
At the end of April, the MSC Missions Office in Cork received a lovely letter from Fr Ondrej Slavik in Saratov, Russia. Fr Ondrej got in touch to extend his thanks to the mission friends of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart for their kindness and generosity, as a recent donation has allowed for the purchase of a new minibus to assist in parish activities.
Together with Bishop Clemens Pickel, Fr Ondrej appealed for helping in buying a minibus for the parish of St Clement in Saratov. “I am very pleased to inform you that, thanks to your support, we were able to purchase a new VW Caravelle minibus for the pastoral activities of our parish,” writes Fr Ondrej.
“On behalf of myself and the whole parish, the people whom this car will serve, I express my most sincere gratitude.”
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been working to share the message of God’s love in Russia for over 20 years, as the country’s churches began to rebuild themselves after their collapse during the revolution. The Russian mission began with just three MSC priests in 1995, and today, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart continue to support the work being done by local communities in Russia as we encourage social and spiritual development in regions in need.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS WORLDWIDE
May 8, 2018
We are delighted to hear that the first group of Loreto graduates have moved into the MSC Graduate House & Women’s Shelter!
Last summer, we asked our mission friends in the Irish Province to join with us and reach out to help the Loreto Sisters to transform lives in South Sudan. A country in the grip of a terrible crisis, the community of Rumbek faced unimaginable struggles with violence, illness, and malnutrition – and it still does.
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of spirit shown by our mission friends in Ireland and around the world, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been able to send support to the Loreto Sisters in Rumbek, where they run a primary school, a secondary school, a health care unit, and a graduate programme. They have already been able to make a difference to thousands of local people, and now, the MSC-funded Graduate House & Women’s Shelter has opened its doors to 16 young women who are working towards a brighter future.
The graduate programme will allow them to develop their skills and talents within various employment roles, giving them a solid foundation for future careers. This endeavour has lit a beacon of hope where the future once looked bleak, and we wish the Loreto community all the very best as they begin this exciting new chapter!
Read more about the work of the Loreto community in South Sudan as they celebrate 10 years in Rumbek.
You can also find out more about recent developments at Loreto Rumbek here.
PLEASE HELP US TO SAVE LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
You can also follow the Loreto Schools’ progress via Facebook or on their website.
May 2, 2018
The summer edition of the MSC Message has arrived!
• Catch up with the latest news from the mission fields, with updates from our ongoing projects in South Africa and South Sudan.
• Discover more about new mission projects in Mozambique and Cameroon.
• Read a special tribute to the late Fr Mark McDonald MSC, former Superior General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
• Read a summer message from Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office.
• Get up to date with the latest news from Fr Alan Neville MSC and the MSC Vocations Team.
Read the MSC Message Summer 2018
May 2, 2018
Khana Kockedhie Magel, a 16-year-old student at the Loreto Girls’ Secondary School in Rumbek, has been named winner of this year’s UN Missions essay-writing competition for secondary school students in South Sudan. As a young woman in a country that has been torn asunder by conflict and violence, Khana composed a message of hope and optimism in response to the topic set by the UNMISS contest: “How can women contribute to durable peace in South Sudan?”
“Women may be the only hope left to bring peace to South Sudan.”
12 Loreto students entered the contest, with two girls reaching the top five in the Lake State region. Ating Kaman Makoi won third prize, while Khana, a student from the Senior 3 class, was awarded the regional prize for the winning essay, with the message that “women may be the only hope left to bring peace to South Sudan”.
Khana’s message is clear: if South Sudan is to achieve lasting peace, women’s voices need to be heard. “Women play an important role in bringing up the future generation,” she says. “If they get the chance, they can provide permanent solutions to the conflict in South Sudan and assure the young that peace will come. Eventually it will result in economic growth and a better South Sudan for all of us, and for generations to come.”
“For women to make a difference, they need to be given a proper education.”
Mr Dut Makoi Kuok, Minister for Education in Western Lakes, spoke at the awards ceremony, acknowledging the crucial role of women as “builders of the nation”. “Women, in my understanding, are the builders of society,” he said. “They will always think about and do what is right for their children, and therefore for their society.”
Speaking at the awards, Mr Kwame Dwamena Aboagye, Head of the UN Mission’s Field Office in Rumbek, also gave words of encouragement to the students gathered, urging them to “study well”. “It is only through education that durable peace can be realised in South Sudan, and for women to make a difference, they need to be given a proper education,” he said.
This is exactly the message that the Loreto community promotes at their Rumbek schools, and we at the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are proud to support them in their efforts to help as many young women as possible.
“I hope that fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say: yes, women can.”
Khana has taken this message to heart, and her award-winning essay speaks clearly of the need for respect, mercy, and peace – beginning in the home. “If a mother fights with a neighbouring woman, her child on the following day will fight with the neighbour’s child, hence leading to disputes and hatred,” she writes. Peace must begin within every individual, Khana surmises: “If you find peace within yourself you become the kind of person who can live in peace with others.”
A national winner of the essay content will be named at an awards ceremony in Juba, the country’s capital, on May 9th. Khana will represent the Loreto schools at the ceremony – and she has already made her school and her community very proud. She closes her essay with a truly inspirational thought for us all: “I hope that fathers and mothers of little girls will look at them and say: yes, women can”.
Congratulations to Khana, from all at the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart!
PLEASE SUPPORT EDUCATION IN SOUTH SUDAN
Read more about Khana’s award on the Loreto Rumbek website and on ReliefWeb.
