Nov 29, 2022
As we come towards the end of the year, so too do we mark the beginning of a new chapter for the Sacred Heart Parish on the Western Road, Cork, as we bid a fond farewell to outgoing parish priest Fr Tom Mulcahy MSC, and welcome Fr Con Doherty MSC as he steps into the role, accompanied by new curate Fr Des Farren MSC.
Having served the Sacred Heart Parish with a warm and generous spirit in recent years, Fr Tom stepped down from his role at the end of October, when Bishop Fintan Gavin celebrated the official induction of Fr Con, along with new curate Fr Des, on Sunday, October 23rd, at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road. Fr Tom will remain a welcome familiar face, as he plans to continue with catechetical work, while we are delighted to welcome Fr Con and Fr Des in their new ministry in the parish.
A native of Thurles, Co. Tipperary, Fr Con joined the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1983, and was ordained by Bishop John Buckley in the parish of the Sacred Heart, here in Cork, in 1990. Since then, Fr Con has had a fascinating missionary journey, serving in St Alban’s Parish in the UK until 1995, before travelling to Russia to join his MSC brothers Fr Michael Screene and Fr Kevin Blade on our mission there. Fr Con remained in Russia for a decade, returning to Ireland in 2015, when he took up the role of chaplain in Cuan Mhuire in Co. Limerick, and there he ministered until his new appointment as parish priest at the Sacred Heart Church.
Fr Con gladly returns to the place of his ordination, some 32 years later, and is looking forward to getting to know our parishioners and mission friends together with Fr Des. Many of our regular website viewers will already have seen the new faces celebrating Mass on our daily live stream, while Fr Con also celebrated this year’s Light Up a Memory Mass with Missions Office Director Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, who introduced Fr Con as “our brand new parish priest – and an old warrior at the same time!”
It is with grateful hearts that we thank Fr Tom for his dedicated ministry as parish priest, and welcome Fr Con and Fr Des into the heart of a wonderful local community – and indeed beyond, as so many friends become part of our parish family daily through Masses on our live stream. Please keep our MSCs in your prayers as we set out on this new chapter together.
Images: Michael English
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Nov 29, 2022
Christmas is the season of goodwill, giving, and love – and this year, you can embrace the spirit of the season by choosing a gift that gives back.
Our festive collection of Christmas keepsakes offer a whole host of gift ideas, for loved ones or as an extra-special touch for your own home this year. By choosing one of our Christmas gifts, you are also supporting the life-changing work of our missionaries all over the world. In recent years, our ongoing mission projects have come under tremendous strain as a result of the COVID pandemic and the global financial crisis. Times are difficult for everyone; nevertheless, our missionaries are continuing their ministry in the provision of education, healthcare, and community support in the most vulnerable and disadvantaged regions, often in unimaginably challenging circumstances as they continue in their efforts to combat the ongoing effects of the pandemic in areas lacking even the most basic of water, such as clean water and safe shelter.
Explore our range of festive cards and gifts, and share the joy of Christmas this year…
Give the gift of warmth and inspiration with a delicately crafted angel ornament, inscribed with thoughtful messages of peace and love.
A beautiful nativity scene captures the essence of the Christmas season, with the Holy Family wrapped in the peace and goodwill of angelic protection.
Our Christmas candle features a delightful nativity image with a special prayer on the back, while the LED flickering flame means that you can enjoy the warmth and glow of candlelight in safety, year after year.
We also offer a range of Christmas Mass Bouquet Cards, a wonderful way to send seasonal greetings to loved ones at home and abroad, or to remember someone special at this time of year. Those enrolled will be included in this year’s Christmas Mass Triduum, which will take place from December 19th to 21st at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
Whether you’re choosing a festive ornament for your own home, or sending a seasonal surprise to brighten a loved one’s day, you’ll find the perfect Christmas keepsake – and a gift that keeps on giving – in our seasonal range.
This Christmas, please consider giving a gift that makes a difference. Your goodwill is a gesture that reaches far beyond the holiday season, and gives real and lasting hope to those in need.
BROWSE OUR CHRISTMAS GIFT RANGE
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Nov 24, 2022
Warmest congratulations to Fr Giacomo Gelardi MSC, who was ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, November 19th, 2022. The ordination ceremony was led by Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross, who travelled to Italy for the great occasion, with the Mass taking place in Fr Giacomo’s home town of Urbino, Italy, at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a new beautiful church which was consecrated in September of last year.
Bishop Fintan concelebrated the ordination Mass with local Archbishop Mgr Giovanni Tanni, along with local diocesan clergy and members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the General Administration in Rome. Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter and Formator Fr Joe McGee were accompanied by MSCs Fr Michael O’Connell, Fr Tom Mulcahy, Fr John Finn, and Fr Con O’Connell, while MSC brothers Domenico Rosa and Jaime Rosique, who originally completed their novitiate programme with Giacomo in Myross Wood, West Cork, also travelled to Urbino to serve at the ordination ceremony as Deacons.
A host of friends travelled from Dublin and York to be with Fr Giacomo at this special time, along with Fr Pat Fogarty and parishioners from the parish of Carrigaline, Co. Cork, where Giacomo served as a Deacon in recent years. Everybody involved was delighted to join the celebrations with Fr Giacomo, his mother, Francesca, his father, Michele, his brother Luca and sister Maria, plus extended family members, friends, and parishioners.
“This was a beautiful celebration, presided by Bishop Fintan in Italian,” writes Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Fr Giacomo and blessings on his priestly ministry as he commences a life of missionary service as an MSC.”
On the morning following his ordination, Fr Giacomo celebrated his first Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Christ the King. He will now return to Cork for the Christmas season, and will prepare to travel to the MSC Province of the Pacific Islands in January. Here, Fr Giacomo will embark upon a period of mission in Fiji, where he will work in our MSC parish in Suva, and at the Chevalier Training Centre, our trade school in Namosi.
   
We join our voices and prayers with Fr Carl’s in congratulating the newly ordained Fr Giacomo Gelardi MSC, with every blessing as he begins this new chapter as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.
Please click here to watch a recording of Fr Giacomo’s ordination ceremony
at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart.
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Nov 10, 2022
November is a sacred time to remember, as we keep in our prayers family, friends, and loved ones who have gone before us. This year, we are glad to invite old friends and new to take part in our annual Light Up a Memory Mass, which will be celebrated on Saturday, November 26th. The candlelight memorial service will take place at 6.30pm the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, and will be streamed live for those who cannot attend in person.
Bereavement and grief touch us all, and the Month of the Holy Souls is a special time to honour fond memories and to pray for friends and family who have gone to their eternal rest in the Lord’s love. This November, we come together once again remember specially those who are no longer with us, and to light a candle in tribute to those whose memory we hold dear.
Now in its ninth year, our annual MSC Light Up a Memory Mass has become a much-anticipated tradition to close the Month of the Holy Souls. Each year, we invite mission friends to send the names of their dearly departed for remembrance, and the list is kept on the altar throughout the month as we pray for their perpetual peace. In a beautiful ceremony to mark the end of the month of remembrance, the Light Up a Memory Mass is a beacon of light and love in honour of our faithful departed.
The events of recent years have demonstrated more than ever the tremendous power of unity, community, and love. Those who cannot be with us in person on the night are very welcome to join us on our live stream, and to light a candle in their own homes or in our online candle gallery, where those listed will have a special place in the prayers of our MSC priests.
All are welcome to join us in reflection on this special night, and to submit the names of departed family, friends, and loved ones for remembrance. We would greatly appreciate your support for our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our annual Mass. You can then submit the names of your departed loved ones online, and our MSC priests will remember them specially during our Light Up a Memory Mass.
Through the dark winter nights, the light of remembrance warms our hearts, and the flame of hope continues to burn brightly. Please join us for an evening of reflection and remembrance in honour of the loved ones who are always in our thoughts.
Find out more about our annual MSC Light Up a Memory Mass.
Please click here to watch the Light Up a Memory Mass, and all November Masses for the Holy Souls, on our live stream.
Oct 27, 2022
Croi Nua, our MSC spirituality centre in Co. Galway, are hosting two sessions on mental health and wellbeing as part of their 2022 Autumn programme.
The first session will be led by Eoghan MacDomhnaill from Jigsaw, the national centre for mental health, which offers a range of support services to young people around Ireland. Eoghan’s talk will cover the main issues on our mental health, and the importance of an adult support system, or One Good Adult, in a young person’s life.
This session will take place in person in Croi Nua Spiritual Centre on Wednesday, November 9th, from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. A Zoom facility is also available for anybody who would like to take part remotely. Donations are appreciated, and all proceeds go directly to Jigsaw.
The second workshop, “Mindfulness & Self Compassion,” will be led by wellness coach Lizzie Harrison, focusing on self-care and addressing the different techniques that can be used to improve mental wellbeing.
Lizzie’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, November 23rd at 7.30pm – 9.00pm, in person at Croi Nua and via Zoom for remote participants, at a fee of €20.
For more information, please contact Croi Nua Spirituality Centre:
Phone: 087 6683770
Email: croinuacentre@gmail.com
Website: www.croinua.com
If you would like to join either of these workhops online via Zoom,
please email croinuacentre@gmail.com to get the video link.
   
Oct 27, 2022
As the school year comes to a close at the MSC-run Centro Faustino Villanueva in Guatemala, Fr Jairo Uriel Sevilla Mendoza MSC, Director of the centre, writes in gratitude for the support of mission friends here in the Irish Province, which is enabling great progress within the school community.
Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1984, Centro Faustino Villanueva is a vocational centre that has been dedicated to helping vulnerable and disadvantaged youths in the rural region of San AgustĂn, Alta Verapaz, and its surrounds, for almost 40 years. Located in an extremely remote area with limited access, the school is situated approximately eight hours’ drive from Guatemala City, and is an invaluable resource for young people who would otherwise be isolated by their locality and the challenges raised by coming from backgrounds of poverty and hardship.
“In the past year, we have been reflecting on our journey here at the Centro Faustino Villanueva, with a view to improving and innovating our work in the training of our young people,” writes Fr Jairo. “We are in the process of finishing the programme for a new agricultural and livestock project, which will help us to take advantage of all the resources the centre has to offer, and to provide training in the areas of agriculture, livestock, and forestry, among others. As we are living in a rural area, this will motivate our students to continue in promising new ventures, developing farms and orchards that will also help to improve diet and nutrition for local families and communities.”
“We are also working towards opening our boarding school again; because of the effects of the COVID pandemic, we have not been able to have a functioning boarding section in recent times,” Fr Jairo continues. “At the end of October, our students will finish the term, followed by a week of training for our teachers. Then, we will have a vacation, and use this time to improve our plans for the new school year.”
“We are so grateful for the support of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, which will be the foundation for this new phase. Together, we place our trust in God that with your ongoing support, we can move forward in our work. God bless you for your generosity; we remain, as always, united in the heart of Christ.”
As one academic year closes and hope springs afresh for the new year to come, we thank our mission friends for making it possible for us to help our MSC brothers to continue to make a great difference in the lives of disadvantaged youths and their families in Guatemala. United in the heart of Christ, we pray that the Lord will bless the Centro Faustino Villanueva community in their ongoing work, and bring every success in these plans for a hopeful new chapter for the school.
Images courtesy of Fr Jairo Uriel Sevilla Mendoza MSC, Director of Centro Faustino Villanueva.
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