The MSC Message: Winter 2019

Welcome to the Winter 2019 edition of the MSC Message!

• Read a special seasonal greeting from Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office.

• Catch up with the latest news from the mission fields, with updates from our ongoing projects in Mozambique, Africa, and Venezuela.

• Find out about this year’s MSC pilgrimage to Fatima.

• MSC Cardinal John Ribat speaks out about climate change and the vital importance of awareness and education.

• Read all about Br Giacomo Gelardi’s missionary journey and the path that led him to a vocation with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

Read the MSC Message Winter 2019

2019 Masses for deceased MSCs and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

This year’s annual Masses for deceased MSCs and Daughters of the Lady of the Sacred Heart will take place around the country in November, as we remember those who have gone before us in the light of the Lord.

Masses will take place on the following dates:

Sunday, November 3^rd at 3.00pm:

• Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork
• Woodview House, Mt. Merrion Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin
• Croí Nua, Rosary Lane, Taylors Hill, Galway

Sunday, November 17^th at 2.00pm:

• St Patrick’s Church, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan

We would like to invite you to pray with us during the month of the Holy Souls as we remember the MSCs and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart who worked so hard to ensure that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is known and loved everywhere, and by everyone.

25 young men welcomed to the Postulancy Programme in the Indonesian Province

On August 12th, the Indonesian Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart officially welcomed 25 young men to their Postulancy Programme in a beautiful Eucharistic celebration, held at the MSC Skolastikat Pineleng Chapel in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The Ametur MSC Facebook page shared photos of the event, noting that the homily was celebrated by Fr Hubert Berry MSC, who spoke inspiring words of motivation and encouragement to the young postulants. “Surely, there will be many challenges and struggles,” he said, “but don’t worry – you are not alone.”

“Be confident, and rely on Him,” continued Fr Hubert, “for He will never leave you.”

Last year, Indonesia fell victim to the devastating effects of a series of natural disasters, with over 2.4 million people affected in all.

In late September 2018, an earthquake and tsunami killed almost 2,300 people across the regions of Palu, Sigi, and Donggala. A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 hit the Sulawesi province, which in turn generated a deadly tsunami with waves measuring up to 10 feet high. Just a few days later, in early October, a volcano erupted in North Sulawesi, spewing lava and ash 19,600 feet into the air. Floods, landslides, and mudslides destroyed homes, buildings, vehicles roads, and bridges. Children were separated from their parents and families were torn apart. Over 220,000 people were displaced from their homes, and over 1,300 people were reported missing.

A short time later, in late December, a ruinous tsunami swept along the Sunda Strait, injuring over 14,000 people, and causing further catastrophic damage to homes, businesses, and the local landscape.

MSCs in Indonesia provided emergency response throughout this terrible time, and are continuing their work as they help devastated families as they rebuild their lives and livelihoods following this series of disasters. The official acceptance of 25 young men to this year’s Postulancy Programme is testament to the wonderful work done by the Indonesian Province of the MSC, and we keep these young men and their leaders in our prayers as they embark on this new and exciting journey.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN INDONESIA

Teachers train for Sunday school on our Mozambique mission

The first training session for the coordinators of the local Sunday school for the Mozambique mission took place at the end of June. The training sessions are being held on the island of Ibo, and the Sunday school will cover the wider area of our missionary community, including Meluco and Quissanga.

Launched in March 2018, the Mozambique mission began with MSCs from Brazil ministering in the Pemba diocese. This is an area of extreme poverty and hardship, where up until that point, local families had no access to church infrastructure or pastoral ministry.

Our MSC brothers immediately began working to bring about positive changes for local communities, and the mission has been going from strength to strength over the past year and a half – despite some extremely challenging setbacks.

Earlier this year, two cyclones hit north-eastern Mozambique over the space of six weeks. Hundreds lost their lives, and over 21,000 people were left homeless by the disasters. Homes, crops, and livestock were destroyed by floods and mudslides, while wells were contaminated, leaving the local drinking water unsafe for consumption, with the threat of cholera and malaria a real danger.

Our MSC missionaries have continued to work hand-in-hand with local families in the area, helping them to rebuild their lives in the wake of the catastrophe, and continuing in their original mission to bring God’s gifts of faith, hope, and love to those in real need.

The advent of the new Sunday school will provide a much-needed boost to the communities in the region, and we wish both staff and students the very best of luck on this exciting new adventure!

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN MOZAMBIQUE

Gospel Reflection for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time | September 15th

Gospel Reflection

Reflection & Dialogue: Searching for the lost sheep and the prodigal son today

The Gospel (Luke 15:1-32)
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner.

It was once easy to identify “lost sheep” and have a ministry to them. They were lapsed, or non-practising, Catholics. Certain zealous members of some Catholic organizations might seek them out and attempt to bring them back to the practice of their faith. They might also be visited by preachers during parish missions.

Matters are notably different in our own day. Many Catholics give up the practice of their religion at an early date. Some are just “lapsed” and go no further, remaining believers to a greater or lesser degree. But together with these there is now a growing denial of belief in God, and a tendency to make this denial public, as if such belief were incompatible with a truly human life. And with this goes denial of belief in any afterlife.

This explicit denial can be pronounced among the literati and learned class. It is not new, and has in history tended to accompany high points in physics and literature. We have a good example of it in the biblical Book of Wisdom (2:2-3), composed about 30 B.C., where the ungodly are made to say: “The breath in our nostrils is smoke, and reason is kindled by the beating of our hearts. When it is extinguished, the body will turn to ashes, and the spirit will dissolve like empty air”.

For believers, the loving Father in heaven continues to address his saving message to all these, and it will be for believers to make this message known as befits each occasion. Rejection, real or apparent, of the Church among the young can come about from a variety of causes. With these in mind, it is good to pay attention to surveys done on the attitude of the young towards the Catholic faith. Some of their difficulties arise from an incorrect understanding of certain points of doctrine, such as the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, or in consecrated hosts. The task of bringing the message of God’s loving concern to the many groups in our own day is a daunting one, but not one to despair of, since the chief agent at work will be none other than God, the loving Father and Jesus Christ present in our world in a variety of ways.

Fr Martin McNamara MSC

Celebrating a blessed 2019 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Our 2019 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart took place from Saturday, August 31^st to Sunday, September 8^th, at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.

A number of MSCs celebrated our daily Novena Masses over the nine-day period, including Fr Michael O’Connell, Fr Tom Mulcahy, and Fr Vincent Screene, who recently returned home to Ireland from the Venezuelan mission.

The Sacred Heart Church was beautifully decorated, with a very special feature this year. A wonderful statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart stood on the altar throughout the course of the Novena, which had been carved by the late Fr Jerry O’Riordan MSC, who ministered in South Africa and Indonesia.

It was wonderful to see the familiar faces of old friends return to the Sacred Heart Church every day, and to welcome new acquaintances to our Novena Masses every day. We were also delighted to see over 2,200 people pray with us via the live stream on our website over the nine days of the Novena – a sure sign that our great community of faith is growing all over the world!

The theme of year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was “Mother-Disciple”, with Sr Merle Salazar FDNSC acting as the special guest speaker at each of our daily Masses.

It was with great joy that we welcomed Sr Merle back to the Sacred Heart Church, following her wonderful reception as leader of the Sacred Heart Novena in 2018. With a fascinating history and varied career path to date, Sr Merle is a firm favourite with parishioners in Cork and beyond.

Born, raised, and educated in the Philippines, Sr Merle was a certified public accountant prior to her decision to join religious life with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1995. As a young religious sister, she taught accountancy, did treasury work in a parish school, and coordinated a nutrition program in the remote village of Cebu, located in central Philippines. She also obtained a Masters degree in Religious Studies, and following her final profession, she has ministered in Formation and Leadership. She has also taught Marian Theology and Scripture at three theology schools in Manila, and is currently the First Councillor to the General, residing in Rome.

Sr Merle was welcomed with open arms once again this year, and we thank her, and everybody who contributed to this year’s celebrations, in person or online, for taking part in another successful, prayerful, and blessed Novena.

A new MSC College Formation House & Profession Day in the Philippines

At the end of July, the Philippine Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart unveiled their newly renovated MSC house in Surigao City, which now takes the form of the new MSC College Formation House.

The launch of the new MSC Formation House also saw the formal acceptance of seven new formands to the college formation programme.

At the Eucharistic celebration, Fr Cabrera, the Provincial Superior of the Philippines, addressed the new formands as they embarked upon this new and exciting stage of their missionary journey. “You are MSC formands because we hope that you imbibe the MSC Spirituality and charism in your initial formation years,” he said, encouraging and motivating the seven new formands for the journey ahead.

The following week also saw great excitement for the Philippine Province, as their Profession Day was held on August 6^th, the Feast of Our Lord’s Transfiguration. Two novices, Frt Franz Kim Pelare and Frt Diomuel Carpenteros, made their first profession of vows, while five confreres made their perpetual profession: Frt Ace Yu, Frt Julieto Amaneo, Jr., Frt Ronie Botona, Frt Chris John Awa, and Frt Michael Angelo Dacalos. In addition, three MSCs, Frt Janray, Bro Florris, and Frt Jyrnell, renewed their religious vows at the ceremony.

It was a wonderful day for all involved – and as the Facebook page for the MSC Scholasticate Community in the Philippines noted, “If their sweet smiles imply anything, it might just be, in the words of Fr Provincial, that they did it in joy, in freedom, and in love.”

Our prayers are with each of these men in our MSC family, on the different stages of the missionary journey.

Keep up to date with the MSC Missions Office Philippines on Facebook.

Visit the new website for the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines.

A “blessed” visit to Mitepo, Mozambique

We were very pleased to see these wonderful photographs from our MSC mission in Mozambique, when the community of Our Lady of Fatima paid a visit to the village of Mitepo at the end of July.

It was especially nice to see so many children and young people join the gathering, where they “animated the celebration” with their joyful presence.

This was a “very meaningful and blessed morning” for our missionary community, said the MSC Mozambique Facebook page. The visit ended with a special lunch – which, in Mitepo, is referred to as “a glass of water”.

The Mozambique mission began almost a year and a half ago, in March 2018, when MSC missionaries from Brazil began ministering in the Pemba diocese. This is an extremely poor part of the country, which was sadly lacking in any church infrastructure and functioning pastoral ministry. Here, our MSC brothers began the construction of a community house from which they could undertake their ministry and parish outreach, and they immediately began working to bring positive change to the district.

Just a year after the mission began, in March and April 2019, two cyclones hit north-eastern Mozambique over the space of six weeks, killing hundreds and rendering over 21,000 people homeless. Floods and mudslides destroyed homes, crops, and livestock, with no means of recovery. Many houses in the area were built of mud, bamboo, and wood, and so they didn’t stand a chance against the tremendous force of nature that struck them. “We have lost everything,” said one survivor. “Our house and most of our belongings were taken by the wind and the waves.”

MSC missionaries had already been working to rebuild struggling communities in the area before the cyclones hit, and in the wake of these disasters, they have been continuing to help devastated families to restore the shattered pieces of their lives.

We are sending every blessing to our MSC brothers and the communities they serve in Mozambique, from all in the Irish Province.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN MOZAMBIQUE

A visit from Sr Jenny Christie FDNSC

We were delighted to welcome Sr Jenny Christie FDNSC to Cork this August, as she kindly took the time to visit the MSC Missions Office during her trip to Ireland. Sr Jenny originally hails from Australia, and now resides in Rome in her role as International Development Officer for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH).

An invaluable branch of our Sacred Heart family tree, we have been very glad of the opportunity to work with our OLSH Sisters over the past year, with particular attention to the projects that Sr Jenny highlighted in our 2019 World Projects Appeal. The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart do truly wonderful work on a global scale, from education projects in the Philippines, South Africa, Venezuela, Brazil, and South Sudan, to the provision of emergency aid to the survivors of domestic abuse in Kiribati. The OLSH Sisters also founded the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa, where they currently care for 70 children who have been abandoned, abused, or are suffering the effects of serious illness such as HIV/AIDS and TB.

Sr Jenny has been professed for over 29 years, and has held a number of varied ministries in that time, including teacher, educational administrator, and Provincial Councillor. She has completed Masters degrees in Education and Theological Studies, and now works tirelessly to make a difference where it is most needed in her role as International Development Officer for the OLSH.

The support of our mission friends here in the Irish Province has been a tremendous help to the OLSH Sisters around the world. “The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart would like to thank you most sincerely for the support of your prayers and interest, and for any donations to our mission areas,” says Sr Jenny. “Indeed, support such as yours help make our work possible, and for this we thank you and assure you of our continued prayers for you.”

 

It was wonderful to have Sr Jenny pay us a visit in person, and we look forward to working closely with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on their ongoing projects around the world.

PLEASE SUPPORT OLSH GLOBAL OUTREACH

Gospel Reflection for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time | August 18th

Gospel Reflection

I am not here to bring peace, but rather division.
Reflection & Dialogue: The Church in dialogue with division.

The Gospel (Luke 12:49-53)

Reflection

Today’s readings give us rich material for reflection. We, present-day Christians, are heirs to a great cloud of witnesses. From the very beginnings of the Church’s history, the followers of Christ experienced persecution of one kind or another. Early in his ministry, we find Paul and his fellow missioner Barnabas encouraging new converts and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). In the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews read today, strong stress is laid on perseverance. The same messages holds true for our own day.

Dialogue

What Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading on the connection between his person and division, even the absence of peace, provides us with a strong invitation for dialogue. Christ is the Prince of Peace who has made a strong plea for unity. All are well aware of his words that he is the good shepherd and that there were other sheep that were not of his fold, sheep that will heed his voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:14-16). These words are often cited. But this does not permit us to forget the divisions connected with the person of Jesus by reason of the demands he makes and the mystery that is his person, continued in the Church which is his body. And indeed, already after his statement about himself as good shepherd, the Gospel text goes on to say that there was again a division among the Jews because of these words. Jesus came to the world and the world did not know him; he came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. In the early Church there was division between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. Division continued between Christians over the centuries, the major division in the West coming with the Reformation, and remaining with us today.

The examples we have considered concern divisions among Christian believers. The divisions today between Christ and what he stands for and much of contemporary society run far deeper, between the Christian vision and that of atheism, humanism, liberalism and other movements. For believers, Christ is the saviour of the world, and the Christian vision of personal and public morality covers many aspects of human behaviour. These other ideologies mentioned also have a vision of life and human society which they believe should be governed without any reference to, or influence from, the voice of God or of Jesus. The Church and believers must, as far as possible, engage in dialogue with the new reality.

It is a question of dialogue, not criticism. Both Christ, the Church and humanism have a rather absolute vision of the world, the human person, and matters relating to them. In the view of philosophical humanism faith is an impediment to human development. For Christ himself and his followers, Christ is the Saviour of the world. This dialogue implies that the arguments of humanism be examined and responded to by the Christian position. Believers should not be afraid of such dialogue. In a sense, fidelity to Christ and the Christian inheritance indicates it.

Fr Martin McNamara MSC

Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2019

Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2019

Our annual Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart is a beautiful time of reflection and thanksgiving, when we bring our prayers and petitions before Our Lady.

Our Novena of Masses runs for nine days and will take place from Saturday, August 31st to Sunday, September 8th.

All are welcome to join in the Novena by watching our daily Masses live from the Sacred Heart Church in Cork. These Novena Masses will take place daily at 10.00am and 8.00pm.

Be part of this year’s Novena to the Sacred Heart

At this special time of year, you can help us to help others by supporting our ongoing mission projects, and in gratitude for your contribution, we will be glad to remember your intentions at our daily Novena Masses. You can then submit your personal prayers and intentions online, and our MSC priests will remember your petitions specially throughout the course of the Novena.

The theme of year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will be “Mother-Disciple”, and it will be led at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, by Sr Merle Salazar FDNSC.

Sr Merle was born, raised and educated in the Philippines. Prior to her joining religious life with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1995, she was a certified public accountant. As a young religious sister, she taught accountancy, did treasury work in a parish school, and coordinated a nutrition program in the remote village of Cebu, located in central Philippines.

She also obtained a Masters degree in Religious Studies, majoring in Scripture. Following her final profession, she has ministered in Formation and Leadership. She has also taught Marian Theology and Scripture at three theology schools in Manila.

In 2011, at the General Chapter of her congregation, she was elected onto the General Council, and was re-elected at the 2014 Chapter. She is currently the First Councillor to the General and resides in Rome. We are delighted to welcome Sr Merle to Ireland, and especially to pray with us during our Novena at the Sacred Heart Church in Cork.

OLSH Novena at the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork

Daily Novena Masses: 10.00am & 8.00pm

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Tuesday, September 3rd
Sacrament of Anointing: Thursday, September 5th at 10.00am & 8.00pm
Special Mass of Healing: Thursday, September 5th at 3.00pm
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Thursday, September 5th at 10.00am – 2.00pm

All are welcome to attend. Tea and coffee will be served in the Sacred Heart Centre following all sessions (except Sunday morning). You are very welcome to come along and relax, meet new friends, and renew old acquaintances.

We welcome each and every one of you to this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. We hope and pray that these nine days of prayer will be a grace-filled and blessed time for all of us.

TAKE PART IN OUR 2019 OLSH NOVENA

The first MSC community retreat takes place on the Mozambique mission

In July, the MSC community in Mozambique celebrated their first retreat together, with the community of Our Lady of Fatima in Meluco.

The Mozambique mission began in March 2018, when MSC missionaries from Brazil began ministering in the Pemba diocese, an extremely poor part of the country with no church infrastructure or functioning pastoral ministry. Here, they initiated construction of a community house from which they could undertake their ministry and parish outreach, and they immediately began working to bring positive change to the district.

A year after the mission began, in March and April 2019, two cyclones hit north-eastern Mozambique over the space of six weeks, killing hundreds and rendering over 21,000 people homeless. With many houses in the area built of mud, bamboo, and wood, floods and mudslides destroyed homes, crops, and livestock, with no means of recovery. “We have lost everything,” said one survivor. “Our house and most of our belongings were taken by the wind and the waves.”

MSC missionaries had already been working to rebuild struggling communities in the area, and in the wake of these disasters, they have been helping devastated families to restore the shattered pieces of their lives.

July’s retreat was a wonderful opportunity for the MSC community and their parishioners in Meluco and beyond to join together in prayer, reflection, and unity. The MSC Mozambique Facebook page posted about the experience, saying that it was a special “moment to withdraw and pray, deepening our experience of God”.

With blessings and best wishes to our MSC brothers and the communities they serve in Mozambique – may this be the first of many powerful and positive retreats for you all.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN MOZAMBIQUE