Jan 18, 2021
Feliz Navidad!
A heart warming token of gratitude from the Community of Ecuador that received funding from your donations that helped form a community building a church and centre in their parish.
Below is a Letter of Appreciation from P. Moacir Msc to our Provincial Superior Fr. Carl Tranter MSC.
“Thank you for having been our angel during this time of pandemic helping Pastoral Social and the Community of Ecuador of the Future.
The youth of Ecuador del Futuro prepared a beautiful novena for the community. Even by zoom and twice in person, it has been a special moment.
Attached is the video they prepared to wish you and your mission team a Merry Christmas.
P. Moacir, MSC.”
SUPPORT MISSION PROJECTS
Dec 22, 2020
These are some of the kadua and sukumwiki that the local women grow to feed their families.
I don’t know how your morning is going, but I spent mine hunting down a jailbreaking duck. Born and raised in Cork City, I’m an absolute novice when it comes to anything to do with rearing animals or growing crops. I’m used to getting my eggs in cartons and my milk in convenient two litre plastic containers from Centra, so life here has presented some exciting new challenges. One thing is certain though, I’m not taking my food for granted any more.
Lorteo Rumbek does its best to make use of the land around the school to provide some of the food it needs for its students and staff. Each year for several months they grow groundnuts, a nutritious local staple. They also keep goats and pigs. In fact, just last week our community grew with the arrival of eight new piglets. And then there are the ducks, the newest members of my flock. Certainly not God’s smartest creation, but clever enough to give me a run for my money. After a quick Google search to confirm you can’t get rabies if they nip you (one was especially enthusiastic for his food two weeks ago), we’re getting on surprisingly well.
The food security that we take for granted at home, is wildly aspirational in South Sudan. Self-sufficiency and resilience are very much part of daily life. Localised fighting, an infrastructure severely damaged by flooding, and insufficient irrigation systems, mean many families live hand to mouth. Whatever meagre crops they grow must be watered long before dawn and late after sunset, to avoid the intense heat of the day. It involves long hours of backbreaking work, but the women who look after their small plots work miracles with the dry, sandy soil. In the villages around the school, Loreto has drilled several wells and set up hand pumps that provide much needed access to water. The people cultivate kadua and sukumawiki, both similar to cabbage, which they use to feed their families or, if they are fortunate enough to have a surplus, sell in the market.
Last night after Mass with the students, we were discussing the miracle of the Nativity and the simplicity of the stable for Jesus’ birth. For us, this experience of abject poverty shows usthe humility of God entering into our world in the form of a small, vulnerable child. However, it was explained to me that this is how children are born here in South Sudan all the time. Each home is made up of a number of tukuls or mud brick huts with grass roofs that house the families and any animals they have, sometimes sharing the same space for added security. This echo of the Nativity reminds me of how close Jesus was to those living at the very margins of society. There is no Christmas shopping here really and even if there was,there wouldn’t be the money to spend on such luxuries. Instead, the focus is on being together, to sharing the little they have, and being grateful for whatever blessings they have received.
While I’m intrigued by people living in such close proximity to their animals, I still haven’t entirely embraced the local way of life. My ducks and I need our own space. In the end it took the best part of twenty minutes for me to shepherd my errant duck back to his coop. It may have been my imagination, but I did get the sense that the rest of his flock welcomed him home with an awed sense of respect for his daring escapades. If I was being absolutely honest with myself, I think he probably deserved it.
After the Sunday Masses, there’s always time to enjoy a coffee and a mandazi, a local South Sudanese cake.
We’re only three days away from Christmas, so from everyone here in Loreto Rumbek, we hope you have a joyful time as you celebrate the birth of our Saviour and a peaceful New Year.
God bless,
Fr. Alan
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Dec 10, 2020
The mud hut behind us is a typical South Sudanese home in the countryside. Most of our students would come from places like these.
“It is coming up to a month since I first stepped off the plane at Rumbek Airport. Since my arrival, it has been a whirlwind of new experiences. The first thing you notice, in fact you can’t miss it, is the heat. I went from winter in Ireland to an average daily temperature of 37C and I was reliably informed that this was the coolest part of the year. I am fascinated that each morning there are people out and about with coats and a few wool hats. They in turn are mystified how I’m surviving sporting shorts and a t-shirt!
I am still settling into life at Loreto Rumbek and it has been a special privilege. It originally began as a school in 2008 under a tree in a scrub field five kilometres outside of the town, that was gifted to the sisters by a local chief. Its purpose was to educate young girls, a challenge in an environment where schooling was almost exclusively restricted to boys. South Sudan is still ranked as the world’s most difficult nation in the world for girls to receive an education, with only three out of a hundred having the opportunity to go to secondary school. Just over half of all girls are married before they are eighteen years old and almost one in five are married before they are fifteen.
When the Loreto Sisters began their work in Rumbek, they were told they were wasting their time. It was obvious to everyone that students wouldn’t come. They came. Then they were told the girls wouldn’t go on to secondary school. They persevered. Then they were told they wouldn’t graduate. Apparently, no one told the girls because they graduated anyway. To stand against the weight of cultural expectations requires a school that sees the very best in each student and a student with a courage of conviction that would be beyond most adults.
Over the last twelve years the project has grown from a few chairs under a tree and now includes a primary school with 1,200 children, a secondary with 300 girls, an agricultural project, and the newly opened primary health care clinic. It hasn’t always been plain sailing and 2020 has been especially difficult. The pandemic has caused widespread disruption around the world and South Sudan is no exception. However, Loreto has had their final classes of primary and secondary school back since autumn because they will still sit state exams in spring. We will need to keep them in our prayers.
Last Saturday we had a small, but significant celebration in the community. Five of the young women finished their two-year intern programme, where they had worked after their graduation in the school and the clinic as support staff. Now they were heading to university in Juba or Nairobi to continue their education, funded by Loreto. It is impossible to overestimate how extraordinary and important this is right now.
Over the years, graduates have gone on to study nursing, computing, teaching, business, logistics, and law. They are the pioneers who will blaze the trail for their younger sisters, making the impossible seem attainable. They are the firm rebuke to the people who say that it is a waste of time and money to educate girls at all. They are the entrepreneurs, the healers, the teachers, the leaders who will build a better South Sudan tomorrow, starting today.”
God bless or Bi Nhialic arrer kek yin as they say here.
Fr. Alan
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Nov 9, 2020
On November 1, 2020, the Philippines was hit by the strongest typhoon recorded this year (Typhoon Rolly). One of the most affected areas was the Bicol Region (south of Luzon). Houses were buried, livelihoods were destroyed and families were displaced. Our Mission Partners in Gunobatan, Albay are now preparing for the Relief Operation Program in evacuation centers that are being set up by the local government.
Meanwhile, the MSC Philippine Province through the MSC Mission Office Phillippines organized a Call for Donations Campaign to send help to our brothers and sisters in the province. They conducted a 15 Day Donation Countdown that started last November 3, 2020 until November 18, 2020. In this way they can gather enough funds for the Mission Outreach for the affected families. According to our Mission Partner, sending the support later would be a great strategy since at this time lots of support are coming from different organizations and institutions. In their experiences before, they really had a hard time sustaining the people in evacuation centers especially during the later part of their stay in the centers. It is in this regard that they would appeal for donations to you and help us gather funds for our brothers and sisters who were greatly affected by Typhoon Rolly. Your support will be a great help to bring back the lives of the affected families in the region.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Oct 2, 2020
It’s been a busy few months for our friends in Rumbeck in South Sudan. The fields are harvested and after 6 months absence, the students and the teachers are returning back from their different places of quarantine.
We have experienced many emotions but overall there has been great joy that we can return to teaching.
While malaria season continues they have been counting their blessings that they haven’t seen the obvious signs of coronavirus, but continue to take extra safe measures and hope and pray that they can prevent it from prevailing. Their delicate infrastructure simply would not be able to cope.
Earlier in the month of September, the Councils of Ministers in South Sudan made a decision concerning the reopening of schools and Loreto Rumbeck has decided to stagger the return of their students by 2 week intervals as a quarantine measure and to enforce social distancing measures.
Also in September “Mary’s meals” assisted the Rumbeck community by distributing food to local schools supported by the Diocese of Rumbek (DOR) through DOR Education. Loreto Primary School is one of the beneficiaries of Mary’s Meals. The distributions consisted of maize, beans, oil, salt, and soap. Since the students were still at home, parents and guardians collected the supplies on behalf of the students. This was done to encourage the pupils to continue their focus on education even while they were at home. Mary’s Meals has supported the Loreto school for many years and this has heavily impacted our high levels of school attendance – especially in the lower primary grades.
Recently an extra room, “a space for healing” was built for counselling at the school. The youths find great benefit in Sr Petra’s counselling sessions and as they were previously been held in the computer lab, it wasn’t ideal as they were being continuously interrupted. This was facilitated by you the donors support and Loreto Rumbeck are extremely grateful.
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are always proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.
HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN
Sep 23, 2020
“The Covid-10 Pandemic has affected each of us around the world in different ways. Some have experienced losing loved ones; hunger, idleness, uncertainty and vulnerability, while others are still in great crisis emotionally, mentally and financially. On the other hand it has united people and this year being the 40th year of Missions in the year of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue and indigenous people in the Philippines despite the pandemic there in a sense of blessing for these celebrations.”
Indeed, Covid-19 pandemic cannot stop the celebrations of Love and life-giving force of the Holy Spirit. The year 2020 is also a great blessing to the MSc Philippines Province and the people entrusted to our care. With deep gratitude and joy, we celebrate our 40th Anniversary as a Province in a unique way. Temporarily forgoing mass celebration due to Covid -19 does not lessen the inspiration it conveys to everyone.
“On March 15, 1980, the MSC Philippines became the 14th Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. This year, March 15, 2020, the MSC Philippines celebrated 40 years of being a Province. The years may seem to have passed quickly but in reality, decade after decade, year after year, the MSC Philippine Province has experienced its own share of challenges, trials and disappointments. But beyond all these challenges, we are one in proclaiming that after 40 years, we MSCs of the Philippines have JOY, GRATITUDE AND COURAGE. Joy, gratitude and courage because, most importantly, it’s due to the faithful, abiding presence and guidance of God who has called us to be Missionaries of His Love in what ever missionary and ministerial undertakings we are in. Joy, gratitude and courage because of the countless people, partners and companions, who have journeyed with us these forty years. MSC Philippines continues to remember with gratefulness our “Mother Province” – MSC Netherlands – to all our Dutch MSC confreres who came to the Philippines from 1908 onwards for their sacrifice and gift of themselves for the people and the Church in the Philippines.
“ONE HEART, NEW SPIRIT “- may these words guide us as we move forward as a Province after the grace of this milestone of 40 years. “One Heart, New Spirit” – united and renewed as MSC Philippine Province in our continuing desire to be like Jesus whose love is our inspiration and driving force as we continue to dedicate our lives to the works of our mission.
We give special mention to our ongoing mission engagement with the communities of indigenous people on this “Year of Ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and Indigenous people”. The MSCs are constantly challenged to respond in dialogue with our indigenous brothers and sisters for their welfare and protection, for their human and cultural rights. Concretely, the MSC is doing indigenous people ministries in our parishes in San Luis, Agusan del Sur and Bangkal, Abukay, Bataan.”
As individuals, our personal contributions may be small, but when united in common cause, we can change the world.
“Our membership statistics on December 31, 1979 show that we started our province with 85 professed members, of whom 16 were still under the initial formation program. The 69 “working members” were – with one exception – all ministering within the Philippines. In our forty years as a province, we were blessed with 184 new members who made their first profession – of course, not all on these stayed with us, for a good number their first profession was also their last, and actually less than 120 reached their final profession. We counted 89 ordinations to the priesthood in our 40 years as province.”
Indeed, our members are our greatest asset for our present and future mission.
“Becoming a Province, feels a bit like reaching the age of maturity, of adulthood, within the large MSC community. It is not so much a matter of new rights and privileges, as a matter of new responsibilities. For more than seventy years (1908-1980) the MSC community in the Philippines was at the receiving end of MSC generosity. Provincehood brought also a greater co-responsibility for a mission in common with the MSC Society all over the world. From mainly receiving, we became a contributing province. We were able to provide the general administration with one general bursar and two general councilors, we opened our novitiate for MSC novices from Korea, India and Vietnam, we took the initiative that led to APIA and hosted – as long as they lasted – its yearly spirituality seminars; and lately we are the host of Cor Vitae and its formation activities.
…while we have also experienced disappointments when missions were less successful as we had hoped it will not stop us from sending more of us abroad. ”
“An even greater grace than all this is that from just receiving missionaries, we have become a community that has actively joined the MSC mission to the world by sending missionaries. In 1985, the Philippine Province sent its first two missionaries to South Korea. They would be followed by two more in 1986 and 1988. It is a story that deserves a more extensive telling, but for this article it should suffice to mention that a mission that the Philippine Province accepted in 1985, found its happy conclusion only thirty-three years later with the elevation of the Korea MSC region to MSC provincehood. While Korea can definitely be considered the crown of our “mission ad extra” experience, we may be equally proud of the missionaries we sent to Japan, the Marshall Islands, Brazil and the Netherlands. And while we have also experienced disappointments, when missions were less “successful” as we had hoped, it will not stop us from sending more of us abroad. From here on, international mission has to remain a constituent part of being Philippine Province. Our next step will be Lebanon and it cannot be the last, for sure.
There are many more blessings to celebrate, graces to be thankful for in our jubilee celebration: new initiatives to spread the spirituality of the heart also outside of our traditional parish context, the growing number of lay people associated with us who joined us in our spirituality, the solid initial formation program that our formators were able to design and implement and all the often unseen and unsung commitment and perseverance of our members assigned in difficult places. ”
Extract from PARTNERS Province V0l 12, ISSUE NO.1
(Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Philippines publication)
Fr. Ad Van Hest, MSC
