by Elisa Feiritear | May 21, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do, work in the community
Heartfelt thanks to all who took part in our recent fundraising event for the children of theâŻHoly Family Care Centre, a care facility for young children run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, with theâŻsupport of the MSC, in Ofcolaco, South Africa. The fundraising event took place at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, after Masses on May 17th and 18th, and raised a current running total of âŹ4,216.87 for the Holy Family community.Â
Our plant and cake sale takes place in aid of the Holy Family team each May, and itâs a much-anticipated event each year for our MSCs, parishioners, and local mission friends alike. This yearâs fundraiser really and truly marked the beginning of summer in earnest, with beautiful blue skies and sunshine providing the perfect backdrop for a relaxed weekend for fun, chat, and delicious treats. Old friends and new acquaintances caught up over teas and coffees, while our beloved alpaca friends made a welcome return thanks to Nora Casey of Macroom â and were once again the stars of the show. Even Fr John, Director of our MSC Missions Office, couldnât resist a visit to say hello to those furry faces!Â
Established in 2002, the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa has been run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with the support of the MSC for over 20 years, under the leadership ofâŻSr Sally Duigan FDNSC. The Holy Family Care Centre is an invaluable facility for young children who are very ill and who, in many cases, have been orphaned or abandoned. These children are primarily HIV positive and are in need of extremely specialised and highly care. With the resources to accommodate 70 children, the Centreâs facilities are stretched to full capacity and beyond on a daily basis; Sr Sally admits that the team at the Centre does its best never to turn a child away, and the Holy Family team currently have 82 children in their care.Â
With many children coming from very troubling backgrounds of violence and abuse, the Holy Family Care Centre is a sanctuary for children in need, and the Centre feels more like a home to one big happy family. However, the availability of funding is an ongoing concern, as the Centre relies on donations and the generosity of benefactors, including our MSC mission friends and the local community, for the upkeep of buildings and equipment, and to be able to continue doing the work that they do â â[giving] our children love, security, and care, in the hope they will thrive,ââŻin the words of Sr Sally.Â
Our annual fundraiser is a wonderful way for our friends and parishioners here in Cork to support our friends across the miles in South Africa, as well as being a thoroughly enjoyable event for all involved! Sincere thanks to everybody who worked so hard to organise such a special weekend, and to all who contributed and took part even in the smallest way. It all contributes to the bigger picture, the global picture, and we are truly grateful for your kindness.Â
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If you can, please support the Holy Family community
by Elisa Feiritear | Apr 20, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do
March was an especially busy and exciting month for our MSC brothers in Mozambique, with two inspiring new chapters beginning on the mission.
Great celebrations were marked in the parish of Santa Marta de MecĂșfi, where Fr JosĂ© Eduardo PaixĂŁo MSC was appointed as new parish priest, with Fr Roney Lima MSC taking the position of new parish vicar. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop AntĂłnio Juliasse, Bishop of the Diocese of Pemba, in a moving and uplifting ceremony where parishioners extended a very warm welcome to Fr JosĂ© and Fr Roney in their new roles.
The Facebook page for our Mozambique mission shared some wonderful photos from the day, telling us that, âDuring the homily, Father Juliasse emphasized the importance of priestly mission and the commitment of new religious leaders to evangelization and strengthening the parish communityâ. These new appointments mark the beginning of a new and hopeful chapter for the parish of Santa Marta de MecĂșfi, strengthening the community and ârenewing hope and enthusiasm for Christian lifeâ.
Shortly afterwards, on March 19th, our Mozambique mission celebrated the Feast of St Joseph by welcoming our new students to the Fr Jules Chevalier Formation House. In a special Facebook post, our Mozambique brothers shared pictures of this blessed occasion:
âThese young people have answered God’s call and pledged to follow him from our charisma. Each of them proclaimed, âHere I am, Lord,â expressing their willingness and desire to do God’s will.
They received the MSC Cross, the Breviary and the Perpetual Service of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
We share this joy with you!â
Joy shared indeed, and we hope you will join us in prayer for all MSCs and the communities they serve on our mission in the Diocese of Pemba. Congratulations to Fr JosĂ© and Fr Roney on their new appointments in the parish of Santa Marta de MecĂșfi, and to the new students in formation â we wish you all every blessing as you embark on your new chapters, individually and collectively on our shared missionary journey. God bless you all!
Images via the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique.
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HELP SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS PROJECTS
by Elisa Feiritear | Apr 15, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do
Our friends at the Holy Family Care Centre in the Limpopo Province of South Africa have been in touch with an update from the centre, where new solar panels have been installed thanks to the support of our mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province. The centre is run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and here, they provide dedicated care for orphans, and sick and vulnerable children, with approximately 75 children in residence at any given time.Â
In our 2024 World Projects Appeal, we asked if you could help to raise âŹ9,900 for the centre to install solar panels. Due to âload sheddingâ, it is an unfortunate fact that the centreâs electricity is frequently cut, and the emergency generator is expensive to run. The solar panels will power the unitâs bore water well and sewerage pumps, ensuring savings on power and the prevention of major system failure with when the electricity cuts out.Â
The solar panels have now been successfully installed, and the community at Holy Family are already reaping the benefits of having a dependable and sustainable source of power for the centre. As ever, we join our voices with our OLSH Sisters in thanking our mission family sincerely for your continued friendship and support, which makes such a great difference to the Holy Family children.Â
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HELP SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS PROJECTS
by Elisa Feiritear | Apr 11, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do
Back to School for ExamsÂ
The Catholic University of South Sudan, Rumbek Campus experienced a good, but challenging semester. For fourteen weeks, lectures were held in a local Catholic secondary school. This return to familiar surroundings was a nostalgic experience for some students, allowing them to reconnect with former teachers and cherished memories. While the hospitality was appreciated, the school’s simple facilities and limited resources presented some challenges. Fitting adult students into the smaller desks required some adjustments, but everyone quickly adapted. Â
Late-Night StudyÂ
The students have done their best to make time to study, not easy in a country where less than 9% of the population has any access to electricity and the sun sets every night by 6:00pm. Up until recently, students would study at home with only the light of the mobile phone to read. We upped our Late-Night Study programme to three evenings a week, allowing students to work until 8:00pm in our library. Initially, only men attended, as in the culture it would be considered inappropriate for women to stay out late; however, over the last few weeks, more and more of our female students have been able to attend. Our University Librarian stayed with them and provided them with support when needed. It has been a real success, and we plan to continue the programme into next semester. Â
Exams in a HeatwaveÂ
Currently, we are dealing with an intense heatwave in South Sudan. For the past two weeks, all schools have been closed by government order, with daily temperatures ranging from 39°C to 42°C. Despite these conditions, we have had to conduct our end-of-semester exams. Even with a schedule pushed to late afternoon, the heat remains a significant factor. The students’ resilience has been truly commendable, as they have not voiced a single complaint! However, all good things come to an end and so too do exams. Tomorrow will be their last day before a two-week break and then we are back into Semester Two.Â
Step-Free Access for AllÂ
As you are probably aware, the source of our displacement is the ongoing renovation of our lecture halls. The work is progressing well, with ceilings already in place. Previously, the hall only had a corrugated metal roof, which made the room into a sauna during hot days, and when it rained you could hear nothing at all. We are only halfway through the project, and already the changes have made a huge difference. Now we are getting ready to install the pipes for the electrical system and plaster the walls. We are also using the opportunity to make the building step-free, getting rid of ramps and raising the floor to allow anyone with physical disabilities to study freely. As a Catholic university it is our goal that anyone who wants to study and has the academic ability should be able to undertake third-level studies.Â
Nhialic ke yin,
Fr. AlanÂ
HELP SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS PROJECTS
Read more from Fr Alanâs missionary journey in South Sudan:Â
by Karen Moloney | Feb 11, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do
OLSH Global Outreach
MSCs from all over the world continue to work in partnership with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH), providing help and support to the poor and vulnerable on our shared mission: âMay the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.âÂ
OLSH outreach in Brazil
The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are active in their ministry in several areas across Brazil, from educating young children to caring for the poor, the hungry, and the elderly. This year, theyâre appealing for our help in funding a number of different projects that will continue to change lives for the better in regions of real and pressing need.
Sr Maria JosĂ© Ferreira writes from Capanema, in the south of Brazil. The local community are currently working together to build a new chapel for the area, which is now almost complete. The community here need a sound system for their new chapel, to benefit their prayer and celebration. âWe have celebrations there already, and we have a childrenâs choir also,â writes Sr Maria JosĂ©. âIt is a dynamic community. I believe this chapel will help many people to grow in faith.â
âŹ2,000 will pay for a sound system in the new chapel, giving the community of Capanema
a place to gather in faith and love.
Sr Maria JosĂ© is also raising funds to provide food parcels for very poor families in the local area of Capanema. âMy apostolate is to visit families around the parish area,â she writes. âI have met many people, and I pray with them. It is so sad to see people living difficult financial times. Some do not have enough to eat. I would like to help them, and I am asking for money to buy them some food bags. I am aware this will not solve all the social problems that I see but it will give them a relief for some months.â
A total of âŹ2,000 will help Sr Maria JosĂ© to provide essential food parcels
for hungry families in the coming months.
The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart run a school in Rio de Janeiro, where the children get great enjoyment and benefit from their study and practise of musical skills. The school has a music classroom dedicated to these studies, and the Sisters here are working to raise funds to buy new instruments for the children and extend their current collection.
âŹ2,000 will help OLSH Sisters in Rio de Janeiro to buy new musical instruments
for the children in their school, empowering and encouraging
them to learn new skills and foster creativity.
OLSH Sisters in Brazil also write of the importance of play in the development of the children in their care at their Rio de Janeiro school. âWe believe children learn a lot when they are playing,â they write. âIt is important to give them toys and objects that can help them to develop skills.â The Sisters have an area dedicated to play in their school, for children aged between 2 and 10 years of age, and they need to purchase new toys and educational games to assist in the childrenâs development.
âŹ2,000 will buy a selection of educational toys and games
to help the children learn and grow through play.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR OLSH SISTERS IN THEIR GLOBAL OUTREACH
OLSH ministry across Africa
The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart have been ministering across two dioceses in Burkina Faso for several years, and are now working to set up ministry in a third diocese, with enthusiastic and motivated young women requesting to join the Congregation. The OLSH Sisters involved in the formation programme for these young women are looking to transfer the Postulate from Zagtouli to Siogo, Tampoussimdi, which is a calm and peaceful place conducive to formation. The Sisters are now working to raise funds to build two new dormitories for the Postulate in a village not far from Ouagadougou, where there is plenty of space for the formation programme, and also scope for gardening and care of livestock in the surrounding fields.
A total of âŹ10,000 will fund two new dormitories for these young women
working together in the love of Christ.
The Holy Family Care Centre is a residential care facility for children located in Ofcolaco, South Africa. Currently home to 75 abandoned and chronically ill children, Holy Family provides a loving, nurturing environment for children with critical medical needs, who have nowhere else to turn. The centre has a nursery which accommodates up to eight babies, plus four dormitories, two dedicated to older boys and girls, and two for boys and girls aged 2 to 10. The younger children, toddlers and preschoolers aged between 2 and 5 years, also sleep here, but are often overwhelmed by sharing the space with the older children in the group. The OLSH Sisters who take care of the crĂšche children feel that they would be better cared for if they had their own smaller space in a dedicated dormitory, which would reduce the noise and overstimulation at bedtime.
The Holy Family team need âŹ20,000 to fund the toddlersâ area,
which will accommodate beds for up to 20 children and two staff members,
with space for winding down and quiet play.
The Jules Chevalier Health Centre was set up in December 2020 in the village of Maka Kahone in Senegal, working with the Ministry of Health to promote accessible healthcare for all, regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity. The centre offers a range of treatments to the people of Maka Kahone and surrounding villages, and its facilities are in great demand, as it is recognised for its high levels of care for patients. The health centre is now working to set up a laboratory with specific equipment, and staffed by trained personnel, in order to best manage the diagnoses of contagious diseases, maternity care, the care of young babies and children, predominant problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure, and further issues.
OLSH Sisters need âŹ12,000 to purchase the necessary equipment for the new laboratory,
including a microscope, a centrifuge, micropipettes, a rotator, and other essential items.
The Jules Chevalier Health Centre in Mbandaka, Congo, has recently been extended, and is in need of new equipment to fill the new facility. Fundraising is underway to meet the centreâs current goals, including purchasing new medical equipment, reducing the maternal and infant mortality rate in Mdandaka and its surrounds, and improving the conditions of care for patients and the working conditions of staff at the centre.
The equipment required includes 10 beds, a consultation table, a medical stepladder,
10 bedside tables, a small surgery box, a delivery box, baby scales,
and other items, at a cost of âŹ10,000.
CAN YOU HELP OUR OLSH SISTERS IN AFRICA?
With ongoing mission projects in education, childcare, agriculture, and healthcare, OLSH ministry is touching and transforming lives across Africa.
âWe are very grateful for all that you are and do for us. On behalf of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, I thank all those who pay special attention to our projects.â
~ Sr Marie-Laure Lankoandé FNDSC, Regional Superior of Burkina Faso
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR OLSH SISTERS IN THEIR GLOBAL OUTREACH
by Karen Moloney | Feb 11, 2025 | News, News & Media, What we do
Empowering students in Cameroon
The MSC Post-Novitiate Programme in Yaoundé, Cameroon, helps and guides young students along the path of their missionary journey. Last year, the generosity of our mission friends and benefactors in the Irish Province provided funding to purchase essential computer equipment for 14 students, and this year, with nine new post-novitiate students joining the programme, Fr Bonaventure is once again appealing for our help.
âThe Catholic University of Central Africa subjects our students to a demanding rhythm of work,â Fr Bonaventure explains. âThey have to do practical work that requires them to use computers, and it really is a necessity that every student must have a laptop of their own.â âAs the number of students has increased this year and the two mediumsized printers we bought are not enough, we also need to buy a largecapacity printer to solve this problem for once and for all.â
CAN YOU HELP OUR MSC STUDENTS IN CAMEROON?
The computer equipment needed for 23 students for the coming academic year
will cost a total of âŹ8,300.
âOur resources are very limited, and every year we are obliged to appeal to the generosity of people
of goodwill who are keen to support the training of our future pastors,â says Fr Bonaventure.
âWe will never cease to thank the Province of Ireland for its many contributions to our community in YaoundĂ©.â
IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC STUDENTS IN CAMEROON
