Jan 23, 2020
A recent letter from Fr Richie Gomez, community leader at the MSC Centre of the Poor in the Philippines, expresses great joy and gratitude to mission friends in the Irish Province for the generosity and enthusiasm received following our 2019 Summer Appeal, which raised funds that have allowed the Centre to continue its wonderful work in the local community and beyond.
Fr Richie sent us an update highlighting the Centre’s most recent projects, which include:
- Spearheading a relief operation for survivors of a recent earthquake in the southern Mindanao region. Together with local volunteers, the MSC community from the Centre provided victims of the earthquake with 150 sacks of rice, 220 containers of water, 250 food packs containing dried fish, milk, sugar, juices, coffee, Milo (a nutritious tonic drink), soap for personal hygiene, laundry detergent, a blanket, and a mosquito net. The relief campaign took place in mid-November 2019, following three days of urgent preparation. A 10-wheeler truck and an Elf truck full of supplies accompanied MSCs and volunteers in two large vehicles on an 11-hour journey from Butuan to Makilala town in Cotabato, at the boundary of Kidapawan. Here, MSCs and volunteers distributed their aid packs to almost a dozen different local communities.
- A scholarship for disadvantaged youths, which is currently giving 20 students the opportunity to further their education and opportunities. Many of these students from the Lumad community (a local indigenous group) live in a boarding house near the university in Butuan City, while other students are staying in their own homes where possible, or with relatives. During their spare time, they contribute to the daily work in the Centre for the Poor, and each Sunday, they attend development workshops at the Centre, which focus on elements such as life skills, Bible studies, group dynamics and social skills, and environmental awareness. The beginning of the last academic year saw an influx of applicants for the programme; however, funds remain limited, and the MSC community at the Centre for the Poor continue to help as many youths as they can.
- An Honesty Store, operating as part of the Centre’s sustainability programmes. With a focus on green economics, the Honesty Store deals in organic Lumad products provided by different local tribes. This support small scale business locally, while also promoting livelihood programmes and employment opportunities to alleviate poverty in the region.
- The on-going renovation of the Centre, with a view to harnessing renewable sources of energy (including solar energy, wind energy, and bio-fuel), can now be completed thanks to the funds raised by our 2019 Summer Appeal.
- Funds donated by the Irish Province will also allow the MSC community at the Centre to fulfil their plans for a Living Museum across a 4.7-hectare area, which will allow for reforestation in a region where natural resources have been plundered mercilessly for mining, logging, and plantations including palm oil.
“When I was sent here to establish the Centre for the Poor, my congregation and I were full of faith and confidence,” writes Fr Richie. “What makes that faith and confidence complete is the trust of those who also believe in our mission, and advocate our work. There is much to do, and it can be overwhelming, but everything is up to Him. ‘I am just a lowly servant of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.’”
“Thank you very much to the people of the Irish Province, whose hearts extend to people they may never know, and remain full of compassion for others.”
Images via the MSC Centre for the Poor and the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. on Facebook
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Jan 9, 2020
Members of the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines recently paid a visit to the students at an MSC-run educational programme in Saints Peter and Paul Parish Learning Centre, in Tubod, Surigao del Norte.
For the past two years, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Philippines have been supporting the programme, which provides educational assistance to children who have difficulty in continuing their studies because they and their families live in circumstances of severe poverty and hardship. The Philippine Province of the MSC provide financial support for their tuition fees, plus the necessary books for their studies, through this programme. “These children are very willing to study, but their parents are financially incapacitated,” say the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines. A total of 21 children are currently taking part in the programme – children who are all too pleased with the opportunity to be able to continue their studies, but who would not be able to without the help and financial assistance of the MSC Mission Office and the mission friends around the world who support our work.
The team at the learning centre include Mrs Norma Porcil, who is principal of the school. A retired teacher, she now works voluntarily to take care of the school and its students. The project manager of the programme is Mr Boni Dano, who is also the coordinator of the Chevalier Family Lay Associates in Tubod. He also volunteers his services in making sure the programme runs smoothly and benefits the children involved as much as possible. Finally, Fr Sansin Ebuna MSC is leader of the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines, and has been instrumental in ensuring the success of the programme for children who are in great need of help in order to be able to hope for a more positive future.
We send our best wishes and blessings to everyone involved in this wonderful project, as we continue to work together all over the world to make a difference where it is most needed.
Images via the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. on Facebook
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Nov 7, 2019
At the end of September, the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines paid a visit to the Badjao community in Canlanipa, Surigao City.
The Philippine Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart support a literacy programme for disadvantaged children in the area, encouraging much-needed education for vulnerable children, as well as the development of social skills and emotional growth. The scheme also provides nutritious food for the children where possible, as many of these youths come from severely impoverished backgrounds and suffer from malnutrition as a result.
Together with Sr Cathy, a member of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, and other group leaders, representatives from the MSC Missions Office ran talks and lessons for the Badjao children, as well as a feeding programme which provided nourishing meals for hungry youths on the day.
With poverty, hunger, and hardship being real and pressing problems for many families in the Philippines, our MSC brothers are continuing their work around the country to being aid to families who often don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Education is key, and many MSC projects in the Philippines focus on promoting self-sufficiency – essentially, the aim is to give vulnerable families and communities the tools to build a better life and a brighter future for their children through various sustainable ventures. Most recently, the MSC Centre for the Poor in Butuan has called for support as they encourage local people to work in harmony with the environment, nurturing the gifts of the world around us while utilising them for the good of the community.
The literacy programme for disadvantaged children in Surigao City is yet another positive step in the right direction for the underprivileged youths in the area, giving them a chance to learn and to grow, and to pave the way for a brighter tomorrow.
Images via the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. on Facebook
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Sep 5, 2019
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 6th, 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.
Aug 22, 2019
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.
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