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
May 18, 2022
Welcome to the Summer 2022 edition of the MSC Message!
• Read a special greeting from Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office.
• Find out more about the visit of our MSC Superior General, Fr Absalón Alvarado MSC, to the Irish Province.
• Catch up on the latest news from the mission fields, including updates from our MSC brothers in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique, and our OLSH Sisters in Brazil and Papua New Guinea.
• Read more about the latest updates from our global COVID-19 relief ministry, with a report from the Pacific Islands.
• Discover the ways in which our MSC community in the Philippines is helping survivors of Typhoon Odette.
• Fr Alan Neville MSC writes from South Sudan, where he is currently ministering with the Loreto team in Rumbek.
• Read all about recent celebrations in the Venezuelan Region, where two members of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have marked milestone steps on their missionary journeys.
Read the Summer 2022 edition of the MSC Message
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May 5, 2022
The community at the MSC Centre for the Poor, located in Butuan, in the Philippines, continues in its ongoing ministry to help survivors of Typhoon Odette, which struck in December of last year and left hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes.
As well as working towards the repair and construction of new houses for families whose homes were left badly damaged or destroyed by the typhoon, MSCs in the Philippines are also working on the provision of a rainwater filtration system for affected communities, to ensure a safe supply of water for drinking. “The Centre for the Poor Cooperative designed a water filtration machine that processes or treats rainwater for safe consumption,” reports Fr Richie Gomez MSC, community leader at the MSC Centre for the Poor.
“The Potable Water System Programme was established as one of the most important components to consider in our developing farms,” continues Fr Richie. “After the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette, which devastated Surigao City and caused further damage in Butuan City, people were distressed because there was no food or water. The Centre for the Poor in Butuan were able to supply potable water because of its water filtration facility and MSC-CEPAGCO (MSC Centre for the Poor Agricultural Cooperative) was able to supply food because of its farm.”
“As we continue to reflect on the ordeal of the most vulnerable people, the Centre for the Poor has established the Potable Rainwater Filtration System Programme,” Fr Richie says. “We plan to set up water filtration centres in strategic places to ensure a clean water source for communities in need through rainwater collection.”
One water filtration unit costs 100,000 Philippine pesos – just over €1,800 – and will provide an invaluable supply of clean, safe drinking water for people who have found themselves in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. In addition, each unit provides an ongoing, renewable supply, as it takes rainwater at the source and renders it safe for consumption.
As relief efforts continue in the rebuilding of communities and society in the wake of Typhoon Odette, Fr Richie and his team persevere in their endeavours to help those most in need, in keeping with the ethos of the MSC-CEPAGCO and thus “bound by the spirit of generosity and resilience [as we work] towards a healthy, sustainable, and empowered society.”
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MINISTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Mar 16, 2022
The beginning of Lent was cause for great prayer and occasion in Metuge, Mozambique, where our MSCs celebrated with communities of the St Anthony of Metuge parish, in the Sede, São Paulo, Santa Terezinha, and São Tiago regions.
Masses and prayers took place across the parish – with unexpected challenges arising along the way, in the midst of the rainy season. Our MSCs encountered two separate incidents of trucks stuck in the river as they travelled to and from one of the Santa Terezinha communities, one on the way there and one on the return journey. They were able to help in the recovery of the first, but the muddy riverbed and powerful waters won the battle on the second. “This is how it is,” reads a post on the MSC Mozambique Facebook page. “This is our mission in this rainy season.”
The MSC Mozambique Facebook page also shared pictures of Mass in the region of São Tiago, where the community is made up almost entirely of people who have been displaced by war, violence, and unrest. In the face of such troubles, and now more than ever in such tumultuous times around our world, our faith is a refuge and a comfort, and these Masses marking the beginning of the Lenten season were very special occasions of hope and unity for all involved.
Now in its fourth year, the MSC Mozambique mission has celebrated with local communities in times of joy, and has walked with them and helped them rebuild in the wake of natural disasters. Please keep our MSC community and the families they serve in Mozambique in your prayers this Lenten season.
Images via the MSC Mozambique Facebook page.
PLEASE HELP US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MOZAMBIQUE
