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
Mar 14, 2018
Reflection: Christ’s victory is that of believers.
Gospel (John 12:20-33). “When I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to myself”.
Reflection. Christ is speaking to us and encouraging us in today’s Gospel reading, since, as the Second Vatican Council (Document on Sacred Liturgy, paragraph 7) reminds us, Christ is present in his word, as it is he himself who speaks when the holy scriptures are read in the Church.
A message with believers in this dialogue with ourselves and the society in which we live from today’s Gospel reading is that for Christ his crucifixion is a victory, his victory over all forces opposing his saving work, this “world”, the power of the devil and any other power. Jesus says all this to give confidence to his followers. He has given his victory to them. “I have said to you so that you may have peace. In the world you will have persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). The same message is for believers of all generations in time of attacks on their faith. Christ and the Holy Spirit are in their hearts and consciences to strengthen then. “The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4), meaning any force trying to draw you away from Christ and the church. A little later the same writer gives the encouraging words of the victory of faith over adverse forces (“the world”); “Who it is who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4).
The victory of which Christ speaks, won by him and given to believers, presumes that believers remain united with him, taking Jesus’ example of the grain of what, and dying to one’s passions and sinful ways.
If we pass from reflection to dialogue with “the world”, with the society of our own day, sometimes unbelieving, we can bear the advice of 1 Peter 3:15-16 in mind: “Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an accounting of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence”. Believers are involved in social life at all levels, the cultural, the political and others as well. But in all this they believe in the prime demands of Christ, recalling his words: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). The same would hold true (and much more so) for country, political party or anything else. There cannot be question of country or political party first and one’s Christian religion (which means the demands of Christ) afterwards. If such assertions are made, it can clearly be pointed out that allegiance to Christ and his Church does not take from political or cultural commitments.
It may not be too often that a person is called on to decide between allegiance to Christ, one’s religion, Church or political party or country. There is, of course, no intrinsic incompatibility between allegiance to Christ, the Church and social commitments. The contrary is the case, as devotion to God and Church has inspired and continues to inspire, involvement in community development.
Martin McNamara MSC
Mar 13, 2018
Yesterday, Monday 12th March 2018, the first two MSC arrived to commence the Congregation’s new mission in Mozambique.
Fr Angelo and Fr Eduardo from the Sao Paulo Province arrived with their provincial, Fr Edivaldo and the Superior General, Fr Absalon to be greeted and received by the Bishop and pastoral workers of the Diocese of Pemba where we will establish the mission in a very poor part of the country with no church infrastructure or functioning pastoral ministry. This project has been several years in the planning and we congratulate the Sao Paulo Province for its missionary courage in taking on this new mission.
Ametur Ubique Terrarum Cor Iesu Sacratissimum – May the most Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere.
