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A walk down Memory Lane… October 2026

Oct 29, 2026

This year, we’re celebrating the 60th anniversary of the MSC Missions Office on the Western Road, Cork, and as part of our anniversary commemorations, we’re looking back on old issues of our newsletter, the MSC Message, on a walk together down Memory Lane.

Winter 2007: Fr. O’Connell reports on his visit to South Africa

In the Winter 2007 edition, Fr Michael O’Connell MSC wrote a report following a visit to our long-running mission in South Africa.

I visited our missionaries in South Africa earlier this year to see at first hand the great work they are doing, often under very difficult circumstances. I saw the beautiful scenery and modern buildings of the new South Africa on the one side and on the other I witnessed deprivation, hunger and poverty that is difficult to imagine without seeing it…

I brought home from Africa a picture of poor, sick, and under-nourished people smiling. Yes, smiling in spite of all the hardships in their lives.

Two young lads aged 17 and 15 welcomed me into their home. A tin shack in a settlement area. Their mother with the help of God had got them this home. Their mother was a good provider. There was room for two beds and a kitchen area with a table and a TV covered by a dolly on top of the fridge, and one electric bulb. It was so neat and tidy. On a washing line outside were their school uniforms. The water was got from taps half a kilometre away.

Their mother must have been very proud of them both. But she wasn’t there. Mother would never be there again. She was dead. These boys nursed her to the end as she died of AIDS.

They tried to support themselves by running a little stall buying crisps and peanuts in threes and selling them in ones. There was no electricity. The fridge, TV, and light bulb didn’t work. Their neighbour whom their mother paid for electricity stopped it when she died.

The boys only had one another. Their faither was non-existent. They get no support from the state… no children’s allowance… nothing! They have no identification papers and no birth cert. As far as the state is concerned these two orphans don’t exist.

Only the field worker from the parish of Fr. Herman van Diijck, msc and a few neighbours support these 2 orphan boys. The smile on their faces… the hope in their desperate lives is only there because of the support of Mission Friends, like you. You enable our MSC priests to be the Heart of Christ in Africa. Thank you.

Michael O’Connell, msc

Winter 2003: A personal reflection…

Don’t look for flaws as you go through life
It is easy enough to find them
It is wise to be kind, and sometimes blind
And to look for the virtues behind them.

Winter 2007: Direct from the MSC Mission Fields

Stories straight from our global mission fields, from Winter 2007.

For this young child a bath is a wash in a small plastic basin outside on the open ground. In the context of the comforts enjoyed by most of us in Ireland and Britain, this photo brings home to us the poor living standards of fellow humans in many parts of South Africa where Fr. O’Connell took this photo during his visit last Spring. But the child seems reasonably happy with his lot. Not only is housing very poor but water is a scarce resource. Our thanks to the Mission Friends who made donations recently towards the well-drilling work of Fr. Andre Bohas, msc who deeply appreciates the support.

House building South African style! In a township Fr. O’Connell met this young man building a house for himself. He had no worries about planning permission, foundations, or the type of materials. He just identified a piece of ground and laid claim to it, then collected pieces of timber and sheets of galvanise and Perspex, and started building. For a window he found an old one in the dump, and he expected to pick up a door likewise. His house was right beside an old drain taking refuse water from thousands of other such houses.

To us an empty Kerrygold butter carton is rubbish – question is will we recycle it or send it to landfill. No such worries for this orphan queuing up for his daily meal at the Sithandz Care Centre in Tsakane, Guateng Province in South Africa… he is one of 450 who call each day, and the Kerrygold carton is his bowl for his meal. Sr. Mary Tuck – a Dominican Sister – does great work at the Centre that provides a variety of services for the poor of the area.

When Fr. Tom Jordan msc visited his relations in Athenry, Co. Galway recently we got this photo from him. Fr. Tom is such a caring and jolly person, and this elderly lady is obviously very pleased with his home visit to her in his parish in one of the poorest areas of Caracas city in Venezuela. Fr. Tom runs several social projects in the parish including a soup kitchen for children and the elderly, subsidised medical and dental services, 3 pre-schools for 100 children, training in computers, and plans for training for women in hairdressing and in cooking. He thanks the Mission Friends who made recent donations towards this work amongst the very poor.

 

The MSC Message: Summer 2026

Aug 3, 2026

Welcome to the Summer 2026 edition of the MSC Message!

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

• Find out more about our latest crisis relief aid in the Philippines, where approximately 500 families received crucial support following severe flooding and destructive fires.

• Read all about the five young men who are beginning their formation journey on the Mozambique mission.

• Catch up on the latest news from the mission fields, including updates from Cameroon and Ecuador.

• Join us as we take a walk down Memory Lane, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the MSC Missions Office on the Western Road, Cork.

• Find out the latest updates from Fr Alan Neville in South Sudan, where we are helping to support a care programme for vulnerable baby twins.

Read the Summer 2026 edition of the MSC Message

Fun, friendship, and fundraising! Cork steps up in aid of the Holy Family Care Centre, South Africa

May 7, 2026

Sincere thanks to everyone who came along to participate in our annual May fundraising event for the community of the Holy Family Care Centre, a dedicated facility for vulnerable young children run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, with the support of the MSC, in Ofcolaco, South Africa. This year’s fundraising event took place at the Sacred Heart Church on the Western Road, Cork, after Masses on May 2nd and 3rd, and raised a total of approximately €4,226.81 for the Holy Family children.

Each May, the Sacred Heart community comes out in force to raise funds for the ongoing work of the Holy Family team, with a local plant and cake sale that always receives wonderfully generous support from parishioners and mission friends. It is always a lovely opportunity for old friends and new acquaintances to chat over tea and home-baked treats, and every year is much-anticipated by MSCs, local mission friends, and Sacred Heart parishioners.

Just some of the wonderful team who participated in our annual Sacred Heart Parish Plant & Cake Sale in aid of the Holy Family Care Centre in Ofcolaco, South Africa.

The Holy Family Care Centre has been run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in South Africa, with the support of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, since its establishment in 2002. Sr Sally Duigan FDNSC heads up the team at the centre, which is a true sanctuary and home away from home for young children who are very ill, and in many cases, do not have close family to take care of them.  With many of the children being HIV positive, and in need of extremely specialised care, the demands on the centre are great. The Holy Family facility has resources to accommodate 70 children, yet Sr Sally and the team always do their best to accommodate every child that needs them, and so they often have 80 children or more in their care.

The availability of funding is a constant challenge, and the support of our MSC mission friends and benefactors here in the Irish Province is invaluable. Speaking of the long-standing friendship between the MSC Mission Office and the Holy Family Care Centre, Sr Sally said, “The children and staff have benefited enormously from the funding received from MSC Mission Office Ireland, and we are so grateful.”

children at family care centre

“We continue to give our children love, security and care in the hope they will thrive. We want them to have the energy to enjoy playtime, be able to learn and live a happy life.”

Our heartfelt thanks go to everyone who worked so hard to organise this year’s fundraising event, and to everybody who contributed and took part in even the smallest way, despite the rain and cloudy weather! Every little plant and every bun sold is part of a much bigger picture, connecting the Holy Family community in South Africa with the Sacred Heart family in Cork, and we are so very grateful for your ongoing friendship, generosity, and kindness.
.

IF YOU CAN PLEASE SUPPORT THE HOLY FAMILY COMMUNITY

A walk down Memory Lane… February 2026

Feb 26, 2026

This month, we’re looking back at an issue of the MSC Message from 20 years ago, in 2006.

Blessings from the Sacred Heart Church

The newsletter welcomed newly appointed parish priest at the time, our very own Fr John Fitzgerald MSC, who has come full circle and is now parish priest at the Sacred Heart again, 20 years later! He was pictured with another familiar face here on the Western Road, former Missions Office Director Fr Michael O’Connell MSC, as they placed a box of benefactors’ petitions on the altar for the 2006 Novena to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Direct from the MSC Mission Fields

In a page dedicated to stories from the MSC Mission Fields, we read about MSCs Fr Vinnie Screene and Fr Adrian McHugh, who were ministering in Venezuela and South Africa respectively.

“Fr. Vinnie Screene, msc – a native of Skehanagh, Co. Galway – is seen here with volunteer helpers in one of our Soup Kitchens in Maracaibo, Venezuela.”

“Whilst on holiday in Ireland recently Fr. Vinnie told us that one of his big tasks on his return to Maracaibo would be assisting poor families with the cost of school books. MSCs regard education as the foundation to enable poor people to better themselves. Distribution of food parcels to sustain poor families is a regular part of missionary work.”

Fr Adrian McHugh, from Swinford, Co. Mayo, was pictured with a group of very vulnerable children receiving warm blankets in Musina, South Africa.

“Whilst South Africa is known for its blistering heat, the temperature can drop well below zero during the winter. The cold added to poor diet and nutrition along with bad housing creates great hardship especially for children and old people. At St. Martin’s School vegetables and maize are cooked in large pots in the yard to provide a nutritious meal for children. Fr. Adrian is now planning a Drop-In Centre for AIDS sufferers and their families.

AIDS is a huge problem. Africa has 10% of the world’s population but 90% of AIDS sufferers.”

Prayers & Reflections

Finally, the MSC Message also featured some particularly lovely prayers and reflections that stand the test of time, and are equally powerful today.

One, from William Penn, speaks of the value of kindness: “I expect to pass through life once. If therefore there is any kindness I can do to any fellow human being, let me do to any fellow human being, let me do it now, as I shall not pass this way again.”

Another, from St Therese of Lisieux, is especially beautiful for this time of year, as we welcome Spring:

“Happiness – people search for it
in vain: it’s not on earthly ground;
With me, it’s quite the opposite –
it’s in my heart that joy is found.
This joy – don’t think it comes and
goes:
Coming to me, it came to stay.
Delighting like a fresh spring rose
it smiles upon me every day.”

Twenty years on, tradition – and the heart of our mission – is still going strong. We’re looking forward to our 2026 Novenas to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart later in the year, while our ministry in Venezuela and South Africa continues, with our MSCs on each mission ministering to the changing needs of local communities in today’s society.

MSC World Projects 2026:OLSH Global Outreach 2026

Jan 15, 2026

OLSH youth ministry deep in the Amazon region of Brazil

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are hard at work in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, an extremely remote area of the Amazon region in Brazil. Their work here is challenging, not least because of the inaccessible location, but is essential in serving rural communities who would otherwise be highly isolated. 

This year, the Sisters are asking for our help in raising approximately €20,000 to buy a vehicle suited to the difficult Amazonian terrain and harsh conditions.

“This project aims to provide the sisters with reliable transportation to reach the parish communities,” Sr Renisa Augusta da Fonseca writes. “The vehicle would help Sisters with their social workwith disabled children, migrants and young indigenous people in this vast and under-served region.”

 

OLSH youth ministry deep in the Amazon region of Brazil

Rural Amazon 

“The community of São Gabriel da Cachoeira is situated in one of the most isolated and challenging areas of Brazil, deep in the Amazon region,” Sr Renisa explains. “The Sisters’ mission there involves pastoral work in the parish and surrounding villages, catechetical formation for children, youth, and adults, visiting families and offering accompaniment to the sick and elderly, community support programs, and cultural dialogue among diverse indigenous groups. Currently, the Sisters do not have adequate transportation, which limits their ability to serve these scattered communities effectively.” 

The purchase of the vehicle would greatly benefit the Sisters in their work with several groups, including local families and communities, indigenous families who need additional support, disabled children, and migrant families. It would allow the Sisters to travel safely and efficiently around the region, transporting essential items for education and pastoral and social aid, and would improve their ability to respond to urgent or emergency situations in remote spots. It would also encourage the “enhanced missionary presence of the Sisters, fostering hope, faith, and solidarity in the area”, says Sr Renisa. 

Working with nature at the OLSH Mission Garden in Nzhelele, South Africa

At the Nzhelele mission in South Africa, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart care for more than 130 orphans and vulnerable children by providing essential items such as food, shelter, clothing, school supplies and financial support, youth activities in drop-in centres, classes and workshops for children and their carers, regular care visits to the children’s homes, and working gardens to address food shortages and promote nutrition and healthy eating. 

Working with nature at the OLSH Mission Garden in Nzhelele, South Africa

Tending the plants

This year, Sr Rotee Uriam, director of the Nzhelele project, is asking for our help in funding the repair and refurbishment of their dedicated mission garden. Located in the grounds of the convent, the garden was originally established by an Irish OLSH Sister, Sr Mairead. For many years, the garden has provided food for the children in the care of the Sisters, and offers employment to several local people who would otherwise find it very difficult to find work in what is a very remote area. 

“The garden is a great teaching tool for the children to learn good agricultural practices and healthy eating practices,” writes Sr Rotee. “It has been in existence for many years – however, it now needs many repairs and updating.” 

The OLSH Sisters in Nzhelele are working to raise a total of €15,000 to complete the repairs to the garden, and continue with this wonderful resource for the provision of nutritious food, local employment, and life skills. This will include repairs to fences and pipes, and the provision of water tanks and watering apparatus for the garden. “With a grateful heart, we thank you for all you are doing to help,” Sr Rotee says.  

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