Aug 11, 2022
Early in 2021, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart joined forces with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Papua New Guinea to raise funds for a laundry in their aged-care centre in Port Moresby, as part of our annual MSC World Projects Appeal.
The Hartzer Centre is an aged-care facility attached to the main convent in Port Moresby, the country’s capital, where the Sisters care for elderly OLSH Sisters and MSC missionary priests who have devoted their lives to serving the people of Papua New Guinea. Eight rooms are dedicated to the care of elderly residents at the centre, and it was an ongoing worry that the facility did not have a dedicated laundry area of its own, with nurses carrying all dirty laundry through the convent dining room to reach the communal washing area. This has been a pressing hygiene concern, especially in the face of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
In December of last year, Sr Rosaleen O’Brien contacted us with an update on progress on the new laundry facilities being installed in the Hartzer Centre – progress that had been slowed considerably due to the effects of the COVID pandemic. We have been delighted to receive further updates in recent weeks, with thanks to our benefactors for their help in getting the project completed.
“Please convey our gratitude to all of the donors for their great contribution to the laundry project for our aged-care facility,” writes Sr Rosaleen. “We have at long last completed the work which has taken time because of COVID, and also a lack of materials when needed.”
“I do not know what to say, as it is such a help to us here – especially with our infirm patients, who, in this climate, need a lot of care each day,” Sr Rosaleen continues. “Sr Gabriella and her helpers are truly happy with this project.”
“We continue to pray for each person who has donated money for this important project, especially during the COVID pandemic, which is still affecting so many people around the world.”
We add our thanks to those of our OLSH Sisters; the ongoing support of our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province provides immeasurable encouragement to our Sacred Heart family around the world, especially in these particularly challenging times. Sincere thanks to all who helped to provide these essential facilities for the elderly residents of the Hartzer Centre, and to all who continue to offer their friendship and their prayers as we continue on our shared missionary journey to make God’s love known everywhere.
*
Aug 4, 2022
Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2022
Our annual Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful time of reflection and thanksgiving, when we bring our prayers and petitions before Our Lady.
Our Novena of Masses runs for nine days and will take place from Wednesday, August 31st to Thursday, September 8th.
All are welcome to join in this year’s Novena Masses, which will take place daily at 10.00am and 7.30pm at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork. Daily Novena Masses will also be available to watch live from the Sacred Heart Church, as we welcome those who cannot be with us in person.
The Sacred Heart Parish welcomes each and every one of our mission friends and parishioners, from near and far, to pray with us during this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Be part of this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart
At this special time of year, you can help us to help others by supporting our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our daily Novena Masses. You can then submit your personal prayers and intentions online, and our MSC priests will remember your petitions specially throughout the course of the Novena.
The theme of year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will be “Mary, Mother of Compassion”, and it will be celebrated several of our MSC priests and brothers over the nine days.
Each year, the Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart offers great solace and comfort to all who take part, as we bring our prayers and personal intentions before our Holy Mother. As we emerge from the immediate difficulties of the past two and a half years, and continue to navigate the ongoing challenges of our troubled world, we come together in the spirit of hope, reflection, and thanksgiving at this sacred time. All are very welcome to join us, in person and online, for our Novena Masses as we come together to reflect and give thanks in the grace and love of Our Lady.
OLSH Novena at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork
Daily Novena Masses:
10.00am & 7.30pm
Wednesday, August 31st
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Finn MSC & Bro Giacomo Gelardi MSC
Thursday, September 1st
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Tom Mulcahy MSC & Bro Giacomo Gelardi MSC
Friday, September 2nd
Day of Reconciliation
Penitential Services celebrated by
Fr Tom Mulcahy MSC
Saturday, September 3rd
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Seamus Kelly MSC
Sunday, September 4th
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Finn MSC
Monday, September 5th
Reflection on Mary & Suffering
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Fitzgerald MSC
Tuesday, September 6th
Day of Healing
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Fitzgerald MSC
Wednesday, September 7th
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Joe McGee MSC
Thursday, September 8th
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Joe McGee MSC
Dates to Note
- Day of Reconciliation: Friday, September 2nd
- Reflection on Mary & Suffering: Monday, September 5th
- Day of Healing: Tuesday, September 6th
For those who cannot be with us in person, you are very welcome to join us for our daily online Novena Masses on our live stream, united in spirit as we pray together as a great family of faith.
We welcome each and every one of you to this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
We hope and pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all of us.
TAKE PART IN OUR 2022 OLSH NOVENA
Aug 4, 2022
As the people of the Philippines continue to rebuild their homes, lives, and livelihoods following the devastation caused by Typhoon Odette in December 2021, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are ongoing in efforts to help with repair and restoration.
In the middle of July, the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines reported that the MSC Task Force Odette had held a ground-breaking ceremony in Gilutongan Island, located in Cordova, Cebu, to mark the beginning of the housing project here.
The MSC Typhoon Odette Housing Project has been in force throughout the first half of this year, with construction beginning in Bayagnan Island in Surigao City in March, and now, with the next phase of the project underway, more than 160 families in Gilutongan Island will be able to live safely and comfortably once again in secure homes.
Our Sacred Heart Sisters, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, are also facilitating the rebuilding of homes, and the restoration of livelihoods in the Philippines – most recently, for fishermen in Barangay. The OLSH community in the Philippines donated motorised fishing boats to the fishing community of Barangay Caw-oy, and these boats were named in honour of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
Together, we pray for the continued success of these relief programmes, for all of our MSC brothers and OLSH Sisters in the Philippines, and for the families and communities they serve.
Gilutongan Island images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc.
PLEASE HELP OUR SACRED HEART FAMILY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Aug 2, 2022
MINISTRY FOR WAR REFUGEES IN MOZAMBIQUE
In March 2018, our MSC mission was established in the diocese of Pemba, Mozambique – a very poor part of the country, with little to no church infrastructure or active pastoral ministry. Since then, the nature of the mission has had to be open to change in the face of war, violence, political unrest, and natural disasters, while in the midst of it all, local communities continue to grow together in faith and prayer.
Since the beginning of the war, the district of Metuge has been an area where those who have been displaced, or forced to flee from their homes, have taken refuge in camps. Here, they have been welcomed with an open heart, despite the region’s serious struggles with severe poverty.
When refugees arrive initially, having had no choice but to flee, the first actions taken are practical ones, incorporating the distribution of food, clothing, hygiene products, and any necessary medication. From there, every effort is made to enable displaced members of the community to become more self-sufficient, generating their own income in order to be able to support their families with a sense of dignity and self-esteem.
DIGNITY & UNITY IN METUGE
CHICKEN FARMING PROGRAMME
A chicken farming programme aims to involve 50 young people living in the Metuge region. Chickens will be reared in order to generate income, while encouraging the development of practical skills. In addition to being part of a community project, the young people involved will be able to take the skills they learn and put them into practice in future roles, promoting a sense of personal independence and self-sufficiency as part of their family unit.
RADIO WITHOUT BORDERS
Diocesan radio station Radio Without Borders is the main means of communication for the faithful within the region. The purchase of a new van aims to provide easier access to the radio station for many who may not have the facilities in place to be able to listen easily. The van will travel around the diocese, visiting refugee camps to ensure that everyone can be included in church activities and avail of helpful productions in local languages, supporting people who are surviving from day to day, having been torn from their homes and all they know.
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MOZAMBIQUE MISSION
Aug 2, 2022
HELPING THE HOMELESS IN BRAZIL
Founded in 2012, the Albergue da Misericórdia is a shelter for homeless men run by MSC missionaries in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro. Translated from Portuguese, the word “misericórdia” encompasses the idea of mercy, compassion, and charity – and that is exactly what the community at this centre does.
The shelter currently houses 43 men between the ages of 18 and 59. These men are provided with food, health care, and bathing facilities, along with a safe, secure place to stay. The team here also help with sourcing important documentation, such as birth certificates, identity cards, and other essential papers required to contact family, gain work, and reintegrate with society.
This care service supplies residents with three meals and two snacks every day, while also providing facilities for personal hygiene, medical and dental care, psychological care, education, and clothing. The centre also welcomes homeless men who do not wish to seek shelter, but who visit to bathe and eat when they need to, knowing they have a safe place to turn.
“One of the main goals of the centre is to welcome, accompany, and guide homeless men who want to effectively change their lives, supporting them in the process of social and spiritual reintegration.”
OPEN HEARTS IN RIO DE JANEIRO
Residents at the centre take part in a scheduled routine of daily tasks, encouraging a sense of discipline and responsibility. They clean and care for the house and outdoor areas, maintain the bathrooms and kitchen, separate and store food that arrives via donations, help with food preparation, deal with waste disposal and recycling, tend to the vegetable garden, and care for the pigs raised in the outdoor area of the hostel grounds.
MSCs at the Albergue da Misericórdia depend largely on financial donations from benefactors and the local community to carry out their ongoing work in helping the homeless. They also receive a small income from food drives and the sale of second-hand clothes and goods at the São Pedro de Alcântara Church, along with a subsidy for 15 men from the São Gonçalo City Hall.
“Today, our project needs help,” writes Fr Jean Francisco Monteiro Aguiar MSC. “Our shelter can hold up to 50 men. The City Council subsidises us for 15 users, and it is our responsibility to find resources to help the rest. Now, we must ask for help to maintain this project, which has such a deep social impact.”
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MINISTRY IN BRAZIL
Jul 28, 2022
In mid-July, our MSC mission in Mozambique welcomed the Bishop of the Diocese of Pemba, Dom Juliasse, to the district of Metuge, where he celebrated Mass and spent a very special day with the community of St Antônio de Metuge.
Appointed Bishop of Pemba earlier this year, Bishop António Juliasse Ferreira Sandramo is an active voice in the ongoing ministry in the face of fear and corruption in the region. His day spent with the Fr Eduardo and the community of St Antônio de Metuge was an uplifting one for everyone involved, beginning with a beautiful Mass and concluding with a special lunch, including a cake fit for the occasion!
The Bishop also met with representatives from the community and government administrators from the district, in order to discuss the challenges and issues faced by local people every day. “It was a very positive meeting,” reports the MSC Mozambique Facebook page.
Our MSC mission in Metuge continues in its ministry for all those in need, caring for local families and communities struggling with extreme poverty and hardship, alongside war refugees who have been forced to flee from their homes in indescribable fear and uncertainty. Together, we pray that they be blessed with continued strength to face the challenges that are currently part of daily life in Pemba.
Images via the MSC Mozambique Facebook page.
*
