Oct 17, 2024
September and October were action-packed months in San Agustin, Guatemala, at the MSC-run vocational school Centro Faustino Villanueva!
The month of September brought very special celebrations indeed as students at the school marked the 203rd anniversary of Guatemala’s independence.
“Guatemala is your land, your homeland, cherish it, magnify it, love it, defend it. Make it Happy!,” read a post on the Facebook page for Centro Faustino Villanueva, which was accompanied by these wonderful images of colourful and fun-filled celebrations.
In October, the community at the centre celebrated the joy of youth with Dia del Niño, or Children’s Day. “We celebrate those who, with their infectious laughter, teach us to enjoy the little things,” the centre posted on Facebook.
Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1984, Centro Faustino Villanueva marks its 40th anniversary this year. This vocational centre is dedicated to helping disadvantaged and underprivileged youths, and is located in the extremely remote region of San Agustin, Alta Verapaz, in Guatemala. Situated more than eight hours’ drive from Guatemala City, the school provides a vital service to children and youths living across this very rural area.
With the motto “Open doors to education”, the centre works with over 200 students from impoverished villages and vulnerable family groups in the surrounding area, with a waiting list for places. Youths at the centre can study a range of three career skill sets: business administration, science, and teaching. A recent agricultural programme also works to supplement the food supply for the school community, while teaching the students valuable life skills that they can take back to their own homes and communities to improve the quality of life there.
With blessings and best wishes to Fr Jairo and all at Centro Faustino Villanueva as they continue in their invaluable work for families and communities across Alta Verapaz.
Jul 3, 2024
The month of June saw great celebrations in the MSC Missions Office in Cork, as we marked the outstanding dedication and loyalty of our Missions Office team with long-service awards for six of our staff members.
Fr John Fitzgerald and Fr Joe McGee celebrate the long-service awards of Anne, Patricia, Mary, Fiona, and Ann – not forgetting Maura, who wasn’t able to be with us on the day.
Our Missions Office on the Western Road, Cork, is manned by a small but mighty team of long-serving staff members whose commitment and enthusiasm is second to none, and has only grown stronger throughout the years. Patricia and Ann both celebrated 45 years of working with our MSC Missions, Mary and Fiona each hit the 35-year milestone, and Maura and Anne marked 10 years of service each – a combined total of 180 years!
Irish Provincial Leader Fr Joe McGee and Missions Office Director Fr John Fitzgerald were on hand to lead the celebrations, and to present each of the team with a token of appreciation to commemorate their outstanding contribution throughout the years. We often speak of our extended Sacred Heart family, which is made up of our religious members and lay friends alike; it is only with our combined efforts that we have the power to generate positive change, and it is in unity that we have strength. Our six long-standing ladies have each played an invaluable role during their time to date with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and we would like to thank them sincerely for their hard work, their unwavering reliability, and their positive energy as they keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. We look forward many more years on our shared journey as we work together to bring the love of the Sacred Heart to life across the world.
Sincere congratulations and a heartfelt thank you
to Patricia, Ann, Mary, Fiona, Maura, and Anne!
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Mar 14, 2024
Recent months have seen great activity at Centro Faustino Villanueva, the MSC-run vocational centre located in the rural region of San Agustín, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala. Situated in an extremely remote area more than eight hours’ drive from Guatemala City, the centre was founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1984 to bring opportunities for progression to adults from disadvantaged communities, and it has since grown into a large school for children that come from impoverished backgrounds or vulnerable family circumstances.
The community at the centre saw 2023 out in style with a wonderful graduation ceremony in November, celebrating students who had completed a two-year course in Business Administration.
A beautiful ceremony heralded a new year and new beginnings for students in January, with the Facebook page for Centro Faustino Villanueva sharing a collection of pictures with the caption, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
February brought a celebration of love in all its forms, with two students elected “Romeo and Juliet”, and teachers and staff joining in with the exchange of gifts in appreciation of friendship.
At the end of the month, the Villanueva community marked a special day honouring their country and culture, celebrating their language and showcasing traditional clothing and foods.
With the centre marking 40 years of service in 2024, this very special anniversary year is already off to a flying start! We look forward to seeing more great things from the staff and students at Centro Faustino Villanueva, and, as ever, we keep the community there in our prayers as they continue in their remarkable efforts to create new opportunities for employment and empowerment for young people in need.
Images via the Facebook page for Centro Faustino Villanueva.
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Oct 27, 2022
As the school year comes to a close at the MSC-run Centro Faustino Villanueva in Guatemala, Fr Jairo Uriel Sevilla Mendoza MSC, Director of the centre, writes in gratitude for the support of mission friends here in the Irish Province, which is enabling great progress within the school community.
Founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1984, Centro Faustino Villanueva is a vocational centre that has been dedicated to helping vulnerable and disadvantaged youths in the rural region of San Agustín, Alta Verapaz, and its surrounds, for almost 40 years. Located in an extremely remote area with limited access, the school is situated approximately eight hours’ drive from Guatemala City, and is an invaluable resource for young people who would otherwise be isolated by their locality and the challenges raised by coming from backgrounds of poverty and hardship.
“In the past year, we have been reflecting on our journey here at the Centro Faustino Villanueva, with a view to improving and innovating our work in the training of our young people,” writes Fr Jairo. “We are in the process of finishing the programme for a new agricultural and livestock project, which will help us to take advantage of all the resources the centre has to offer, and to provide training in the areas of agriculture, livestock, and forestry, among others. As we are living in a rural area, this will motivate our students to continue in promising new ventures, developing farms and orchards that will also help to improve diet and nutrition for local families and communities.”
“We are also working towards opening our boarding school again; because of the effects of the COVID pandemic, we have not been able to have a functioning boarding section in recent times,” Fr Jairo continues. “At the end of October, our students will finish the term, followed by a week of training for our teachers. Then, we will have a vacation, and use this time to improve our plans for the new school year.”
“We are so grateful for the support of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, which will be the foundation for this new phase. Together, we place our trust in God that with your ongoing support, we can move forward in our work. God bless you for your generosity; we remain, as always, united in the heart of Christ.”
As one academic year closes and hope springs afresh for the new year to come, we thank our mission friends for making it possible for us to help our MSC brothers to continue to make a great difference in the lives of disadvantaged youths and their families in Guatemala. United in the heart of Christ, we pray that the Lord will bless the Centro Faustino Villanueva community in their ongoing work, and bring every success in these plans for a hopeful new chapter for the school.
Images courtesy of Fr Jairo Uriel Sevilla Mendoza MSC, Director of Centro Faustino Villanueva.
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Oct 13, 2022
This summer, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have been working with the MSC community in southern Haiti, to support them in the construction of houses in the region of Camp-Perrin, where thousands of local families lost their homes in a devastating earthquake which took place in August 2021.
The people of Haiti have met with many challenges of varying severity in recent years, from natural disasters to political instability and a difficult economic climate. In January of 2010, an earthquake killed 300,000 people in Southern Haiti, and was followed just five years later by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. This hurricane ripped through the south-west of the island, caused landslides, floods, and fire. As the country once more did its best to rebuild, in August 2021, another devastating earthquake hit 150km from the Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital, with its epicentre in the city of South St Louis.
A “crucial” time for southern Haiti
In addition, the country has reached crisis point in terms of political unrest. Criminal gangs are a very serious issue, with theft, kidnapping, and murder a constant threat hanging over the population. The further issues brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have added another layer of challenge and significant difficulty to a society that was already struggling severely.
Currently, the people of southern Haiti are attempting to overcome the fallout of the earthquake that took place on August 14th, 2021.
“The great south of Haiti was terribly affected by the earthquake of August 2021,” writes Fr Juan Tomás García MSC. “At the moment, the consequences are crucial.”
Devastation in Camp-Perrin
Camp-Perrin, a mountain settlement, suffered great destruction, with immense damage affecting all aspects of life. The local economy was extremely weak prior to the earthquake, to the point that it could not respond to even 10% of the needs of the local population. This percentage has now fallen further as the economy continues to weaken. The agricultural sector has been almost completely demolished, firstly by the earthquake itself, and now because there is no access to seeds to replant. The landscape was badly damaged by landslides and collapses, especially in the mountains, where many people live. The few roads that did exist have been ruined, in many cases irreparably. Rivers have dried up, and the soil is so malnourished that it no longer has the ability to grow produce successfully.
The people too have suffered seriously in a psychological and emotional sense, especially children. Local water and electricity systems have been destroyed, and have not yet been repaired.
In Camp-Perrin, the figures speak for themselves.
3,200 homes were completely destroyed,
while a further 1,100 houses have serious – in many cases, irreparable – damage.
510 houses have reported minor damage.
Only 290 homes have remained intact in the region.
In addition to the homes that have been lost,
25 Catholic chapels and churches have been destroyed by the earthquake.
MSCs building for the future
MSCs ministering in the region are doing their best to help those who have lost so much in the wake of this terrible natural disaster. The MSC team there are currently in the completion stages of 14 homes in the region, and are working to raise funds to build 20 more anti-seismic, hurricane-proof houses in rural communities.
The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is proud to support the work being carried out by our brothers in Haiti who are working to fund the construction of these houses, which are being built with help from local volunteers and the families who will live in them. For people who have suffered so much in so short a time, these homes will be a lifeline, and a promise of hope for the years to come.
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