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The MSC Message: Winter 2024

Welcome to the Winter 2024 edition of the MSC Message!

• Read a seasonal greeting from Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, Director of the MSC Missions Office.

• Find out more about MSC efforts to protect our earth with the ongoing ecobricks project in the Philippines.

• Join us as we celebrate 150 years of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

• Read all about this summer’s Camino adventure as our MSC pilgrims walked the Camino Inglés, raising over €20,000 for the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa.

• Catch up with the latest news from the Chevalier Training Centre in Fiji.

• Fr Alan Neville MSC writes from South Sudan, with an update from the Catholic University in Rumbek.

• Learn more about Fr Frank T. Natale’s story as he shares how he came to be an MSC in the US Province.

• Catch up on news of our recent Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Read the Winter 2024 edition of the MSC Message
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2024 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 into God’s loving embrace.

Annual Masses for deceased MSCs and Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart will take place in the following locations on Sunday, November 3rd at 3.00pm:

Mass will also be celebrated on Sunday, November 10th at 2.00pm in St Patrick’s Church, Ballybay, Co. Monaghan.

For those who are unable to attend, the Mass from the Sacred Heart Church, Western Road, Cork, will be live streamed on the internet to allow you to participate. You can access this Mass on a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone by going to www.mscmissions.ie and clicking on the Live Stream link at the top of the page.

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 dedicated their lives to the Spirituality of the Heart, and who worked so hard to ensure that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is known and loved everywhere, and by everyone.
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A rich and fruitful time of prayer and celebration in Mozambique

It has been a wonderfully full year so far on our MSC mission project in Mozambique, with their Facebook page sharing regular photos and stories to keep us updated on all the latest news.

March brought the opening of the Fr Jules Chevalier Training Centre, which, says the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique, “will host the first young Mozambicans who sought the charisma and mission of the Chevalier Family”. May God bless those who study and pray here, and lead them in their vocations.

In April, Fr José Eduardo Paixão MSC opened and blessed a new church in the community of Santo Augustine de Manono, in the parish of St Antonio de Metuge. It was a very special occasion indeed as the community celebrated their new place of worship, while Fr José also led Sunday school for parishioners, reflecting on the fact that parents are leaders in faith for their children, guiding them on their spiritual journey.

July saw a magnificent celebration of St Isabel, patroness known as an “angel of goodness and peace”. MSCs Fr José Eduardo Paixão and Fr Roney Lima were joined by Fr Armindo Baltazar for the occasion, who led the community in prayer, reflection, and thanksgiving on this great day.

In August, Fr Roney Lima MSC was joined by Fr Edigar, Missionary of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Our Lady of Salette, to celebrate the Holy Mass at the parish of Our Lady of Carmo de Mieze in the Diocese of Pemba. The Mass was followed by a truly inspiring workshop dedicated to local youths, where prayer and reflection combined with dance, music, poetry, and fun! Three local parishes took part: the parish of Our Lady of Carmo de Mieze, St Charles Lwanga Parish of Mahate, and the parish of St Antonio de Metuge. “Every young person present left with joy and full of learning,” posted the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique.

Finally, September has brought another celebration in faith as Fr José Eduardo and Fr Rony joined the community of St Augustine, in the parish of St Antonio de Metuge, to mark the day of their patron saint.

Our MSC mission in Mozambique marked its sixth anniversary in March of this year, having originally been established in 2018 in the Diocese of Pemba, a very poor part of Mozambique. The need here continues to be great, and the mission is continuously adapting to serve the many and changing needs of the vulnerable and displaced, from emergency response to natural disasters, to the brutal impact of violence and political unrest. In a volatile climate, our MSC community is always working to adapt and respond to the demands of the social climate and the prevailing needs of the local communities and parishioners.

The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has an enduring relationship with our Mozambique mission, with the friendship and support of our mission friends and benefactors here at home touching the lives of thousands in the district of Pemba. Thanks to the friendship and compassion of our extended mission family here at home, we have been able to bring about positive change to disadvantaged communities made up of thousands of people across the diocese. Civil war in the region has brought about huge hardship, with hundreds of thousands of people displaced from their homes and their lives since 2017, and many others killed or reported missing. In recent years, we have been working alongside Fr José to raise funds to support those in real and urgent need, helping to provide essential aid and brighter prospects in a region where hope is in short supply.

In spite of ongoing troubles, and with the mission facing constant challenges, the inestimable spirit of hope, perseverance, and unity prevails at the heart of our Mozambique mission. The enduring power of faith and community shines through in these marvellous pictures, and we ask that you please join us in keeping our friends and brothers in Mozambique in your prayers as we continue to work together to provide hope, brighter prospects, and a better quality of life for those in real need.

Images via the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique, with credit to Abudo Manara.
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A jubilee year: Celebrating 150 years of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

The end of August marked a very special day for our extended Sacred Heart family, as the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart marked their 150th anniversary on August 30th.

Established in 1874, this year marked a jubilee celebration for our OLSH Sisters, and we are delighted to share photos of just some of the wonderful celebrations that took place around the globe to mark the occasion.

In a heartfelt post, the Facebook page for the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Australia wrote:

“On this day, August 30th, 1874, 150 years ago, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart were founded. Today, we celebrate this 150th Jubilee with hearts filled with thanksgiving for the last 150 years. We give thanks to those pioneer Sisters who, filled with the vision of Fr. Jules Chevalier MSC and the inspiration of Mother Marie Louise Hartzer FDNSC, went across the world, ministering and working alongside the poor and the vulnerable, establishing schools, hospitals, working on mission, and in recent years, working for justice, the rights of refugees, climate action, advocating for those whom society has placed on the margins, and much more! As we celebrate this special day, we are filled with the fire of God’s love to continue our mission with renewed vision so that we can continue to be ‘On earth the Heart of God.’

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – Pray for us!”

The Australian OLSH community went on to highlight their continued commitment to their mission in a beautiful promise “to share God’s boundless love with everyone – no exceptions and no exclusions.”

Some marvellous photos of the celebrations were also shared from the Philippines and the Province of the Pacific Islands.

From the Facebook page for the MSC Scholasticate Community – Philippines:

From the Facebook page for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart – Province of the Pacific Islands:

We join our hearts, our voices, and our prayers with our OLSH Sisters as they mark this jubilee celebration, as we give thanks for the past 150 years, and look forward to continuing on our shared journey, making the spirituality of the heart known wherever and whenever it is needed most. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved!

From the Facebook page for MSC Vocations – Australian Province:

Healing, mercy, and forgiveness: Our 2024 MSC Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Our sincere and heartfelt thanks to all who participated in our 2024 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, which took place from Saturday, August 31st to Sunday, September 8th at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork.

It was a wonderful thing to welcome friends and parishioners to the Sacred Heart Church for this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart – we were delighted to see familiar faces and of course to welcome new friends. In addition, almost 10,000 people joined us in prayer via our live stream over the course of the nine days, reminding us of the tremendous spirit of our extended Sacred Heart family, at home and across the world, and reinforcing that remarkable sense of community and connection that comes with being part of our great family of faith, wherever we may be. Our Novena is always a very special time of the year, a time dedicated to prayer and reflection before we come into the darker days of late Autumn and Winter, and it is with grateful hearts that we came together once again to celebrate the sacred tradition of prayer to our Blessed Mother, placing the “intentions of our hearts” on the altar each day, as Fr Con Doherty reminded us.

Fr John Finn opened our 2024 Novena, taking us through the first three days of prayer, including a special Day of Reconciliation on Day 3. We were then honoured to have three very special guest speakers join us for Days 4, 5, and 6; Margaret Griffin, Miriam Dunne, Christine O’Hara, and Ann Keating all provided us with great food for thought as they gave us a glimpse into their own personal journeys of faith, and shared the joy and solace their have found in their different relationships with Our Lady. Irish Provincial Leader Fr Joe McGee journeyed down from Dublin to lead us in the final three days of the Novena, with a beautiful Day of Healing on Day 7. Fr John Fitzgerald, Fr Con Doherty, and Fr Tom Mulcahy were among several other MSCs who joined us throughout the nine days of prayer and thanksgiving.

Each of our speakers provided us with great pause for thought in their daily reflections, and in our closing Mass, Fr Joe McGee reminded us of “the importance of simply taking time with each other and time with those we love,” reminding us that God loves each one of us, individually and personally. “God looks on this congregation and he doesn’t just see a group of people,” he reflected. “God sees each one of us individually, he sees each one of us and whatever it is that’s troubling us; whatever it is, either physically or spiritually, that makes us deaf or prevents us from speaking out. He sees and intimately unites himself with us and listens to our prayers, and that, for us, is what spirituality of the heart is all about, that God personally knows each one of us by name. In these last eight days, we have united ourselves with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, who herself is intimately united with the heart of her son, and she too absorbs that personal concern for each one of us, and she then prayers for us to her son and presents our prayers to his father and our father.”

“There’s a real promise to you and to me that gives us the assurance that during this Novena our loving God, our father, through Jesus his son, by the intercession of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, will personally hear the prayers of each one of us, will personally take a real interest in our needs or the needs we bring for other people, in whatever it is that troubles us, and he will respond – maybe not instantly, maybe not in the way we would like, but if we just take time to attune ourselves to the spirit, we will come to know that God is indeed hearing our prayers.”

Fr John Fitzgerald, Director of the MSC Missions Office, also took the time to thank all who participated in the Novena for the generous contributions that are already making a real and valuable difference to people in urgent need around the world. For example, Fr Joe McGee recently returned from a visit to our Venezuelan mission, where our MSCs are running soup kitchens that are providing many families with the only nourishment they will have on a daily basis. Returning from his trip, Fr Joe explained how we need to do more to help the families and communities out there, but with funds running low, it is an uphill challenge. The donations received from the Novena have been an invaluable boost to our missions around the world, says Fr John: “Thanks so much, from the bottom of our hearts, because today we are celebrating the love of God for everybody and there’s absolutely, absolutely no question – because of the help that yourselves have given, there are people eating meals today and tomorrow in different places because of you.”

Each year, the MSC Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart offers a great sense of peace and comfort to all who take part, as we bring our personal intentions before the merciful heart of our Holy Mother. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who took part in what was a truly blessed occasion this year, and for your ongoing friendship and support throughout the year. God bless you all.

If you would like to watch this year’s Novena Masses,
please click here to view recordings of all nine days.
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Fr Alan in South Sudan: A New Chapter

A New Academic Year

It’s all go as usual in the Catholic University of South Sudan, Rumbek Campus. As we are approaching the end of one year, we are already in full swing getting organised for the next. The University is small but growing, and we are committed to seeing it flourish. Earlier this month, we launched a promotion programme for our new intake. We arranged a series of Facebook ads, printed flyers, put posters up around town, made Church announcements, and hosted two radio talk shows with our students.

Without a doubt, our students are our best adverts and promotors. Many of our new applicants have come through their personal recommendation. Their collaboration is essential and invaluable. However, we are faced with two significant challenges right now. The first is that the basic educational attainment level remains low. There is still a great deal of investment needed in primary and secondary education. According to the UN, South Sudan has the lowest expected school attendance in the world at just 5.6 years on average. This is why the work of the University in training professional, qualified teachers is so imperative. In addition, there has been significant inflation since the beginning of the year, reaching 320% since January. This means that finding money for University fees is especially difficult. To this end, we have worked to make them as low as possible and continue to offer a partial scholarship to women. For many, it is still not enough.

Fostering Body and Mind

It is not enough to just educate our students, we also need to attend to their complete wellbeing. Here, that means addressing issues like Hepatitis B. Seventy percent of all new global infections of viral hepatitis B and C occur in sub-Saharan Africa due to insufficient interventions, and the rate in South Sudan is a real problem. Hepatitis mortality remains high due to low treatment coverage. To this end, we have been working with the Mary Ward Primary Health Care Centre to test and vaccinate all of our students and staff who wish to take part. Those who are found to be Hep. B carriers are referred onwards for further treatment. Three out of four students and staff have already received their first dose, with second due later this month, and the third in September.

Get that Job!

As mentioned already, the South Sudanese economy is struggling and opportunities for employment are few and far between. Any time there is a job posting, the response is immediate and overwhelming, with many not even being shortlisted, let alone interviewed! To support our students, we arranged a workshop on interview technique with a member of Caritas, one of the largest organisations working in South Sudan. He worked with them on the essentials of best practice, good preparation, effective communication, and strong presentation. The attendance by students was enthusiastic, with standing room only for late comers. If given half the chance, they have the drive and creativity to really shape and change the economy and their community for the better. Such sustainable economic development by South Sudanese themselves is at the heart of our vision for the University.

Full House

This week our end-of-year exams began and will continue until the end of the month. Around the campus, student study groups are running as they prepare for tests in managerial accounting, African literature, computer literacy, entrepreneurship and innovation, economics, and ethics. All our first and second years sat my Church history exam yesterday and the stack of their uncorrected scripts are staring at me balefully from across the office. It’s perhaps the only aspect of lecturing I do not enjoy… to put it mildly!

While the exams continue, we are also welcoming our new first-year students. They will begin their bridging course tomorrow, which is comprised of eight weeks of intensive maths and English to help them as they start their third-level studies. All going well, they will be ready to begin their first courses by the middle of October.

Nhialic ke yin (God bless you as they say here),
Fr Alan
Director,
CUSS Rumbek

Read more from Fr Alan’s missionary journey in South Sudan:

A busy summer at the Chevalier Training Centre, Fiji

It has been a productive summer so far at the Chevalier Training Centre in Wainadoi, Fiji, with various workshops and renovations keeping the CTC team busy.

Established by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the Chevalier Training Centre opened its doors in 1992 with the aim of bringing practical skills and a useful education to underprivileged young men between the ages of 16 and 21. Every year, the centre welcomes up to 75 young men from disadvantaged backgrounds, improving their chances of employment and enabling them to make a valuable contribution to their communities and societies.

“Our mission is to help these young men to face life with confidence and dignity,” says the CTC community. “Our priority is to assist those who have the least hope.”

Many students at the centre would not have had the opportunity for a comprehensive education, for several reasons including poverty and challenging family backgrounds, while others are struggling with unemployment while lacking the necessary skill sets to find work. As such, CTC students learn important life skills such as time management and financial management, while also taking on a curriculum of subjects including cabinet making, carpentry, welding and fabrication, motor mechanics, farm management, and animal husbandry.

The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has a long-standing friendship with the community at the Chevalier Training Centre, with our mission friends and benefactors here helping to raise funds for the centre most recently in our 2022 and 2023 World Projects Appeals. The students themselves also generate income for the centre, through local carpentry and construction jobs, selling their farm produce, and an annual bazaar where goods created during school workshops are sold.

The Facebook page for the Chevalier Training Centre has been keeping us up to date with the latest happenings at the school, with July proving particularly productive for staff and students alike. At the beginning of the month, CTC students attended a talk focusing on the dangers of drug abuse, eradicating sexual violence, and the importance of mental wellness. The talk took place at the Holy Spirit Parish, and was facilitated by members of the police force and the Ministry of Health. The CTC Facebook page shared a picture of participants on the day, with the motto “Be Responsible, make the right choice, stay away from drugs”.

July also saw the completion of renovations to the carpentry workshop at the Chevalier Training Centre. The workshop itself has been refurbished, and equipped with new tools for lessons.

“We are forever grateful to APTC Country Manager and their Operation Team whom are in partnership with our Institution,” reads a post on the CTC Facebook page. “They have refurbished our Carpentry Workshop. Today we witnessed the handingover ceremony and they also equipped the newly refurbished workshop with basic relevant tools. These opportunities have immensely contributed to our needs to education and skills development especially in the TVET section.”

Congratulations and well done to all involved with the latest achievements at the Chevalier Training Centre, and we look forward to hearing about further successes and community achievements in the coming months.

Images via the Facebook page for the Chevalier Training Centre.
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Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2024

Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 2024

MSC Missions, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, OLSH Novena, Sacred Heart Church Cork, Sacred Heart Church Western Road, Sacred Heart Parish Cork, Sacrament of Reconciliation, Sacrament of Anointing, Mass of Healing, missionary work, prayer of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, prayer to Our Lady

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 this year’s Novena Masses, which will take place daily at 10.00am and 8.00pm at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork. Daily Novena Masses will also be available to watch live from the Sacred Heart Church, as we welcome those who cannot be with us in person.

Céad míle fáilte! The Sacred Heart Parish welcomes each and every one of our mission friends and parishioners, from near and far, to pray with us during this year’s Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

 

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 centre on “The ultimate and effective remedy for broken hearts and a world unhinged.”/“Who am I that the Mother of my Lord should visit me?” (Lk 1:43). Our Novena Masses will be celebrated by our MSC priests and guest speakers over the nine days.

Each year, the Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart offers great solace and comfort to all who take part, as we bring our prayers and personal intentions before our Holy Mother. As we navigate the ongoing challenges of our troubled world, we come together in the spirit of hope, reflection, and thanksgiving at this sacred time. All are very welcome to join us, in person and online, for our Novena Masses as we come together to reflect and give thanks in the grace and love of Our Lady.

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

Daily Novena Masses:
10.00am & 8.00pm

Saturday, August 31st
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Finn MSC
“Woman behold thy son, son behold thy Mother.”
“He listens to our prayers… Let us live like You in the Love of our Son!”
Adoration & Confession: After 10.00am Mass until 1.00pm

Sunday, September 1st
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr John Finn MSC
“Lead all to the source of Living Water that flows from His heart.”
Adoration & Confession: 5.00pm – 8.00pm

Monday, September 2nd
Day of Reconciliation
Reconciliation Services celebrated by
Fr John Finn MSC
“Mary refuge of sinners, and the afflicted,
hope of the hopeless and cause of our joy.”
Confession: After 10am Mass until 12 noon

Tuesday, September 3rd
Guest speaker:
Margaret Griffin
Mary’s Flame of Love –
A call to be an Apostle of the Universal remedy of all our ills.
“Receive this flame of love, add your own and pass it on.”
Adoration & Confession: 5.00pm – 8.00pm

Wednesday, September 4th
Guest speaker:
Christine O’Hara
“Joining forces – hearts united – the Rosary Prayer.
This proven ‘X’ Factor never fails in our struggles
to overcome additions, depression, and anxiety.”

Thursday, September 5th
Guest speaker:
Ann Keating
To Jesus through Mary!
Mary – Star of the new Evangelisation.
Come to me in the Blessed Sacrament and be empowered
to go “make disciples of all Nations,
Baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit,
teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.
Lo – I Am with you always until the end of time!”

Friday, September 6th
Day of Healing
(Anointing available at Novena Masses
at 10.00am & 8.00pm, and at 3.00pm in the hall)
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Joe McGee MSC
“Lord, the one you love is ill!”
“See our trust in You, answer our prayers,
show yourself always our Mother, Amen.”
First Friday Devotion
“I am the Immaculate Conception.” (Our Lady of Lourdes)

Saturday, September 7th
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Joe McGee MSC
Mary’s Immaculate Heart –
An oasis and harbour of peace and calm
amidst the trouble and struggles of life.
First Saturday Devotion
Adoration & Confession: 5.00pm – 8.00pm

Sunday, September 8th
Feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
Novena Masses celebrated by
Fr Joe McGee MSC
“My soul glorifies the Lord,
My Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
Thanksgiving!
“Gratitude – the hinge on which Peace & Joy swings!”

Dates to Note

For those who cannot be with us in person, you are very welcome to join us for our daily online Novena Masses on our live stream, united in spirit as we pray together as a great family of faith.

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 2024 OLSH NOVENA

MSC Summer Appeal 2024: Empowering future generations in Brazil

A NEW PATHWAY FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN

MSCs in Brazil established a shelter for the care of young children in the Niterói region 35 years ago. Here, they have been working on their Pro-Child Movement, which aims to promote positive change in the lives of children from 6 to 14 years of age. There are currently 60 local children in care here over the course of two daily sessions, morning and afternoon. Each session lasts for four hours and caters to 30 children.

The services here are provided by professionally trained staff who help the children across a variety of disciplines, including motor skills, tutoring, sports, cultural awareness, and spiritual guidance. With a positive, productive outlook, the Pro-Child team aim to broaden horizons for these children, and minimise the very real threat of their being drawn into the drug trade.

EDUCATING FOR A BRIGHTER TOMORROW

The team here help the children with homework, also assisting with learning difficulties, and run educational activities including workshops, cultural trips, and games and films that stimulate learning and development.

Monthly meetings take place with the parents, strengthening contact with families. Many of these children come to the shelter from diverse backgrounds; they are often being raised by their mothers and/or relatives, as they have been abandoned by their fathers for various reasons including alcoholism, drugs, domestic violence, and unemployment.

The team at the shelter have now started a programme welcoming mothers to regular round table discussions, which is a very helpful way of finding out about the reality of the daily lives of the children in their care, enabling them to build stronger and more effective supports.

The house is located close to local communities, but it is very old and in need of constant repair. A wall separates the house from a hill, and in rainy season, this suffers severe water damage and requires constant maintenance to avoid collapse. Repairs are also continuously being made to the ageing electrical and plumbing infrastructure.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MINISTRY IN BRAZIL

MSC Summer Appeal 2024: Feeding families in Venezuela

SOUP KITCHENS IN MARACAIBO

MSCs in Maracaibo, Venezuela, are running several soup kitchens across multiple locations in local barrios, urban neighbourhoods where the populations are very poor. One such facility is in the barrio of Virgin del Carmen, where poverty is rife and living conditions are extremely difficult.

This area is home to communities of native Indian and indigenous Wayu people who came originally from Guajira, which crosses the border with Columbia. They arrive with nothing, in the hope of a better life for their families and themselves, yet life in the barrio brings its own challenges.

The people here make their homes using basic materials, and take on what jobs they can find with little or no education, such as cleaning or housekeeping. Due to the economic and political crises in Venezuela, the people who owned their own homes and would hire domestic staff are now emigrating themselves, abandoning their houses in the hope of better prospects elsewhere, and leaving no work for those who remain to support their families.

BRINGING BREAD TO THE HUNGRY

The barrio of Mirtha Fonseca is named after an indigenous Wayu woman. This barrio has a sewage system running along its periphery, making living conditions very unhealthy for the people living there.

Irish MSC Fr John Jennings built a church here with the support of our mission friends in previous years, and MSCs in the area now work with the help of local catechists who prepare the people for First Holy Communion and Confirmation, while also helping with the church and liturgies.

Mass is said every Sunday at Maria Auxiliadora y San Jose church. Galwayman and local curate Fr Tom MSC, purchases bread each week, and after Mass, this is distributed to parishioners who are hungry and depend hugely on this weekly provision.

A LIFELINE FOR POOR FAMILIES

Our current soup kitchens also serve communities at the chapel of the Sacred Heart at El Cujicito and La Ezparanza high-rise apartments. The facilities on hand are far from state-of-the-art kitchens, but are the basic resources we have to feed as many people as possible.

Working together for positive change

Ministry to the sick is also a large part of our missionary outreach in Maracaibo. Our MSCs provide spiritual support to those in need, and bring food to nourish the sick and housebound.

Catechists working across the barrios also go out to local schools where the children have not been baptised, sharing the love of the Sacred Heart and offering spiritual guidance.

From vital nourishment to spiritual support, our MSCs are doing all they can to help those in real need across the barrios of Maracaibo – and with your help, we can do so much more.

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR VENEZUELAN MISSION

Musicians of the future in the Philippines

Today, we’re sharing some wonderful photos of one of the latest initiatives from the MSC Centre for the Poor in the Cebu District of the Philippines – a series of music lessons for young students.

These music lessons encourage the children to learn new skills and discover new talents in a fun and enjoyable way, while keeping them encouraged and motivated throughout. These pictures show the young class taking on new knowledge with little more the most basic equipment and boundless enthusiasm – and even with the help of some furry friends!

The MSC Centre for the Poor in the Cebu District is part of a larger programme in the Philippines, with the original MSC Centre for the Poor in Butuan now having branched out to several additional locations across the country. The ethos of the centres remains the same – to provide the poor and disadvantaged with a better quality of life by teaching and fostering skills for self-sufficiency and personal growth, and to promote this in harmony with the natural world around us, nurturing the people and the planet in unison. Dedicated to caring for the community and the environment, with initiatives such as plastic waste prevention and clean water and food sustainability programmes, the award-winning MSC Centre for the Poor Agricultural Cooperative (MSC CEPAGCO) are determined in their work to improve the quality of life of the people in their programmes, while fostering ecological awareness and balance.

       

The music class demonstrates one of the many arms of the multi-faceted plans and programmes in play at the Centre for the Poor, as they continue to inspire people of all ages. Well done to all the budding young performers in the Cebu District, and good luck as you continue in your musical endeavours!

Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Centre for the Poor – Cebu District
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Fr Alan in South Sudan: Endings and Beginnings

It has been a busy few months in the Catholic University of South Sudan, Rumbek and, as always, life is filled with activity. The economic crisis has deepened, due to the war in Sudan and runaway inflation here. Teachers, nurses, policemen, and civil servants have now not been paid since last October. How people manage to survive at all is one of the enduring mysteries. However, the South Sudanese are a courageous and resilient people and life has to go on.

Joyful Graduations

We are a new Catholic third-level institution, so this year marked the graduations of our first class. Our four Diploma in Business Administration and two Diploma in Accounting and Finance students joined us in our mother campus of Catholic University in Juba. In addition to our Diploma class, thirteen more Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Education students will graduate later this year.

For many of them, they will be the first member of their family to have earned a third level qualification. It is a source of tremendous excitement for all involved. More importantly, after decades of deliberate underinvestment in the south before independence by the Sudanese government, these men and women are among the first groups of South Sudanese men and women to be graduate as local teachers and business people. Our Bishop, Christian Carlassare, was the guest of honour on the day, and spoke with pride about the difference the graduates would make in creating a stronger, most sustainable future for South Sudan.

We have also established a group for these new alumni, so that they can continue to avail of the resources of the University as they begin their careers. Access to the internet here is among some of the most expensive globally due to our isolated location. However, with the support of the MSC Mission Office Australia, all of our computers are online, allowing them to search for employment, carry out research, and prepare CVs and applications. For our current students, it has opened up an entirely new dimension, giving them access to textbooks, videos and online software that previously they could only have wished for.

Creative Collaboration

Resources here are few and we are always looking for innovative ways to support the professional development of our students. To this end we are collaborating closely with the Department of Human Sciences in the University of Salerno. Every three weeks, our Bachelor of Education students have a special input delivered online by a senior member of the faculty. They focus on some of the latest techniques and methodologies that will help develop their teaching practice. To date we have studied cognitive difficulties in youth, the design of classrooms to facilitate greater participation, and Universal Design for Learning.

All of our students speak English as a second, sometimes third language and the demands of academia can present a significant challenge. To tackle this issue, we currently offer advanced English classes for our first and second years. In an exciting new partnership with the Loreto Education Centre, we are also setting up small group classes for students who need extra support, along with classes in English for business professionals.

New Beginnings

While these last months have been a time of saying goodbye to some, we are getting ready to welcome others. Earlier this week we launched our admissions programme for new students. While our Bachelor of Business Administration remains popular, the two Bachelor of Education degrees are our main focus. The development of well-trained local secondary school teachers is our central goal, and we see it as an essential component in the continued development of South Sudan.

As part our admissions drive, we will have students involved in talk shows on two different local radio stations, use social media advertising, put up posters around town, make announcements after Masses, distribute flyers, and most importantly encouraging our students to spread the news by word of mouth. As ambassadors for the University, their recommendation is the most effective way of engaging new students and they have been enthusiastic in their mission. As always, we endeavour to encourage as many women as possible to study with the help of our partial scholarship programme and along with our measures to facilitate mothers with young children. We are also one of the few institutions nationally that have a wheelchair toilet and a fully accessible campus. Here, education is for everyone.

Nhialic ke yin (or God bless you),
Fr Alan

Read more from Fr Alan’s missionary journey in South Sudan: