It is with joyful and grateful hearts that we thank everyone who took part in our Holy Week and Easter ceremonies and celebrations this year, at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.
Our well- beloved Easter Dawn Mass took place once again this year, with mission friends and parishioners gathering to pray together in the light of the rising sun on Easter Sunday.
Over 7,000 people prayed with us via our live stream over Holy Week and Easter, including viewers from Ireland and the UK, across Europe, America, Canada, and Australia, and far-flung corners of Asia, India, and Africa. On Easter Sunday, over 1,100 people tuned into our live stream to join in with our Easter celebrations, beginning with our Easter Dawn Mass at 6.30am.
“The dawn is the most wonderful feeling in the world.”
Director of the MSC Missions Office, Fr John Fitzgerald, celebrated this year’s Easter Dawn Mass with Fr Seamus Kelly MSC. This beautiful ceremony was a truly uplifting reflection on hope and light, and the dawning of the light, both literally and symbolically, on Easter Sunday morning.
“No matter where we started from this morning, we started in the dark,” said Fr John. “And there was an expectation that the sun would rise again this morning, and it has, it’s getting brighter and brighter here.”
“The dawn is the most wonderful feeling in the world,” he continued.
In a thought-provoking reflection about nature, hope, and the Risen Christ, Fr John explored the idea of the dawn in all its different iterations.
“You know, there’s a verb and there’s a noun, but when something dawns on us – even if it is something that’s wrong – when it dawns on us, there’s a truth in it.”
“This kind of dawning is wonderful for us,” reflected Fr John.
He went on to say, “Every night that comes in nature, whatever way the world turns, or whatever way the world was made, a new dawn comes into our life if we are alive in the world.”
“These dawns, they should be massive things in our world, because we don’t usually see the dawn. We live in a world of artificial light, in a world of artificial news.”
“But the real truth is in the dawn itself, because no matter what we do, no matter how we cover off the windows, the dawn is there, the sun is somewhere in there in the cloud, and the brightness is happening.”
This very special message of Easter hope and light came to us as the sun lit up the sky on Easter Sunday morning, a glorious dawn indeed, bringing the grace and hope of the Risen Christ into our spirits and lighting up the shadows that we all find blighting our worlds at times.
Easter traditions at the Sacred Heart Church
In keeping with tradition, our annual Easter Garden lit up the altar of the Sacred Heart Church, while our outdoor Easter Garden at the MSC House and Missions Office was in full bloom. This garden stands on the Western Road year-round, and visitors are always very welcome to come to pause and pray here. As always, we are sincerely grateful to everyone who took such great care with the construction and maintenance of our Easter Gardens, inside and out, adding such beauty to our Holy Week and Easter ceremonies. The Family Tree of Life Book also took its special place on the altar, in a celebration of the joy, love, unity, and strength to be found in family, as our MSCs prayed especially for all those enrolled in this year’s prayers.
Filled with the hope and gladness of Easter, we welcome the light and brighter days ahead with joyful spirits. With every grace and blessing of the Sacred Heart to our mission friends everywhere, this Easter season and throughout the year ahead.
Click here to watch a recording of our 2026 Easter Dawn Mass.