An international celebration: Bishop Fintan Gavin travels from Cork to Italy to ordain Fr Giacomo Gelardi MSC

Warmest congratulations to Fr Giacomo Gelardi MSC, who was ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, November 19^th, 2022. The ordination ceremony was led by Bishop Fintan Gavin of Cork and Ross, who travelled to Italy for the great occasion, with the Mass taking place in Fr Giacomo’s home town of Urbino, Italy, at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, a new beautiful church which was consecrated in September of last year.

Bishop Fintan concelebrated the ordination Mass with local Archbishop Mgr Giovanni Tanni, along with local diocesan clergy and members of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the General Administration in Rome. Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter and Formator Fr Joe McGee were accompanied by MSCs Fr Michael O’Connell, Fr Tom Mulcahy, Fr John Finn, and Fr Con O’Connell, while MSC brothers Domenico Rosa and Jaime Rosique, who originally completed their novitiate programme with Giacomo in Myross Wood, West Cork, also travelled to Urbino to serve at the ordination ceremony as Deacons.

A host of friends travelled from Dublin and York to be with Fr Giacomo at this special time, along with Fr Pat Fogarty and parishioners from the parish of Carrigaline, Co. Cork, where Giacomo served as a Deacon in recent years. Everybody involved was delighted to join the celebrations with Fr Giacomo, his mother, Francesca, his father, Michele, his brother Luca and sister Maria, plus extended family members, friends, and parishioners.

“This was a beautiful celebration, presided by Bishop Fintan in Italian,” writes Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Fr Giacomo and blessings on his priestly ministry as he commences a life of missionary service as an MSC.”

On the morning following his ordination, Fr Giacomo celebrated his first Mass at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart on the Feast of Christ the King. He will now return to Cork for the Christmas season, and will prepare to travel to the MSC Province of the Pacific Islands in January. Here, Fr Giacomo will embark upon a period of mission in Fiji, where he will work in our MSC parish in Suva, and at the Chevalier Training Centre, our trade school in Namosi.

     

We join our voices and prayers with Fr Carl’s in congratulating the newly ordained Fr Giacomo Gelardi MSC, with every blessing as he begins this new chapter as a Missionary of the Sacred Heart.

Please click here to watch a recording of Fr Giacomo’s ordination ceremony
at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart.
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Working together for the community: Blessing the MSC Typhoon Odette Housing Project in the Philippines

At the end of May, the MSC community of Bayagnan Island in Surigao City came together to give their blessing to the new homes constructed by the MSC Typhoon Odette Housing Project, and to pray for the families who will live in them.

Hundreds of thousands of families were displaced from their homes last December, when Typhoon Odette hit the Philippines to devastating effect. The strongest storm of the year, the super-typhoon killed hundreds, injured many more, and laid waste to hundreds of thousands of homes, many of which were completely destroyed.

In March, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Philippines began distribution of housing materials to five districts across Bayagnan Island, and with true community spirit, everyone involved contributed to making the project a great success. The materials provided have allowed for the repair and construction of safe, secure residences for over 330 households who had been left homeless by the typhoon.

The end of May saw MSCs from the Surigao District, together with Msgr. Edito Alcala DCS, lead a beautiful blessing ceremony for all of the families involved in the housing project.

“This housing project was established to help the families who were greatly devastated by Typhoon Odette in 2021,” read a placard mounted at the blessing ceremony. “It is made possible through the support of MSC mission partners, friends, and Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) all over the world.”

Earlier in the year, Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC received a letter from Fr Richie Gomez MSC, community leader at the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Philippines, with deep gratitude for the support of our mission friends in the Irish Province at a time of real and urgent need. “I would like to thank you for your untiring support to the Philippine Province,” he wrote. “We are your extended arms, feet, mind, and heart in reaching the poor, and now with our typhoon survivors.”

Following weeks and months of grief and suffering, and an enormous struggle to rebuild lives that had been shattered by the effects of the typhoon, it is a true blessing to see the hope, joy, and spirit of togetherness and unity that shone through on this special day. We offer up our prayers with those of our MSC brothers in the Philippines, and we wish every blessing of the Sacred Heart upon them, and upon all of the families beginning a fresh new chapter in their new homes.

Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc.

Please click here to watch a video of the blessing of the MSC Typhoon Odette Housing Project,
via the MSC Mission Office Facebook page.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MINISTRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Congratulations to Miguel Ibarra and Yordy Blanco: Celebrations for the MSC Missionary Community of Venezuela

The beginning of 2022 has brought great joy for the MSC community in the Venezuelan Region, with Miguel Ibarra MSC renewing his vows on Saturday, January 29^th, and Yordy Blanco MSC making his First Profession on Wednesday, February 2^nd.

Vow renewal of Miguel Ibarra MSC

Miguel Ibarra MSC, a member of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Missionary Community of Venezuela, made his First Profession in February 2021 and renewed his temporary vows in Caracas on January 29^th, 2022. Due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the celebration was a small, private one, attended by some family members, but nonetheless special for it. A beautiful Mass was celebrated by Fr Tom O’Brien MSC and Fr John Jennings MSC, while Miguel’s vows were received by Fr Yonys Mendoza MSC.

After spending some time at home with his family, Miguel is due to return shortly to São Paulo, Brazil, to continue his theology studies in the MSC Scholasticate.

First Profession of Yordy Blanco MSC

Miguel will soon be joined at the MSC Scholasticate in São Paulo by Yordy Blanco, a fellow member of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Missionary Community of Venezuela, who took his First Profession vows in Brazil on Wednesday, February 2^nd (the Feast of the Presentation and the 2022 World Day of Consecrated Life). Yordy completed his noviciate year in Itajubá in Brazil, and made his First Profession alongside his fellow novices, Diego Zambrano, Guicherme Bernal, Mateus Borodiak, Pedro Henrique, and Valmir Silva. These six young men are members of the Provinces of Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba and Sao Paulo, the Section of Ecuador, and the Missionary Community of Venezuela.  The Mass was presided by Fr Humberto Henriques MSC, Assistant General, and the vows were received by the Provincials of the three Brazilian Provinces. (If you would like to watch the full First Profession ceremony, please click here.)

“We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Yordy and wish him and all his fellow novices a beautiful celebration,” wrote Irish Provincial Leader Fr Carl Tranter MSC, ahead of the profession ceremony. “May their lives as MSCs be filled with joy and fulfilment. Congratulations also to the MSC community in Venezuela as they welcome Yordy to their small but powerful group of missionaries.”

“I extend our special thanks to the São Paulo Province for welcoming Yordy into their common Brazilian Noviciate,” continued Fr Carl, “and especially to Fr Getulio Saggin MSC, Novice Master, for his kind, gentle and close accompaniment of the novices throughout the year.”

We add our prayers to Fr Carl’s as we wish both Yordy and Miguel every blessing for the next step of their missionary journeys ahead.

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“React, respond, and rescue”: The MSC Centre for the Poor responds to Typhoon Odette

Fr Richie Gomez MSC, community leader at the MSC Centre for the Poor, located in Butuan, updates us on the current situation in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette, which struck on December 16th, 2021. In a letter to Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC, Fr Richie writes of the deep gratitude of the Filipino MSC community for the support of our mission friends in the Irish Province. “I would like to thank you for your untiring support to the Philippine Province,” he writes. “We are your extended arms, feet, mind, and heart in reaching the poor, and now with our typhoon survivors.”

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart – Social Initiative and Collaborative Action Project (MSC-SICAP) is a group of missionary volunteers “with a charismatic heart,” working as a dedicated disaster response and management team under the umbrella of the MSC Centre of the Poor and led by Fr Richie, the centre’s director.

In response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Odette, Fr Richie has gathered a group of community-based volunteers, including doctors, engineers, teachers, business people, artists, students, and many more. “When it made landfall, winds of up to 210 km per hour were uprooting coconut trees, ripping down electricity poles, and hurling slabs of corrugated tin and wood through the air,” reports the MSC-SICAP group. This group initiated an immediate active response to provide a basic relief kit of necessities including food, water, medicine, and hygiene products, to victims from both the mainland and islands of Surigao. “The group aims to amalgamate passionate and compassionate volunteers in the region, whose hearts are dedicated and committed in the service of humanitarian movements,” writes Fr Richie.

MSC Strategic Disaster Response Plan

The MSC-SICAP group, working with the MSC Centre for the Poor, have developed a strategic disaster response plan, detailing three recovery stages:

Stage 1: Bangon-Igsoon (In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon)

This stage has focused on answering the immediate and urgent needs of survivors, with the distribution of essentials such as food, water, medical aid, and clothes. All of these necessities have been issued directly to victims of the typhoon at designated distribution points, with a target reach of 10,000 households.

Stage 1 also includes the installation of water filtration stations in Siargao Island, which is currently suffering from a dangerous cholera outbreak. These water filtration stations cost 100,000 Philippine pesos, an equivalent of approximately €1,700.

Stage 2: Bahay-Buhay (Approximately one month after the typhoon)

Stage 2 involves helping to build simple houses for families who cannot afford to repair or rebuild homes that have been destroyed by the storm. The target goal is to build 500 houses, benefitting people from the communities of Siargao, Nonoc, Bayagnan, Dinagat, Loreto, and the Islands.

Stage 3: Heal-Surigao (Taking time to heal the island)

During Stage 3, MSCs around the islands will pray with local communities for cleansing and renewal of the land. This stage will also incorporate the arts as a vehicle for healing children and the wider community, through music, dance, storytelling, and more. Through the creative process, it is hoped that children and their families will be able to better process the impact of the typhoon and look with renewed hope towards the future.

“Faith based, love driven.”

The motto for the response plan is “Faith based, love driven”, as MSCs throughout affected areas work together with local communities to rebuild a ravaged land. The MSC-SICAP group are working to “react, respond, and rescue” the victims of natural disasters such as Typhoon Odette, providing fundamental needs, from the physical to the spiritual, and bringing the light of hope into the hearts of survivors.

As they continue in the implementation of their response plan, the MSC-SICAP group write of the impact of Typhoon Odette, and the power of faith and unity in the hope of renewal:

“‘Expect the unexpected’ – a classic line that could somehow happen to anybody at any moment in any place, just like the typhoon, Odette, that wrecked Surigao. It was once a haven of nature’s bounty, with exciting hullabaloo coming from different nationalities. Now, nothing but silence! December 16^th 2021 was an unforgettable traumatic moment for every Surigaonon and tourists in the area, along with other areas where the typhoon made landfall. It was a nightmare…

Strong winds of 165 km/h near the centre, with gusts of up to 205 km/h and central pressure of 950 hPa, swept away houses, buildings, trees, and street posts, leaving the entire place destroyed. The roaring storm sounded horrid, bouncing back into each corner, frightening the children, the elders, and the weak, a miserable experience of anxiety and fear. The unthinkable orchestration of chaos, fear, hunger, and hopelessness has savaged and saddened our Surigaonon brethren.

Emotionally, the circumstances have been intensified because it was near Christmas season when the typhoon hit – supposedly a season of merry making and thanksgiving, to celebrate the most awaited Simbang Gabi, but this year, it turned out differently. Many have suffered and been broken, dreams have been shattered, smiles have been torn, and hearts have been wounded. That echoing feeling of devastation resonates in the whole island of Mindanao and to the heart of the world.

They need our HELP! They need our PRAYERS! They need US!

We, the Missionary of the Sacred Heart- Social Initiative and Collaborative Action Project (MSC-SICAP) volunteers, have initiated a massive calamity response from the very start, beginning with providing basic needs to over 5,000 families in several parts of Surigao. The operation runs under our own strategic organising and management system to accelerate the distribution of relief goods with the help of our partners. Hundreds of volunteers convene 24/7 at the district house of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Butuan City, and together we are working hand-in-hand to address the urgent necessities continuously.

Fr Richie Gomez is the captain of the project and keeps our vessel afloat amidst exhaustion and sleepless nights, for the sake of the wailing sacred land of Surigao that seeks our comfort. We will stand right beside them until they will rise back.

For us, this is an awakening journey and a profound reminder of what our hearts are made of – compassion and kindness. Together, we will rebuild the hopes and dreams of our fellow Surigaonons’ brothers and sisters, and with the provisions of God’s divine grace we shall rejoice back the victory of our loving and united place, Caraga.”

MSC relief outreach continues in the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Odette

As relief efforts continue in the Philippines following the devastating impact of Typhoon Odette in December 2021, MSC Mission response programmes are ongoing.

On January 11^th, the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines reported that relief outreach to date has been far-reaching, with 3,791 relief packs, 575 sacks of rice, and 730 gallons of water distributed since the typhoon hit in mid-December, killing over 400 and rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

The Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines shared a collection of photographs of the relief distribution programme based in Guilutongan Island, Cordova, which is one of the most affected communities in Cebu. These images give just some indication of the sheer scale of the damage done by Typhoon Odette as it tore through the country, leaving close to 600,000 people without homes.

Writing from an evacuation centre on Christmas Eve, community leader Fr Richie Gomez MSC told Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC how grateful he was for the “overwhelming support” that our Filipino MSC brothers have received from the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We ask that your continue to keep our MSC brothers and the people of the Philippines in your prayers as they continue to navigate this landscape of loss and destruction.

Images via the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. Facebook page.
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Christmas in an evacuation centre: MSCs providing typhoon relief aid in the Philippines

MSCs in the Philippines have been working throughout the Christmas season to bring emergency aid to survivors of Typhoon Odette, which hit the country with devastating consequences on December 16^th, 2021.

Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, was the largest storm of 2021, with 6.2 million people affected in ten regions across the country. 580,000 people were displaced by the storm, and the death toll, as of December 30^th, was at 397, with many more injuries. Over 712,000 homes have been badly damaged or destroyed by the storm, while an estimated 80,000 hectares of crops and agricultural land have been ravaged by powerful winds and torrential rain.

Our MSC Centre for the Poor, located in Butuan, has been carrying out relief efforts over the Christmas period. Headed by community leader Fr Richie Gomez MSC, the volunteer team have been working to bring vital emergency aid to families and communities in the south of the country.

As of December 30^th, it was reported that some 580,000 people had been displaced by the storm, with 356,000 people dependent on the services of evacuation centres, while a further 227,000 were staying with family or friends. Writing from an evacuation centre on Christmas Eve, where he and a group of volunteers were handing out meals to the indigenous Badjao community, who had been “washed out” of their homes on the shoreline, Fr Richie told Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC how grateful he was for the “overwhelming support” that our Filipino MSC brothers have received from the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

“It is quite emotional, on my part, celebrating Christmas Eve in evacuation centres, when Jesus became the bread of life, the Emmanuel, for all of us,” wrote Fr Richie.

“I thank God for this great privilege… He has used me on a Christmas Eve to feed hundreds of evacuees with mushroom burgers made by our scholars at the Centre for the Poor.”

“Thank you for your overwhelming support!”

Our MSC brothers and Sacred Heart sisters are working tirelessly to provide essential support to the survivors of the typhoon as clean-up operations continue. We ask that you please keep our Sacred Heart family, and the communities they serve, in your prayers at this time of great need.

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Typhoon Odette hits the Philippines

Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, hit the Philippines on December 16^th, and has proved to be the largest storm of the year to date. Over 300,000 people were evacuated from their homes in anticipation of the typhoon, with 10,000 villages predicated to lie in its path.

Homes, businesses, farms, and livelihoods have been torn to shreds by powerful rain, and winds reaching up to 260 kph/160 mph, with gusts of up to 300 kph/185 mph. While millions have been affected, the full extent of the damage caused by Typhoon Odette is not yet known, as many lines of communication are still down and the immediate focus is on rescuing and caring for those in urgent need. As of Monday, December 20^th, the national police service announced that at least 375 people had been killed, with 500 more injured and 56 missing. Trees and buildings have fallen, many areas are badly flooded, roofs have been ripped from houses, and survivors are in urgent need of food and clean drinking water.

“Please keep the MSC, FDNSC (Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart), MSC Sisters, and all of the people of the Philippines in your prayers,” wrote Fr Carl Tranter MSC, Irish Provincial Superior.

“The central and southern parts of the country have been badly hit by the very powerful typhoon Odette, which has caused massive destruction.

We are aware of significant damage across our parishes and the schools/clinics of our sisters on Mactan island and Cebu in the central Philippines, and in Surigao and Agusan in the south.

We stand in solidarity with our Chevalier family in the Philippines and with all the Filipino people.”

As opportunities for communication are minimal in the wake of the storm, we have yet to understand the full impact of the typhoon on our extended Sacred Heart family in the Philippines. The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have sent emergency funds to assist in the immediate aftermath of the storm, as MSC and FDNSC communities undertake the initial clean-up and search and rescue operations. We will continue to provide help as it is needed in the new year, and we ask that you please remember our Sacred Heart family in the Philippines in your prayers in the coming weeks, as they pick up the pieces of lives and livelihoods that have been demolished by this mighty force of nature.

A day of celebration: Congratulations to Giacomo Gelardi MSC on his ordination to the Diaconate

Wednesday, December 8^th marked a day of double celebrations for the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and for our extended MSC family around the world, as we celebrated the ordination of Giacomo Gelardi MSC to the Diaconate on the 167^th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Having made his Perpetual Profession to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in September of this year, Giacomo was ordained to the Diaconate by Bishop Fintan Gavin, at the Church of Our Lady and St John in Carrigaline, Co. Cork, on the morning of December 8^th, 2021. In the immediate wake of Storm Barra, which had put Co. Cork on a red alert status just the day before, Bishop Fintan Gavin began the ceremony by thanking everyone who had travelled to celebrate this very special day with Giacomo, despite all the challenges the weather had thrown in the way.

“I feel particularly honoured to be here today ordaining Giacomo,” said Bishop Fintan. “My own connection to the MSCs goes back to the mid-90s, with Fr Pat Duffy and Jim McCormack, when I worked with them in Killinarden. I was always made to feel part of the community, very much welcome. I came to know Giacomo while teaching in Maynooth, and then, through the Italian Chaplaincy in Dublin, where Giacomo not only participated, but he worked with me on the Confirmation programme and the preparation for marriage over one of the years. Today we pray that the Holy Spirit will be with Giacomo, giving him strength and comfort, and that the spirit will accompany him in his witness and service as a Deacon, on his path to priestly ordination.”

“Giacomo, today we celebrate another very significant moment on your journey to saying yes to God’s plan for your life,” continued Bishop Fintan. “This is a journey that began in your own home with the faith shared by your family and your family community in Urbino; a journey that would take you to World Youth Day in Cologne, that would deepen and mature over the years, through time spent in Verona and York, and discerning eventually a particular call to missionary religious life with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, which led to your final profession. Today, we celebrate a further deepening of that ‘yes’, as you respond to the invitation to become a Deacon in the Church.”

Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC also added his own congratulations to Giacomo on his ordination. “For us Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, this is our foundation day,” he reflected. “It’s a very special feast day for us, and no better or more fitting day to celebrate your ordination to the Diaconate, Giacomo, so we’re particularly delighted. I know all who are gather here today, and all that are joining us over the internet, are with you in spirit, and wholeheartedly congratulate you and wish you well. We wish you well for your ministry of service as Deacon, a ministry that will continue for the rest of your life. Your Diaconate may be transitional, but the ministry to which you’ve been ordained today is a ministry for life; and so our prayers, our support, our love, and our accompaniment are with you for the rest of your journey, for the rest of your life.”

“Today, we are here to celebrate with Giacomo,” Fr Carl continued. “We are here to share his day of joy, but Giacomo, over the days, months, and years ahead, we will continue to be with you, to pray for you, to journey with you and to support you with all of our hearts.”

We join Bishop Fintan and Fr Carl in sending our heartfelt congratulations to the newly ordained Deacon Giacomo Gelardi MSC, and our prayers and blessings are with him as he continues on the path of his missionary journey.

Click here to watch the ordination to the Diaconate of Giacomo Gelardi MSC.

2021 Christmas Blessing from Fr Michael

Please note that the MSC Missions Office will be closed over the Christmas period,
from 4.00pm on December 23rd to 9.00am on January 4th.
With warm wishes to our mission friends everywhere for a happy, healthy, and safe Christmas season.

Dear Friends,

Christmas greetings to you and your loved ones! While we have all endured another year of uncertainty, it is a great blessing to be able to look to the festive season and the coming year with hopeful hearts.

This will be a particularly special Christmas for me, as it will be the last that I celebrate as Director of the MSC Missions Office. As such, this is the last time that I will have the opportunity to send you my Christmas wishes as Director, ahead of Fr John Fitzgerald MSC taking over the role in the new year. The ending of one year and the beginning of the next strikes me as an especially fitting time for change, and it is with fondest regards that I thank you for your friendship throughout the years. It has been a gift beyond measure, and I’m sure that you will welcome Fr John with the same generosity and kindness that I have been so privileged to receive in my time as Director.

Over the past two years, our ongoing mission projects have come under tremendous strain as a result of the challenges introduced by the pandemic, and our missionaries are working tirelessly to combat the effects of COVID-19 in areas where even basic resources like clean water are sorely lacking, while also maintaining ongoing ministry in the provision of education, healthcare, and community support in vulnerable and disadvantaged regions. With each year that passes, we are trying to do more with less, and the past two years have proved particularly challenging, in ways that none of us could have imagined. Thanks to you, our dear mission friends, we can continue to face those challenges head-on; your support provides a real and vital lifeline to countless families who would otherwise be without hope. Together, we are a powerful and wonderful force, a force that can continue to combat the fear, sorrow, and anxiety that plagues our world in current times.

Christmas can be a difficult time for many, and that has, of course, been exacerbated by the pandemic in its second year. Whether you are fortunate enough to be surrounded by the warmth of family this festive season, or whether you may be struggling with your own personal challenges, please know that you are in my prayers this Christmas, and in the prayers of our MSCs everywhere.

As we approach a new year and a new chapter for the MSC Missions Office, my prayers are with you and those you hold dear. May the light of the Lord’s love shine in your heart and in your home this Christmas season, and guide your path throughout the new year and always. May you be blessed with the spirit of Advent, and may God grant you and your loved ones a peaceful, prayerful Christmas and a safe, happy, and healthy New Year.

Wishing you and yours a happy and holy Christmas,

Fr Michael O’Connell MSC

Please click here to read letters from Fr Michael, Fr John, and Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC, as we begin a new chapter for the MSC Missions Office in 2022.

A new beginning for the MSC Missions Office

As it is written in Ecclesiastes,
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1-2)
– and with the dawn of the new year comes a new season for the MSC Missions Office.

The Irish Provincial Leadership Team has announced that Fr Michael O’Connell MSC will be stepping down from the position of Director of the MSC Missions Office in the new year, with Fr John Fitzgerald MSC taking over the role in early 2022.

“I am writing today to share the news that, after 22 years as Director of the MSC Missions Office, Fr Michael O’Connell MSC will be standing down from this post in the new year,” writes Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC.

“I am glad to be able to tell you that Fr John Fitzgerald MSC will be stepping into the role of Director,” Fr Carl continues. “Having worked in close proximity with the Missions Office for many years now, I know that Fr John will bring with him many gifts and will be a wonderful addition to the team there.”

As we look ahead to the new year, Fr John is already working closely with Fr Michael and the team at the MSC Missions Office in order to make sure that this new chapter will herald a bright new era for our missionary work in the Irish Province and beyond.

“Thank you for your prayers, for your friendship, for your kindness, for your generosity, and for your continued support of our missionaries as they carry out their great work across the world,” writes Fr Michael, in a message to our mission friends. “Your support has been a real gift to me, and as we navigate our new paths, I know that your kindness and generosity of spirit will extend to Fr John in my stead. As I prepare to take my leave, rest assured that you will remain in my heart and my prayers as Fr John and I work together to make sure that this new season will be a peaceful, prayerful, and positive one for all.”

Fr John echoes these sentiments as he says, “At the moment, Fr Michael is journeying with me, and thanks to his dedication, he leaves a rich legacy; our missionary work continues, however, and I have every confidence in your support for the future. You are a marvellous community of mission friends and your generosity is a true reflection of the love of the Heart of Christ. I too, like Fr Michael, pray that this new season will be peaceful, prayerful, and positive for all.”

With heartfelt thanks to Fr Michael for his tremendous contribution over the past two decades,
we also extend a warm welcome to Fr John as he takes up his new role.

United in faith, we will continue to work together to shine the light of God’s love
where it is needed most.

Please click to read the full letters from Fr Carl, Fr Michael, and Fr John.

Congratulations to Br Giacomo Gelardi MSC on his Perpetual Profession

On September 8^th, 2021, Br Giacomo Gelardi MSC made his Perpetual Profession to the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart at the Sacred Heart Church, Killinarden – a truly great occasion for the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and for the Sacred Heart family all over the world.

Irish Provincial Leader, Fr Carl Tranter MSC, spoke of “great joy for the Irish Province, and indeed, for the entire congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart” on the occasion of Br Giacomo’s Final Profession.

“Heartfelt congratulations to Giacomo on the occasion of his Final Profession in Killinarden on the afternoon of September 8th.

We had a really lovely celebration, warmly hosted by the parish and local community with a reception afterwards in the parish primary school.

Giacomo’s mother, Francesca, his sister, Maria and his brother Luca, had been able to travel from Italy for the celebration. Twelve MSCs also joined Giacomo for the occasion.

Thank you for your ‘yes’, Giacomo; to the call of the Lord on your heart, and to this little Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart and its mission.  We are proud to count you as a brother among brothers and continue to hold you in our prayers for the next step of your journey.”

Fr Con O’Connell MSC, one of the Vocations Directors for the Irish Province, also writes of the “great celebration” that comes with Br Giacomo’s profession:

“It was with great joy that the Chevalier Family yesterday celebrated the final vows of Br Giacomo Gelardi MSC. He is now a full member of the Irish Province of the MSC.

Originally from Urbino in north-eastern Italy, Giacomo worked for many years in the pharmaceutical industry. It was in his mid-thirties while living and working in England that he felt called to religious life and priesthood.

Br Giacomo has completed most of his training so far at our formation house in Dundrum, except for his novitiate year, which he did in Myross Wood in Leap, West Cork. It was there that he took his first vows.

Over the last few years, Giacomo has spent a lot of time in our parish of Killinarden, West Tallaght, Dublin, so it was appropriate that it was in Sacred Heart Church, Killinarden, that he made his final profession of vows. He did this in the presence of some of his fellow MSCs, family, friends and local parish members.

After the church celebration he and all his guests were treated to a fabulous reception laid on by the parish. While numbers had to be restricted due to COVID-19, guidelines it was a great celebration.

Br Giacomo’s journey continues as he moves on to our community in Western Road, Cork. Do keep Giacomo in your prayers as he prepares for Diaconate and then Priesthood. Thank God for his generosity in devoting himself to religious life within the MSCs.”

We join Fr Carl and Fr Con in sending our heartfelt congratulations to Br Giacomo, and we wish him every blessing as he continues on the path of his missionary journey.

Click here to watch Br Giacomo’s Perpetual Profession ceremony.
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A special space for the community of Ecuador del Futuro

The MSC community in Ecuador del Sur have recently written with gratitude for funding received from the Irish Province, in support of the construction of a new multi-purpose church and community room for the parish.

In a video sent to Irish Provincial Leader Fr Carl Tranter MSC by the people of the parish of St Francis of Assisi, located in the neighbourhood of Ecuador del Futuro, the community introduce themselves: “We are a group of neighbours and friends who have been working for several years, motivated by our dream of having and building our church, to praise God and to listen and share his word.”

The community recently required assistance in completing the first floor of the church and community centre, and with the help of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, our brothers and friends in Ecuador del Futuro were able to make great strides towards completing the necessary work over the past few months.

Coming a long way together

“The work has come a long way with your help,” writes Fr Moacir Goulart de Figueredo MSC, parish priest in the community of San Francisco de Asís, or St Francis of Assisi. “With the resources sent by the Irish Province, and some financial and material donations by the community, we have managed to finish the walls, install windows and glass, put in doors outside and in the bathrooms, begin construction leading to the second floor, complete work in the kitchen, finish the living room floor, and set up electricity, gas, and drinking water.”

“We still have a little left to finish on the first floor,” continues Fr Moacir. “We need bathroom dividers, plus internal kitchen doors and windows. We are going to use further donations for this and we are starting work on it now.”

“The pandemic caused the work to slow down,” he explains. “There was a lack of materials and so we had to wait. It also made it very difficult to manage our community work and it prevented fundraising events.”

St Francis Grotto

One of the main focal points of the centre is the San Francisco Grotto (or St Francis Grotto) window, with a special space underneath for people to visit for personal prayer. This space is dedicated to highlighting the principles of Laudato si’, Pope Francis’ encyclical devoted to the care of our common home.

“We are very happy,” writes Fr Moacir. “We have achieved what was most urgent, and the first floor is now fully operational. We are waiting for an end to the pandemic and the state of emergency so we can continue the work we have begun.”

Fr Moacir has been in contact with the project office for the archdiocese with regard to continuing work in developing the second floor, and has submitted a request for further support in the hope of being able to resume development in July. “If God allows, in July we want to receive the resources to continue the second floor, where we will locate the chapel,” he explains. “We have not received positive responses from other foundations in Ecuador, as many resources are directed to food and medicine because of the pandemic.”

“Thank God, you always remember the poor!”

“We have not yet opened the church and community centre officially, but we are already using it for Masses, catechesis, parent and child meetings, youth groups, altar server training, and music courses. Already, we hear people saying, ‘This is a miracle of St Francis of Assisi!’, ‘We are no longer on the street!’, ‘It is already our special space!’, and ‘Thank God, you always remember the poor!’.”

As they continue in their efforts to raise funds for the second floor of the church and community centre, the people of San Francisco de Asís remind us that “Life is good when you are happy, but life is so much better when others are happy because of you.” “Our plan is to carry out this dream for God,” they explain. “A hug from afar. May God bless you and protect you. You are always in our prayers.”

“The place is beautiful and the people are happy,” concludes Fr Moacir. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity. Blessed be God who has given you this generous heart.”

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