Jun 6, 2019
We were delighted to read this wonderful piece by South African publication Spotlight, highlighting the marvellous work done by Sr Sally Duigan OLSH and the team at the Holy Family Care Centre in Limpopo.
Calling the Holy Family community “the biggest and happiest family in Limpopo”, this Spotlight story gives us a glimpse into daily life at the centre, where Sr Sally and her team care for over 70 infants and children. The majority of these children are battling serious illnesses, such as HIV, and many have been orphaned or abandoned.
Founded in 2002, the centre is run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with the support of the MSC. We are very pleased to work closely with our Sacred Heart sisters, from fundraising efforts here in the Irish Province to our annual volunteer programme at Holy Family.
“Each child that comes through the gates of HFC is guaranteed two things, regardless of how they arrive or where they come from, they will be loved and well taken care of,” reads the Spotlight article. “At the moment this is home to 70 children (Sally sheepishly admits that they never turn a child away, sometimes the facility cares for up to 80 children) eight of whom are babies. There is a large staff contingent who care for the children 24/7, bathing them, feeding them, clothing them, teaching them, helping them with homework, playing with them and showering them with heaps and heaps of love. It is absolutely clear that this is one big family.”
It’s a big family, and a happy one. The sense of unity and love at Holy Family is in abundance from the moment one steps through the doors, and Sr Sally is dedicated to ensuring this remains the case for every child that comes into her care.
“Above all, we continue to give our children love, security, and care, in the hope they will thrive,” she wrote in a letter to our MSC Missions. “We want them to have the energy to enjoy playtime, be able to learn and live a happy life.”
We are very proud to see Sr Sally’s tremendous work being recognised – congratulations to all the team at Holy Family!
Read the full Spotlight article
Find out more about our work with the Holy Family Centre
May 30, 2019
“A father holds your hand for a little while, but holds your heart forever.”
This year, we celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16th. Whether you chat to your dad every day, catch up over a cup of tea every week, or hold treasured memories close to your heart, Father’s Day is a time to pause and celebrate a very special bond and a love that can’t be measured.
On Father’s Day, we thank the unsung heroes who work so hard to make the family home a happy and comfortable one, full of joy and laughter. Our collection of Father’s Day cards is a truly special way to honour a beloved father, whether you will spend the day with your dad or carry his memory in your heart. Each card contains a lovely Prayer for my Father, and each one also contains remembrance in our Father’s Day Triduum of Masses, which will take place this year from Saturday, June 15th to Monday, June 17th in the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road in Cork.
You are also very welcome to submit a prayer intention for your father, or light a candle in our online gallery to mark Father’s Day.
Remember, when you choose from our range of Father’s Day cards, you’re not just making a thoughtful gesture for your own father, but you’re also reaching out to help fathers and their families all over the world. Your support helps us to continue bringing the gifts of faith, hope, and love to parents, children, and communities in some of the world’s poorest countries. Our MSCs 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.
VIEW OUR FATHER’S DAY CARDS
May 23, 2019
Sincere congratulations to Rev Luis Gonzales MSC, who was ordained a Deacon in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday, May 4th.
We were delighted to receive these pictures of the celebration in Caracas – a wonderful occasion for all involved.
The people of Venezuela are currently in the midst of the worst political, social, economic, and humanitarian crisis in the history of the country. In January of this year, MSC Missions Office Director FR Michael O’Connell visited MSC parishes in Maraciabo and Caracas, where Rev Luis and our Venezuelan MSC community are tireless in their efforts to bring support and relief to local families who are struggling in the current climate.
“At a time when the country is going through such a difficult period politically, socially and economically, it is a sign of great hope that a young man such as Luis commits himself to the service of the people of Venezuela with the deep desire to be for all a living, tangible presence of God’s heart for his people,” wrote Irish Provincial Leader Fr Carl Tranter MSC, on the occasion of Rev Luis’ ordination.
Vocations Director for the Irish Province, Fr Alan Neville MSC, also added his good wishes on the MSC Vocations Facebook page, posting: “Congratulations to Rev Luis Gonzalez MSC who was ordained a Deacon in Caracas, Venezuela, today. May the Lord bless your ministry, Luis, and always give you a big heart for his people, modelled after His own heart.”
We would like to add our congratulations, and send our very best wishes to Rev Luis from the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart!
Find out more about our missionary outreach in Venezuela
May 21, 2019
Fresh pens and pencils, piles of text books, note cards strewn about, and kettles boiling on repeat all over the country… It can mean only one thing – exam season is here!
Preparation for exams is a stressful time for students, and often, for their families too. With the pressure on to do their very best, facing into a timetable of questions, essays, and graphs is a daunting notion for even the hardiest young soul.
As the state exams approach, why not show a little bit of extra support for the special student in your life? Our exam cards are the perfect way to send encouragement to a hard-working student. Each card contains a lovely prayer for students, and includes remembrance in our annual Triduum of Masses for students sitting exams.
You are also very welcome to light a candle for exam success in our online gallery, or submit a prayer intention to be remembered by our MSC priests in the Sacred Heart parish on the Western Road in Cork. We will be glad to keep your intentions in our prayers.
During a time of heightened worries and anxieties, the gift of prayer offers peace, comfort, and a sense of support like no other. Let a special student know you’re thinking of them at this challenging time with the help of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
BROWSE OUR RANGE OF EXAM TRIDUUM CARDS
May 18, 2019
Gospel Reflection
In his departure discourse from this world, Jesus gives a new commandment –
a commandment for the new age to come with his resurrection and in eternal life.
It is in keeping with the vision of the New Jerusalem of today’s second reading, something worth reflecting on.
The Gospel (John 13:31-35):
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
1. New Heaven and New Earth.
One of the articles of the Creed is that we believe in life everlasting, where the just enjoy the presence of God in the Beatific Vision, the trials, persecutions, and worries of this present life behind them. It is obvious to believers, and has been down the centuries, that this world cannot be as God would have it. Paul has said as much to the Romans (Romans 8:20-23): “For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies”. There arose the belief that after history had run its course, there would be a new creation, as expressed in the Second Letter of Peter (2 Peter 3:13): “But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home”. This belief is also clearly expressed in today’s second reading (from John’s Apocalypse). The Church takes note of this expectation, both in the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes, “Joy and Hope”), paragraph 39,2, with the reminder that rather than take from, it should add to, our concern for the world in which we live: “Therefore, while we are warned that it profits a person nothing if he gain the whole world and lose himself, the expectation of a new earth must not weaken but rather stimulate our concern for cultivating this one”.
2. The kingdom of God is among us.
His kingdom would mean care for one another after his example and his command. He made this clear by washing the feet of his disciples and his explanation of the meaning of this: “I have given you an example”. He came to bring life in its fullness, life here and life hereafter. This life was about one’s soul, one’s true inner self, with a knowledge of the meaning of life and the handling of trials. The same message is still proclaimed in the Easter liturgy, as in the following text from one of the prefaces for the Easter Mass; when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed: “For with he old order destroyed, a universe cast down is renewed, and integrity of life is restored to us in Christ. Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exults in your praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the unending hymn of your glory, as they acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy”.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
May 17, 2019
Welcome to the Summer 2019 edition of the MSC Message!
• Read a special summer greeting from Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office.
• Catch up with the latest news from the mission fields, with updates from our ongoing projects in South Africa and India.
• Find out about this year’s MSC pilgrimage to Lourdes.
• Read all about Fr Michael O’Connell’s visit to our MSC parishes in Venezuela.
• Enjoy updates from World Youth Day 2019 in Panama, where Fr Alan Neville MSC and the MSC Vocations Team celebrated earlier this year.
Read the MSC Message Summer 2019
