Jan 4, 2019
On Thursday, January 3rd, Fr Michael O’Connell, Director of the MSC Missions Office in Cork, embarked on a three-week visit to Venezuela, where he will visit MSC parishes and spend time with the communities who benefit from the care of our missionaries.
Venezuela is currently in the grip of the worst political, social, economic, and humanitarian crisis ever experienced in the country’s history, and local people struggle daily with extreme poverty and hardship. The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart first started their work in this deeply troubled country over 50 years ago, when four Irish MSCs began the first MSC mission in Maracaibo, and today, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are the only Irish priests working to bring relief to local communities who are trapped in the dreadful conditions brought about by the current social and political unrest.
The situation has become increasingly worrying in recent years. Former Irish Provincial Leader Fr Joseph McGee MSC was greatly affected by his trip to Venezuela in 2017. “The most difficult thing I witnessed was seeing people scavenge in the rubbish heaps for scraps that have burst through the overflowing rubbish bags and appear to be edible,” he recalls. “People are doing all they can to leave the country and start a new life”.
In October 2018, we reported that Pope Francis had encouraged the Venezuelan bishops to “stay close to the people of Venezuela, especially to those who are suffering,” while Simon Coveney, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, addressed the “serious, volatile, and rapidly deteriorating situation,” where “reports of human rights violations are a cause of real concern”.
Having marked 50 years of ministry in Venezuela in the summer of 2017, the our MSCs continue to do all they can to help vulnerable families affected by the ongoing crisis. On this trip, Fr Michael is travelling with an extra suitcase filled with essentials for local families who are enduring the consequences of hyperinflation, which has pushed the cost of necessities sky-high – far beyond the reach of parents who don’t know where their children’s next meal is coming from. His case is packed full of supplies including toothpaste, soap, nappies, and other basic hygiene products – everyday items that we might not think twice about using, but which will be very welcome to families who have very little.
Be sure to check back in the coming weeks, as Fr Michael continues on his travels and keeps us updated on the MSC Venezuelan mission.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS
Dec 19, 2018
Dear Friends,
Another year has flown by! 2018 is almost at an end, and from international celebrations at the World Meeting of Families to my own adventure on the Camino walk, it has been a year to remember for many reasons.
Without doubt, these are challenging times for us all. From social and political turmoil, to devastation caused by natural disasters around the world, it can seem that every time we turn on the news, we hear of death and destruction. However, even in the depths of despair, hope remains, and thanks to the support of our great community of faith around the world, we have been able to continue to bring the gifts of hope, faith, and love to vulnerable families all over the world.
This summer, along with Pope Francis and hundreds of thousands of people around the world, we celebrated the love of the family, and at Christmas time, we reflect once again on the blessing of family – our own immediate families, and our extended families, made up of friends, neighbours, and brothers and sisters in Christ.
I often refer to you, our mission friends, as a family of faith, and together, we are part of a much bigger picture. I include our MSCs working in far-flung corners of the world, away from the embrace of home and hearth this Christmas season. I include the communities to which they minister, and the children who have been orphaned by illness or violence. I include those who are surrounded by loved ones, and those who may be spending the Christmas season alone. I include all who are struggling with challenges of different kinds. Love knows no bounds, and we are every one of us a loved and valued part of this great family of faith.
As another year begins to wind towards its end, I thank you for all that we have achieved together over the past months. Thanks to your friendship, the power of God’s mercy continues to be seen in all its glory around the world. Our strength comes from your kindness and we are truly grateful.
In the spirit of the season and on behalf of our MSC community around the world, I’d like to extend my warmest wishes for a joyful Christmas, and I pray that the coming year will bring you and yours an abundance of peace, happiness, and blessings.
Wishing you and yours a happy and holy Christmas,
Fr Michael O’Connell MSC
Dec 19, 2018
MSC Christmas Raffle 2018
Prize Winners:
1st Prize: Shopping voucher to the value of €1,000
K. Taaffe
Shannon Harbour, Birr, Co. Offaly
2nd Prize: Twelve Days of Christmas Hamper to the value of €500
B. Flynn
Kilcormac, Co. Offaly
3rd Prize: Supreme Christmas Hamper to the value of €400
A. McAnearwney
Banbridge, Co. Down
4th Prize: Festive Feast Christmas to the value of €350
M. Doherty
Ardmore Road, Co. Derry
5th Prize: Christmas Carol Hamper to the value of €250
R. Kinsella
Coton Green, Tamworth, England
6th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper to the value of €150Â
D. Long
Thomond Gate, Limerick
7th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper to the value of €150
G. Potter
Abbeyknockmoy, Tuam, Co. Galway
8th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper to the value of €150Â
D. Cumane
Ballinlough, Castlerea, Co. Roscommon
9th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper to the value of €150Â
J. Murphy
Caim, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford
10th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper to the value of €150
M. White
St John’s, Trim, Co. Meath
Special Members Sellers Prize: Christmas Carol Hamper to the value of €250
C. Wallace
Drumree, Co. Meath
This year’s Christmas Draw took place on Wednesday, December 19th 2018.
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone for taking part.Â
Click here to read a special Christmas message from Fr Michael
Dec 15, 2018
Gospel Reflection
The Bible in Dialogue with Questions of the Day:
Rejoice Greatly. The Lord is Near. Joy inspired evangelisation.
The Gospel (Luke 3:10-18): What must we do?
We are in the period of Advent, waiting for Christ’s coming, and the gospel reading for each of the Second and Third Sundays presents the person of John the Precursor, who first made Jesus’ coming known. John preached repentance. In today’s reading, he specifies for various persons who came to him what they should do to make their repentance real. He proclaimed that he was not the Messiah, a friend of the bridegroom who rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. “For this reason,” John the Baptist said, “My joy has been fulfilled” (John 3:29). Joy, rejoicing, has been a feature of the expectation of the future age by the prophets; it is a central message of the Gospels, from the Angels at Christmas, “good news of great joy for all the people” (Luke 2; 8), Jesus himself, and the early Church, as in today’s first reading. In the liturgy this day is designated, by reason of this reading, as “Rejoicing Sunday”. Reflection on today’s Gospel and the Baptist’s expression of joy invites us to reflect on the double theme of rejoicing and Gospel proclamation.
“Christian life, Christian joy, is witness that the Lord is near.”
These two are linked together by Pope Francis in his Encyclical Letter Evangelii Gaudium The Joy of the Gospel, 2013, an Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World, addressed to Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons, and the Lay Faithful, all of whom in their own way are called on to proclaim the Gospel message with joy (253). The Pope addresses how each of these can, and should, be involved in evangelisation. We can make the following reflection here.
Today’s liturgy, Gaudete, “Rejoice” Sunday, is all about the joy and happiness that is intended to characterize Christian life. Christians should radiate joy, happiness, epikeikeia, gentleness, forbearance, understanding, based on the presence of God, of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit that gives conviction of Christ’s victory and presence. Christian life is witness to all this. Just as, for Catholics, the Sanctuary Lamp is witness to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, so is Christian life a sanctuary lamp to God’s presence, to God’s kingdom, on earth. Christian life, Christian joy, is witness that the Lord is near, that in Christ salvation, redemption, has come as God has willed it.
“The sanctuary lamp is an image of the light of the human soul.”
From the point of view of dialogue with questions of the day we may note that the terms divine presence and salvation are matters that a good section of our modern world rejects. There are those who seek a salvation for humanity without God or organized religion, in particular without the Catholic Church. Lanterns and lamps can be signs of God’s presence in the world, just as the Sanctuary Lamp is a witness to the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The sanctuary lamp can be an irritant for those hostile to what it stands for. Salvation without organized religion is a theme in the thought of the Russian writers, and nearer home in that of Tom Murphy. The Internet Wikipedia entry on Tom Murphy notes that “recurring themes in his writings include the search for redemption and hope in a world apparently deserted by God and filled with suffering”. It further notes the Murphy’s play The Sanctuary Lamp explores major themes of redemption, love, guilt, spirituality, and the existence – or non-existence – of God. In common with much of Murphy’s work, the play deals with the battle against nihilism and finds a form of redemption and hope in mankind’s ability to show compassion, love, and find an individual spirituality. The Lamp itself becomes an image of the light of the human soul unattached to dogma or religion.
Without reflection, many today prefer to go their own way through life without the light of the Gospel. It will be for all of us to be a sanctuary lamp of Christian hope and Gospel joy.
Fr Martin McNamara MSC
Dec 11, 2018
We recently received a lovely message from Bishop Clemens Pickel in Saratov, Russia, where the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart provided funding for the repair and transport of a local church organ.
At the end of November, parishioners of the church of Christ the King celebrated the 25th anniversary of the church’s consecration, along with the blessing of the newly repaired organ.
The Christ the King Church, located in the city of Marx, was the first Catholic church to be built in Russia following the fall of the USSR. Construction began in 1990 and took a total of three years to complete, and today, this is a welcoming space for locals to come to pray.
The MSC Russian Mission began in 1995, when three MSC priests from the Irish Province travelled to Russia to aid in the re-building of the Catholic Church following the state’s anti-religious campaign. Our missionaries helped to establish the solid foundations of spiritual community in Russia, and the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart now provide support to the current organisations and lay leaders who continue the work begun by our MSCs over 20 years ago.
“We had a beautiful feast in Marx,” wrote Bishop Clemens Pickel, “where we celebrated 25 years since the consecration of the Christ the King Church and the blessing of the organ. Thank you to MSC Ireland!”
Thanks to the help of our mission friends in the Irish Province, the Christ the King community can enjoy music and celebration in their church once more as they embrace the religious freedom that was denied to the country for so long.
PLEASE SUPPORT OURÂ GLOBAL MISSIONS
Dec 6, 2018
This Christmas, give the great gift of prayer with a Holy Family Entrustment Book from the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
Every year, we see piles of presents stack up under Christmas trees in homes across the country – and all too often, well-meant gifts are put aside and forgotten about in the excitement of the festive season, and are left to gather dust in the back of a cupboard or under a bed.
This year, why not give a gift that will last long after the crackers have been pulled and the decorations boxed away for another year? The Holy Family Entrustment Book is a wonderful way to remind loved ones they’re in your thoughts at Christmas, and throughout the year.
What is the Holy Family Entrustment Book?
The Holy Family Entrustment Book is a one-year enrolment in the Masses and prayers of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. The personalised prayer certificate is presented in a beautiful hand-crafted card with 3D embellishment. The specially designed eight-page card is filled with thoughtful prayers and reflections, and there is additional space for a personal message in each card.
What does a one-year enrolment involve?
Those enrolled in the Holy Family Entrustment Book are remembered in the Masses and prayers of our MSC priests for one year. This makes the Holy Family Entrustment a lovely and lasting gift to mark the festive season.
Can I enrol a friend or loved one in the Holy Family Entrustment Book for any occasion?
Enrolments in the Holy Family Entrustment Book are made for a variety of occasions, from remembrance of a loss to the celebration of a special life event.
Where can I get a Holy Family Entrustment Book?
Visit our Cards & Gifts section to order a personalised Holy Family Entrustment Book online. You can have your order delivered to your door, or we can send it directly to the person being enrolled. If you have any further questions, please feel free to get in touch with us by email at info@mscmissions.ie, or by phone on +353 (0) 21 454 5704.
This year, the feast of the Holy Family takes place on Sunday, December 30th. At this special time of year, we come to the Holy Family with our prayers and intentions, our hopes for the year ahead, and our gratitude for the blessings of the year gone by. Our Holy Family Entrustment Book is the perfect gift to share Christmas tidings and New Year wishes with those you hold dear.
Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we can give to those we love.
You can also enrol your loved ones in the Golden Book of the Sacred Heart,
or the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Blue Book.
