Apr 5, 2018
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are very sad to announce the passing of Fr Mark McDonald, our former Superior General.
Fr Mark McDonald passed away on April 2, 2018 at the Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania at age 75. Father McDonald was born July 22, 1942 in Watertown, New York, the son of Donald and Anna Murrock McDonald. He was a graduate of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School and Immaculate Heart Academy.
Fr McDonald attended St. Bonaventure University for two years and began his studies to become a Missionary of the Sacred Heart (MSC) in 1961. He completed his philosophy studies in Quebec, Canada and graduated from Laval University in Quebec City in 1964. He completed his theological studies in Rome, Italy and graduated from the Angelicum Pontifical University in Rome in 1968. He was ordained a priest of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on June 29, 1968 in Watertown by Bishop Thomas Donnellan.
After ordinaton, Fr McDonald taught at the Sacred Heart Preparatory Seminary and Immaculate Heart Central High School (IHC), both in Watertown. In 1972, he became Vice Principal at IHC. In 1976, he became Director of the MSC Retreat and Renewal Center in Shelby, Ohio. In 1983, he became Formation Director for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Bogota, Colombia and in 1985 became Sectional Superior of the MSCs in Colombia.
In 1991, Fr McDonald was elected Provincial of the MSCs in the United States headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. In 1997, he became Pastor of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish in Watertown. In 1999, he became Director of Cor Novum (the MSC retreat and renewal center in Issoudun, France). From 2005 to 2017, he was Superior General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart worldwide located in Rome, Italy. Fr McDonald became semi-retired in 2018 and was residing at the Sacred Heart Villa in Center Valley, Pennsylvania.
Please keep Fr Mark McDonald in your thoughts and prayers.
Fr Mark McDonald MSC, 1942 – 2018
Source: Watertown Daily Times
Mar 29, 2018
MSC Easter Draw 2018
Prize Winners:
1st Prize: €2,000 Cruise Travel Voucher
E. Byrne
Rathfarnham, Dublin 14
2nd Prize: €1,500 Sun Holiday Voucher
U. Cunningham
Inchicore, Dublin 12
3rd Prize: €1,000 City Break Voucher
M. McGrath
Lusk, Co. Dublin
4th Prize: €1,000 TV/Audio Voucher
J. Keaveney
Ballymoe, Co. Galway
5th Prize: €1,000 TV/Audio Voucher
D.M. Kissane
Killiney, Co. Dublin
6th Prize: €1,000 Home Furniture Voucher
P. O’Siochru
Dingle, Co. Kerry
7th Prize: €1,000 Home Furniture Voucher
J. Brecknell c/o P. Brecknell
Newbridge, Co. Kildare
8th Prize: €500 Weekend Break Voucher
J. McGeehan
Fintown, Co. Donegal
9th Prize: €500 Weekend Break Voucher
B.J. Flaherty
Inverin, Co. Galway
10th Prize: €500 Computer/Tablet Voucher
H. McCormack c/o U. McCormack
Millmount, Co. Westmeath
11th Prize: €500 Computer/Tablet Voucher
M. Sidebotham
London Road, Slough
12th Prize: €500 Home Decor Voucher
Sr B. McAuliffe c/o Sr M. Murphy
Clonakilty, Co. Cork
13th Prize: €500 Home Decor Voucher
D. Collins
Nenagh, Co. Tipperary
14th Prize: €500 Garden / Outdoor Voucher
F. Timmins
Malahide, Co. Dublin
15th Prize: €500 Garden / Outdoor Voucher
C. Smyth
Lanesborough, Co. Longford
16th Prize: €500 Home Appliances Voucher
B. Deighan
Malahide Road, Dublin 3
17th Prize: €500 Home Appliances Voucher
M. Maher
Blessington Street, Dublin 7
18th Prize: €500 Hot Air Balloon Voucher
C. Cooney c/o A. Corboy
Killarney, Co. Kerry
19th Prize: €500 Hot Air Balloon Voucher
P. Flemming c/o J. Fleming
Ferrybank, Waterford
20th Prize: €500 Cookery Class Voucher
M. O’Leary
Athenry, Co. Galway
All winners will be notified individually.
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone for taking part.
The Easter Draw took place on Wednesday evening, 28th March 2018.
Mar 27, 2018
Our dear friends in Loreto School, Rumbek, have again been in touch to keep us updated on the life changing improvements they have been able to make as a result of your generous donations to our South Sudan Appeal.
Sadly, in Rumbek, things have gotten worse – but that has only increased the efficacy and impact of our South Sudan Appeal and the MSC’s support. The following are some very positive updates we received from the Loreto Team in South Sudan:
- Loreto Primary School graduated its first class from Primary 8 – 100% pass rate in the National Primary Certificate Exams – the level needed to achieve this is 50%. No Loreto Students were below 72% and both Loreto Primary School and one of it’s students were in the Top 10 in Western Lakes State.
- Loreto Primary added a primary school this year with about 150 students.
- Increased Enrollment – Loreto Primary and Loreto Secondary have increased their numbers this year with over 1000 primary school students and nearly 300 secondary school girls.
- The Loreto Girls Secondary School Class of 2017 sat their exams in March (2018); 100% of the girls who sat the exam in 2017 (class of 2016) passed.
- The Loreto Graduate Internship program was identified as one of the most impactful short-term projects implements by Out of the Box (OTB) external evaluators. The MSC Graduate house will increase the number of girls that they can offer this opportunity for.
- The Loreto Schools 10th anniversary is fast approaching (April 2018) and they are preparing to celebrate their 10th year since the secondary school opened in South Sudan.
A big thank you to Benjamin, Loreto Programs Manager in Rumbek, for sending us these fantastic pictures perfectly capturing the amazing work being done in the Loreto Schools.
Mar 26, 2018
RESURRECTION IS NEW LIFE
Jesus died. He didn’t seem to die, he didn’t play dead, he died. As a human being He breathed his last on the Cross and died. On Holy Saturday his dead body lay in the tomb. He was completely helpless, completely dependent on His Father.
On Easter Sunday the Father raised Jesus from the dead. He is risen. Alleluia.
Of course, it is the human Jesus who was raised from the dead. Jesus as Divine did not die, could not die. It was Jesus’ humanity which died and was raised. This is our hope as Christians. This is why we shout and sing alleluia.
For just as Jesus’ humanity was raised from the dead so shall ours.
But what does it mean to be risen? It doesn’t mean a return to this level of existence. Rather it means moving on to a better kind of existence, to live the very life of God.
This is good news but not just for when we die. The risen life, began to grow in each of us at our baptism. It continues to grow as we open ourselves each moment to the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The new life of the risen Christ shows itself in us as we love God and our neighbour. When we spontaneously love others because it just seems the right thing to do that is the Spirit of our risen Lord alive in us.
And so we rejoice and sing, Christ is risen Alleluia.
Fr. Con O’Connell
Mar 20, 2018
The Loreto Schools Rumbek have started their largest year yet!
In the Loreto Primary School, which helps support and educate young community members from Maker Kuei, there are over 1000 students enrolled between the morning and afternoon sessions. More importantly, the school has an average female enrollment of 44% girls. This is a 3% increase from last year.
National rates of female enrollment vary from as low as 25% up to approximately 33% depending on the source. The Loreto Schools hope to reach about 50% female participation in the coming years.
The Loreto Girls Secondary School had nearly 350 students attempt to enroll, sadly the school only had placements for about 100 students.
The team at Loreto are very excited to welcome the next generation of the Loreto Rumbek School families!
Mar 15, 2018
Reflection & Dialogue: We preach the Gospel not to please mortals, but to please God.
Eternal voices: Christ, Peter, Patrick. Messages for St Patrick’s Day
On this feast of our national apostle there are many voices inviting us to listen. It is Christ himself who speaks when Holy Scripture is read in the church, and this voice is addressing Church authorities and all of us through the prophet Amos: “Go and preach to my people”, preaching to all to be faithful to the covenant, to the teaching of Christ and his Church. The voice of Paul in the liturgical readings reminds us that there will always be accusations (not all of them true), difficulties and obstacles to the preaching of the Gospel message. The voice of Paul also reminds us of the need of honesty and transparency for all involved in teaching the Christian message. Then we are reminded of the “voice of the Irish” to Patrick to return to Ireland and walk again among its people. His voice and his prayer for our fidelity are still with us. Then we have the voice of Jesus concerning Peter to have confidence, since his Saviour has prayed for him that his faith may not fail, but that he might confirm his brothers and sisters in this faith.
And now as we have a call for a new evangelization we have the successor of Peter gently, but firmly, calling on the Church to return to her true self. Shortly before he retired, Pope Benedict XVI reminded the Church that while she was in this world she was not of this world. In his very first days is office Pope Francis has called on the Church to be faithful to her true self, and called on believers help facilitate a spiritual renewal or face the possibility of the Church being considered a compassionate, pitiful, NGO. Not of course that the Church is not concerned about such work; it is central to her mission. But her fundamental call is her relation to Christ her founder, and participation in his sufferings and resurrection.
It is hoped that reflections such as these may help on this feast of our national patron, to revive the fervour of the faith he preached and lived. Let us pray with Patrick himself that God may grant that he may never loose the Irish people which he possessed for himself at the ends of the earth.
Martin McNamara MSC
