Jun 23, 2026
Our 2026 Novena to the Sacred Heart has come to an end, and it is with truly grateful hearts that we thank everybody who helped to make it such a special occasion for all involved.
This year’s Novena took place from Thursday, June 4th to Friday, June 12th, at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork. We were delighted to see so many familiar faces join us during the Novena, and of course to welcome new friends along too. An astounding 13,500 people joined us in prayer on our live stream over the course of the nine days, from close to home and across the world, reminding us in such a lovely way that we are all very much interconnected and part of something bigger, part of a great community of faith, wherever in the world we may be located.
MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart 2026 – Fr John Fitzgerald MSC introduces Fr John H. Walsh OP at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
It was a joy and a privilege to have this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart celebrated by Fr John H. Walsh OP. Born in Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, Fr John entered the Order of Preachers in Cork after leaving school. Having been educated in Maynooth, Oxford, and Rome, Fr. John has served as a preacher of parish missions and retreats, and was also promoter for the Rosary Apostolate and a superior of Dominican communities in Ireland. Currently, he is the director of the St. Martin Apostolate in Dublin and the editor of the St. Martin magazine, as well as promotor for itinerant preaching for the Irish Dominicans.
Having been welcomed by our own Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, Fr John Walsh opened the Novena with some lovely words. “It’s a great honour to be asked to preach this Novena,” he said. “It’s a great honour for a Dominican to come down here to this Church of the Sacred Heart and to lead you in these nine days, and to remind you of the love of God. It’s a great honour for me to be with you and I look forward to these nine days here on the Western Road.” This set the tone for the nine days ahead, and we were extremely grateful to Fr John for leading us through this special time of prayer and reflection with such an open, loving heart.
Fr John H. Walsh OP (left) and Fr John Fitzgerald MSC (right) mark a day of healing at the Sacred Heart Church Hall on the Western Road, Cork.
A reflection on love
“There’s only one word in English for love, you know, and that’s love,” reflected Fr John at the opening Mass of the Novena. “There’s only one word we use, it’s this love, but it’s kind of fluid in many ways – there are differences in love, aren’t there? What the Lord is asking us on this first day of this Novena, is, he’s asking the question, what have we to do? You have to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Continuing with this thought, Fr John spoke about the picture of the Sacred Heart in so many Catholic homes. “Why do we have the Sacred Heart picture?” he asked. “It was to remind our mothers and our grandmothers, who spent most of their days in their houses, that they weren’t alone.”
“It was to remind them that they were loved. And you are loved. You might feel unloved, and we struggle with that as humans, we struggle with love… And that’s why I want to spend these nine days with you, is to show you that love.”
Fr John Fitzgerald MSC and Fr John H. Walsh OP celebrate Mass at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
Going to on speak about love, and the importance of loving your neighbour, Fr John explained, “You can love the Sacred Heart all you like, and you can love your God all you like, but in order to love him fully as the Gospel says today, you have to love your neighbour. You might say, ‘Who’s my neighbour, Father?’ Your neighbour might be the cat at home. It’s the next person you meet. It’s the person you meet in the shop, and you hold the door for them… I don’t know the person, but I have to see in the person and each person, God, to see that Sacred Heart in them. It’s hard, it’s difficult, people ignore you, people blank you out – but we have to love them. St. John of the Cross said, if you want to find love, put love into it, and therefore you’ll find it. You’ve to go out of yourself, and that what Jesus is asking every one of us today. Go out of yourself. A simple smile won’t crack our face, does it? No. You mightn’t feel like smiling, but that’s what Jesus is saying – you will find me if you go out of yourself. Go out of yourself. Hold the door, be patient.”
“You don’t know what a person is carrying… You never know what another person is carrying.”
“It’s a small thing, this is how you love others as you love God.”
“It’s for us Christians to go out of ourselves, and that’s how we change the world, that’s how we’ve always changed the world, because we went to incredible strengths to do things. And you’re asked to do the same today. I’m not asking you to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart – your mission is at home, or your mission is in the car park, or holding the shop door… Go out of yourself for love.”
Fr John H. Walsh OP and Fr John Fitzgerald MSC celebrate Mass at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
Celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart
“The Feast of the Sacred Heart is a feast of not just something Jesus did, but something who Jesus is, his love, his infinite love for each one of us,” said Fr John on the final day of the Novena, and the Feast Day of the Sacred Heart.
“Isn’t it amazing, you never know what you live with, or what you live among, and you never know what another has suffered for you, and that’s what we celebrate in the heart of Jesus, and the wounded hands. This is how much I love you, that I would die for you to save you – and to know that you’re loved. You just think back on your own lives, the love of your parents and your grandparents and your neighbours and your friends, and all those who have done so much for you, that you could have life.”
Fr John H. Walsh OP (left) and Fr John Fitzgerald MSC (right) mark a day of healing at the Sacred Heart Church Hall on the Western Road, Cork.
Pausing in the love of the Lord
In a beautiful moment of peaceful reflection, Fr John invited all those gathered in the Sacred Heart Church, and watching on the live stream, to pause for a moment of prayer.
“Feel your pulse,” he said. “You know, I often sit in prayer, and that’s all I do. I listen to my heartbeat. Feel your pulse, your heart is beating out that blood. And if you close your eyes and just think of the love of Jesus for you, that’s what we’re celebrating for nine days here, the heart of Jesus that beats out of love for you.”
“The beauty of our faith is that heart didn’t just stop on Calvary, it continues to beat for you. So if you feel lonely, if you’re under stress, if you feel insulted or hurt or abandoned by your family, abandoned by your world, even by those whom you love most, and yet you keep pouring it out, check your pulse. Just close your eyes, and say Lord, that’s your heart too, beating for love of me. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? You could spend hours listening to your pulse. If it stops, good luck to you! But if you do feel lonely sitting at home, and if you’re feeling depressed or anxious, angry or hurt, just close your eyes or look up at your Sacred Heart picture, check your pulse, and sit and listen to that rhythm – I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you above all things, and I would die for you. It’s what we all need, don’t we?”
“No matter what you’re going through, or whatever pain that you’re undergoing, return love, not hatred, not vengeance. Jesus is the opposite.”
MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart 2026, led by Fr John H. Walsh OP at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
With heartfelt thanks
We are profoundly grateful to Fr John Walsh, who provided us with great pause for thought in his daily reflections, helping us to look ever deeper in our spiritual reflection and healing, and leading us down useful, interesting, and healing paths of prayer. “You brought the power of the Sacred Heart so close to us that it’s just straight in front of our eyes and in our hearts, and we are privileged to have you with us,” said Fr John Fitzgerald as the Novena came to a close.
“We will leave this place, and there’s a bit of a sadness always when we leave a nine-day thing like this, when we’ve come together,” said Fr John F. And with that slight regret at the ending of such a special time, comes a great hope.
“There’s a letter here from one of the priests in 1975, and he said that the Sacred Heart Novena was on its way out because everyone was in their 50s and 60s and 70s,” recalled Fr John F. “This is when we were slips of boys and girls back in the 60s and 70s – and of course how wrong he was.”
“I remember here, there might be a little basket of petitions – and now there are thousands of petitions all around, and still some to come, so it is far from a dead Novena.”
With so many mission friends and parishioners joining us from near and far at the Sacred Heart Church each day, and thousands of others tuning in from around the world, it is clear that the Novena to the Sacred Heart is as powerful and beloved as ever.
We are truly grateful to all who contributed to making this year’s Novena such a resounding success, as we take with us such a powerful and great message of love. The time and effort that went into the many details, from flowers, music, and readings, to the teas and coffees and socialising, and the planning of all the details in between, is always hugely appreciated. To all who joined us in prayer, be it in person or online, your presence has been a blessing and a gift. God bless you all.
MSC Novena to the Sacred Heart 2026, led by Fr John H. Walsh OP and accompanied by MSCs Fr John and Fr Tijo at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
If you would like to watch this year’s Novena Masses,
please click here to view recordings of all nine days.
May 28, 2026
This year, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the MSC Missions Office on the Western Road, Cork, and as part of our anniversary commemorations, we’re looking back on old issues of our newsletter, the MSC Message, on a walk together down Memory Lane.
Nomafa’s Story
In the Summer 2011 edition of the MSC Message, we shared a letter from Nomafa Mabule, who was being cared for at Tshwaranang Hospice, located close to Ivory Park in South Africa. Nomafa’s words are particularly poignant, as she died just two weeks after writing this letter.
“They are like Florence Nightingale”
Hi people out there, I would like you to know something you don’t know. My name is Nomafa Eugenia Mabule, 57 years old. The doctor says I’m diagnosed with HIV & Kaposi’s Sarcoma Skin Cancer but to God everything is possible. When I came here to this Tshwaranang Hospice when people told me about it, I wanted myself here. I didn’t want me in my house. And every time I failed to get to the hospice here because of transport.
I was crying for a place I did not know, suddenly I came here stressed, did not eat well at home and not taking the medication well in time. When I came here after three days I was stress free and my family like it too.
This place is so cool and the Nurses sisters, Matron and all the staff are good, they all take good care of us. They are far better than the Nurses at the Hospitals; here they take good care of us.
They are really like the first Nurse I read about when I was schooling. Florence Nightingale; they are really volunteers of God, they serve God. To serve God is not only at church; even in places like this and people like them with their hearts.
At home our families are impatient with us especially because we mess ourselves up. We are here because people have dumped us. But when they come to visit us, they are glad that we are out of their hands, they really thank the staff of Tshwaranang, father Herman, the Matron, Sister, Caregivers, cleaners, and all who cook for us.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully
Nomafa Mabule
“Sadly Nomafa Mabule passed away on 11 December 2010, exactly two weeks after writing this note. Being HIV positive, she developed AIDS and Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a skin cancer typically associated with AIDS and always final. She spent two months at our hospice.”
Fr Herman van Dijk MSC
Project Manager Tshwaranang Hospice
Turning Sadness into Joy
Summer 2011 also gave us a lovely update from the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa. Our mission friends will recognise the Holy Family community, and we still have a close friendship and support system with the Sisters in Ofcolaco 15 years later.
“Nestling under the majestic Drakensberg mountains lies Holy Family Care Centre; a little oasis for suffering and neglected children, run by the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
In 2001 the OLSH Sisters took charge of the property and opened a Care Centre for people with HIV/AIDS and for orphans. Today there are over 70 children in residence. Many come here, little bundles of suffering and broken humanity, but with proper nourishment and care and lots of love a new life emerges.
One co-worker named the place ‘Paradise’ and so it is. In a loving and friendly environment the children blossom and the sound of weeping finally gives way to one of joy and gladness. People come from every continent and are bedazzled by the warm spirit and sense of family that prevails. The small children attend crèche on the property while the older children attend primary and secondary school in the local villages. The children keep in touch with their own language and culture through the teachers and the many workers who are employed at the Centre. In this way we try to offer them as near an ordinary life as possible.
Holy Family has become widely known and people come to help always leave with great praise for the children, the staff and the great family spirit here. More recently the Centre was honoured with the Mopane District ‘Platinum Award’ for excellence, shortly followed by the Limpopo Province ‘Platinum Award and Gold Cup’ also for excellence. This is an acknowledgement of the work and family spirit that characterises this great undertaking.
The most recent development is the construction of an all purpose hall that will shelter the children on very hot or very wet days. Many of the children need special protection from the elements for health reasons. The new building is named Chevalier Hall in honour and memory of the founder of the MSC Priests and Sisters who established and run the centre today.”
A Searcher’s Prayer
Finally, Winter 2011 gave us a beautiful prayer for those looking for guidance and courage in confusing or troubled times.
Jesus, light of the world,
Shine your truth into my
confused heart.
So many choices lie before me:
things I’d like to do and ways
I’d like to go.
Give me courage to follow
my dreams,
and the wisdom to be realistic.
As the years unfold,
I look to you
to guide my searching,
bless my working,
deepen my loving and keep me safe.
Amen.
May 21, 2026
Earlier in the year, our MSC brothers in the Pemba district of Mozambique joined with the Shepherd Sisters for prayer, reflection, and celebration in the Oratory.
The Facebook page for MSC Mozambique shared photos from the day in late February, explaining: “The Oratory was born from something very simple and very revolutionary at the same time: a priest who decided to love young people before trying to correct them. St. Philip Neri did not create a complicated method, he created an environment. He gathered children and young people to pray, sing, talk, laugh and teach. He spoke of God as one who introduces a dear friend, not as one who imposes an obligation. Faith there was not a burden, it was breathing.”
“Basically, the Oratory is this: a place where the heart learns before the head,” they continued. “It doesn’t start with rules, it starts with presence.”
Our MSC mission in Mozambique was established in early 2018 in the Diocese of Pemba, where families and communities struggle greatly with poverty and the effects of civil war. The need for help in the region is very real, and the mission is continuously working to adapt and respond to serve the many and changing needs of the vulnerable and displaced, from emergency response to natural disasters, to the brutal impact of violence and political unrest.
The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has a long friendship with our Mozambique mission, and through the years, the friendship and support of our mission friends and benefactors here at home has helped thousands of people across the district of Pemba. Thanks to your compassion, we have been able to bring about positive change to disadvantaged communities and vulnerable families across the diocese. In recent years, we have been working alongside Fr José and Fr Eduardo to raise funds to support those in real and urgent need, helping to provide essential aid and more hopeful prospects for those struggling in their circumstances.
The Mozambique mission continues, with Fr José Eduardo and Fr Roney responding to the changing needs of the communities in their care, and hope grows for the future with new MSC students beginning their missionary journey this year. As their Facebook page writes, “[We are reminded] that no one approaches God out of fear. He approaches through affection. And where there is true affection, faith flourishes almost without us noticing.”
We continue to journey alongside our MSC brothers in faith and affection, and we wish them every blessing and continues success on their mission.
Images via the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique.
HELP SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS PROJECTS
May 14, 2026
MSCs in India are working to help very vulnerable children in Karankadu, an extremely poor village located close to the Bay of Bengal and populated by just 468 families, with a Catholic community of 1,600 people. Karankadu is a fishing village, and due to its location, suffers badly from the damaging effects of monsoons.
Fr Regimus, parish priest at Our Lady of Angels Church in Karankadu, is working towards the repair and refurbishment of the local primary school, which is currently attended by 186 students (numbering 103 girls and 83 boys). There is no money for the decoration, repair, or refurbishment of the school, which has had very minimal maintenance completed since it was first built. Classrooms lack the most basic facilities, with children sitting on the floor and using their own school bags as desks. In such circumstances, it is very difficult for teachers to provide a high-quality education, feeding into the challenges the children face in progressing further and improving their quality of life as they grow.
The lack of classroom furniture causes several problems, including physical discomfort and development complications, hygiene issues, and considerable discomfort in the hot weather.
“This mitigates against the provision of quality education, which is so important at this stage of the child’s development, for enabling them to reach the maximum of their ability and for their future social and economic wellbeing,” writes Fr Regimus.
Building blocks for the future
One of the world’s most populous countries, India suffers with a tremendously imbalanced distribution of wealth and vast levels of poverty. Millions of children face various extremely difficult and complex challenges around homelessness, hunger, and access to education, leading to future issues with unemployment. The provision of a comprehensive education provides the children with both academic and social skills that will help them not only in their individual circumstances, but within their larger communities, and ultimately, for generations to come.
Fr Regimus has been able to raise half of the €20,000 needed to complete the necessary repairs to the school, and the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are helping Fr Regimus and the school community with the remaining funds, allowing them to plan for the refurbishment work during this year’s summer holidays, to purchase classroom equipment such as desks and chairs, and to improve the community’s daily life there. Updated facilities will have a hugely positive impact for the children, not only for their learning experience today, but also into the future. Their ability to gain a good education and skill set now will help these young people to avoid further issues further down the line, including unemployment, poverty, discrimination, child labour, and early marriage.
With the children of Karankadu facing so many significant challenges in their young lives, the support of our mission friends and benefactors in the Irish Province is nothing short of life-changing. We wish Fr Regimus and the school team every blessing with the success for their refurbishment work this summer, and we look forward to seeing their progress as they work to provide the chance of a brighter future to young people in rural India.
The school staff at Karankadu, with Fr Regimus in the centre.
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