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

Educating for a brighter tomorrow in the Philippines

Our Sacred Heart family at the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines recently reported on their current education project in the Hapag Community in Amparo, North Caloocan, where a helping hand has been extended to disadvantaged youths in the community whose parents cannot afford to send them to school.

This project has aimed to support students in order to allow them to continue their studies, despite difficulties with poverty and hardship in their home lives. Students have been provided with the supplies they need to attend school and complete their class projects and homework, as well as nutritious food to ensure their physical and mental health.

Not only has the programme relieved a huge amount of stress for young students and their families, but it has also addressed the growing issue of drop-outs from the local school. The drop-out rate has been a serious concern as families struggling to put meals on the table simply can’t afford to send their children to school. However, since the implementation of this educational assistance programme, there has been a zero drop-out rate in the 2018/2019 school year – all remaining students have successfully continued with their studies, many with consistently rising grades.

“[Our students] have continued their sense of paying it forward by leading our Big Brother and Big Sister Tutorial schemes, by participating in regular community clean-up duties, and by running a weekly youth prayer group,” reports the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines.

The MSC community in the Philippines now hopes to focus on building livelihood programmes in the area, to provide employment opportunities for parents and to give local families valuable tools for self-sufficiency. Thanks to the support of our mission friends and benefactors around the world, our MSCs in the Philippines can continue to shine the light of hope for communities and families in need, where the future once looked bleak.

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

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

“Beloved, Gifted, Empowered”: The Year of the Youth in the Philippines

2019 is the Year of the Youth in the Catholic Church in the Philippines, and the Philippine Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart has been continuing their wonderful work in youth ministry all over the country.

MSC Partners, the newsletter of the Philippine Province of the MSC, recently reported on the Year of the Youth, addressing the way in which this celebration “shows the church’s faith and confidence in young people”.

“Empowering youth to be in mission, they need to realize the fundamental truth that they are beloved and gifted; they are worthy and deserving of God’s love, they are meant to discover the dreams of God for the church and the world at large,” the MSC Partners editorial reads. “The words of George Bernard Shaw might add inspiration or enkindle the fire within them: ‘You see things, and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”’. Allowing and encouraging the youth to dream and discover their life purpose is one of the greatest achievements of the church. As dreamers of great things, they may be able to use their energy for changes desired by God.”

“Our youth need to be guided, nurtured, and cared for,” continues the MSC Partners editorial. “A recent survey conducted by UNICEF said that 80% of Filipino youth suffer some form of physical and psychological abuse. Now we are facing problems such as poverty, young people not attending school, suicide, emotional distress, mental disorder, distorted values, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and the like. These show that many young people are deeply wounded and broken. In this regard, the church has an important role in the psychological, emotional, and spiritual healing and well-being of the youth.”

“I consider the Church as my lifeguard, who is continuously and unconditionally guarding me against the force of negativity.”

MSCs in the Philippines have long been devoted to the care of the younger members of their flock, promoting education and empowerment wherever possible. In this, the Year of the Youth, they continue to encourage, guide, and nurture through youth ministry in parishes across the country.

This guidance is invaluable to many. “Youths nowadays are very vulnerable,” says Clavel C. Campugan, Parish Youth Leader in San Roque Parish, Cordova, Cebu. “Thus, as a youth I consider myself as vulnerable too. Very susceptible to sadness, chaos, physical or emotional attack, and many other negative forces in the society, that made me drown into a sea of hopelessness. There are times that my faith weakens, especially when my mother died – the strongest and greatest storm I encountered in my whole life. But as a youth in Christ, I consider myself as well-protected – protected by our Saviour, Lord Jesus Christ through the protection from the Church. In this regard, as a member of the Youth Ministry in our parish, I am saved from drowning deeply in this sea of hopelessness. Jesus uses the Church as an instrument to help me swim faster towards HOPE. Therefore, I consider the Church as my lifeguard who is continuously and unconditionally guarding me against the force of negativity and guiding me to become a better person and to become the seed of HOPE for others. Since, I have experienced the fruit of guidance from the Church, I hope that the Church will not stop guarding and guiding youths who are like me.”

“Let us not waste our talents, the gifts that God has given to us; let us not be afraid to dream of great things.”

Angelica Joyce P. Mananes, Parish Youth Leader in the Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Bantug, agrees.  “Pope Francis said, ‘Let the church always be a place of mercy and hope where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven’ – the place that every young person is looking for. The church is unlike other people, who might love us at first, but if they notice something they don’t like, they can easily leave us. God’s love for us has no limit – he loves us wholeheartedly. Let us not waste our talents, the gifts that God has given to us; let us not be afraid to dream of great things, because the church believes that young people in mission are BELOVED, GIFTED, EMPOWERED.”

In the Year of the Youth and beyond, MSC communities in the Philippines and across the world continue to encourage, guide, and promote the bright and brilliant youths in our parishes everywhere.

“So, in this special year of the youth, it is our prayer and hope that young people
may find meaning for their lives in their faith-life journey in mission,
as beloved, gifted, and empowered to bring the love of God to all.”
– Fr Bien Castil Jr, MSC

Read about the MSC 2019 World Youth Day Celebrations in Panama

MSC World Projects Appeal 2019: OLSH Global Outreach

An important part of the Sacred Heart family, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) work all over the world under our shared motto: “May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.”

OLSH Global Outreach Programmes

Survivors of domestic abuse in Kiribati

Kiribati is a country in the Pacific Ocean, composed of many separate islands. The Daughters have ministered there for many years.

One vital role they play is in the area of assistance to women escaping situations of domestic violence. In many cases, women often have to leave their homes in a hurry, without time to pack  essentials such as clothes, toiletries, or food for their children.

€15 will provide a family with the essentials they need in an emergency situation of domestic abuse.

Catechism books in Maranhão, Brazil

In Maranhão, Brazil, the Sisters are in great need of books to help them with the teaching of the catechism. The people there are very poor and would greatly appreciate the gift of books.

€10 will buy one of the 30 books needed.

Street children in the Philippines

The Sisters in Manila provide an after-school tutoring programme for young children from a local slum area.

Many of the children work on the streets during the day, selling sweets or flowers and other small items, and so they miss out on a formal education.

This programme helps 80 children keep up with some formal study, while also providing a simple feeding scheme and a health and hygiene programme to teach these youths important life skills.

€10 will help to teach a disadvantaged child essential life skills.

Kurisanani Education Project, South Africa

The Kurisanani outreach project is run from Tzaneen, in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. One element of this outreach programme is the provision of funds for vulnerable children to access education. 200 children are currently benefitting from the programme.

€15 will provide a child with a school resources pack, including pencils, pens, exercise books, and a backpack.

Educating women in South Sudan

In Mapuordit, a remote area of South Sudan, three Daughters minister to local communities. Many young women here are forced into marriage and are denied a basic education.

The Daughters here support young mothers in their return to education by providing them with bicycles and solar lamps.

The bicycles allow them freedom to travel to and from school, as well as helping with chores such as collecting water and gathering firewood. The time saved by cycling long distances, rather than walking, helps them them to keep up their studies, while the solar lamps allow the young women to study at night, despite the fact that there is no electricity in their village.

€90 will buy one bicycle and €30 will buy one solar lamp to help the education of vulnerable young women.

Convent repair in Venezuela

Three Sisters from Brazil currently minister to locals in a remote area of Venezuela. The convent here has fallen into disrepair, and the Sisters are raising funds to paint some of the damaged areas.

€100 will buy the paint required to repair the ruined areas.

OLSH saving young lives in Africa

The Holy Family Care Centre is situated at the foot of the Drakensburg Mountains, in the far north of the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart founded the centre in 2001, in response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Currently, 70 children are in care there.

“The children in our care come for many reasons, but always because it is a last resort – when all other avenues of care have been explored,” writes Sr Sally Duigan OLSH, Director of the Holy Family Care Centre. “They are admitted with a court order after their local social worker takes their case to the nearest magistrate.”

“The reasons for admission vary, but many children have been abandoned, sexually abused, physically abused, orphaned, or made vulnerable because of HIV/AIDS.”

“This is a place where we OLSH can really live our charism of compassionate love,” says Sr Sally. “Here, we learn to love these children unconditionally.”

PLEASE SUPPORT OLSH GLOBAL OUTREACH

The MSC Message: Winter 2018

Welcome to the Winter edition of the MSC Message!

• Read all about MSC Missions at the World Meeting of Families 2018.

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

• Find out about this year’s Jubilee celebrations in the Irish Province.

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

• Walk the Camino de Santiago with Fr Alan Neville MSC and the MSC Vocations Team.

Reads the MSC Message Winter 2018

Congratulations to the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines!

Congratulations to the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines, who were recently awarded Social Welfare and Development Agencies Certification from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Manila “in recognition of their efforts to contribute to the uplifting of the poor, vulnerable, and disadvantaged sectors of society”.

This certification means that the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines is now authorised by the government to operate as a Civil Society Organisation, as our MSC brothers continue in their work to bring aid to communities in need.

A spokesperson for the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines said, “This is a great achievement of the office to be able to continuously help and serve the poor, disadvantaged, and marginalised sectors in society”.

Well done to all involved, and we wish you every blessing as you continue your great work in the Philippines!

For the latest updates from the MSC Missions in the Philippines, please visit their Facebook page.

PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sustainable Living: MSC Sewing Livelihood Programme in the Philippines

In early 2017, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart assisted in the launch of a new Sewing Livelihood Programme in Pinugay, in the Philippines. Over the past number of years, the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines has been reaching out to respond to the urgent needs of families and communities around the country, in a mission to teach people new skills, to alleviate poverty, and to help communities to become self-sufficient and sustainable.

With the help of financial aid from mission friends in the Irish Province, the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines were able to launch the MSC Sewing Livelihood Programme in the KKSV9 district, Pinugay, in February 2017. The KKSV9 district is a resettlement area for families who have been displaced from their homes, and poverty is a very serious issue here. Many families struggle with unemployment, hunger, and illness, and the skills offered by the Sewing Livelihood Programme have been a lifeline for those who had nowhere else to turn.

Tools for a brighter future

Armed with fifteen sets of sewing machines, and the members of the KKSV9 community worked together to set up their local sewing station. The programme began with four mothers, who were trained in operating the sewing machinery, and there are now fourteen women working in sewing and tailoring, with regular clients placing orders with them.

The success of the Sewing Livelihood Programme led to the development of a new project, and in June 2017, a Life Sharing Programme was established, focusing on the spiritual growth of the community. The group meets every Saturday for spiritual formation, with the aim of growing in harmony as individuals and a community.

“On behalf of the KKSV9 community, we would like to thank all of our mission friends in the Irish Province,” says Jahms Morga of the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines. “You have all been instrumental in making this life-changing programme accessible to the people of the Pinugay Resettlement Area in Baras, Rizal.”

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in the Philippines continue to work with the locals of Pinugay to foster security, self-sufficiency, and community spirit. With the help of the Irish Province, the MSC in the Philippines have also been able to launch a local consumer store and a beekeeping project, giving local people the tools to build a positive future for their families and for generations to come.

For the latest updates from the MSC Missions in the Philippines, please visit their Facebook page.

PLEASE HELP US TO CHANGE LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sustainable Living: MSC Beekeeping Livelihood Programme in the Philippines

With the help of the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, an MSC Beekeeping Livelihood Programme was launched in Antipolo in the Philippines early in 2017. Since then, the programme has been progressing at a great rate, and Jahms Morga of the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines has recently been in touch to update us on developments in Antipolo.

The MSC Beekeeping Livelihood Programme aims to support the local bee industry, advocating positive environmental awareness and promoting healthy living through a sustainable livelihood scheme. In providing local people with new and useful skills, this programme is opening up avenues of employment for many, while promoting and developing independent local business.

 

So far, the programme has conducted basic beekeeping seminars and workshops across five communities – Antipolo, Cavite, Bulacan, Pangasinan, and Quezon Province. More than 50 local people have been introduced to life in the apiary through the programme, and it is already providing the tools for future employment and self-sufficiency in an area where this is much needed.

“We hope to extend the programme to other communities,” says Jamhs Morga of the Philippines MSC Missions Office, “in order to further promote sustainable employment while raising awareness of environmental care and protection.”

For the latest updates from the MSC Missions in the Philippines, please visit their Facebook page.

PLEASE HELP US TO CHANGE LIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES

MSC Missions in the Philippines: Mayon Mission Outreach Programme

Since February, the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines have been working to bring aid to families affected by the eruption of Mount Mayon. Between January 13^th and February 1^st 2018, the volcano of Mount Mayon erupted more than 35 times, and over 85,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes by the middle of February.

The volcano continued to spew lava and ash for some time following these eruptions, causing thousands of cases of respiratory diseases and severe overcrowding and lack of supplies in evacuation centres. In some cases, over 20 families were crowded together in one classroom, just so that they had somewhere safe to stay in the aftermath of the eruptions. The MSC Missions Office in the Philippines were on the scene to provide evacuees with immediate essentials such as food and clean water, and they are now continuing to support displaced families by providing vital aid.

In May, the MSC Missions in the Philippines ran a School Supplies Distribution Project in Buhatan Elementary School in Sto. Domingo, Albay as part of the second phase of the Mayon Mission Outreach Programme. A total of 224 students were given a school supplies kit, containing notebooks, paper, crayons, pens, pencils, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, a ruler, scissors, sticky tape, and a tumbler.

“The teachers and parents were very grateful for the help that was extended to their children,” says the MSC Missions Office in the Philippines. “We would like to thank the donors and benefactors who shared their resources for the procurement of school supplies. We would also like to thank the Mayon Mission Outreach team in Albay for helping us to prepare the school supplies kit and organise the outreach activity.”

For the latest updates from the MSC Missions in the Philippines, please visit their Facebook page.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MISSION PROJECTS IN THE PHILIPPINES