Mar 24, 2022
MSCs in the Philippines joined forces with the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and local volunteers to offer emergency relief aid to survivors of a fire that tore through the community of St Teresa of Calcutta in Quezon City on Tuesday, March 8th.
The MSC Scholasticate Community visited the community of the St Teresa of Calcutta Chapel to help with relief aid, including food provision and the distribution of care packages, shortly after the fire took place on March 8th. The St Teresa of Calcutta Chapel is just one of the chapels of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station in the area, which is under the pastoral care and guidance of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
More than 80 families were left homeless following the blaze, where possessions, houses, and valuables were all lost to the flames. The MSC Scholasticate Community distributed care packages containing food and essentials, including pre-loved clothes and goods for families that had been left with nothing following the fire.
    
The MSC Scholasticate Community shared an update on the relief aid on their Facebook page, writing, âGratitude is due to the OMI Theologate Community, SFIC Philippines, and some other individuals for sharing their resources in helping the affected community.â
âTogether, we all make present the Heart of God on Earth,â they finished.
Please keep our Sacred Heart family in Quezon City in your prayers as they help survivors of the fire to find safety and security in the wake of this disaster.
Images via the MSC Scholasticate Community – Philippines on Facebook.
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Feb 10, 2022
Established in 2018, the MSC Centre for the Poor is located in the city of Butuan in the Philippines, and focuses on harnessing the gifts of the natural world to combat poverty, unemployment, and the exploitation of the ecosystem â work in which âeveryone is called to be a partner in the contribution of healing our landâ.
The Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have a long-standing friendship with the community at the MSC Centre for the Poor, and community leader there, Fr Richie Gomez MSC, has recently been in touch with an update on the work going on in the centre, following their most recent “Be a Food Security Frontliner” campaign.
âAn alternative lifestyle that is good for the well-being of allâ
The goal of the community at the Centre is âto promote an alternative lifestyle that is good for the well-being of allâ, with a co-operative running across the two MSC Centre for the Poor locations, one in Butuan City and one in Del Monte Agusan del Sur. Focusing on the development of a self-sufficient community, where those involved nurture the earth and reap the benefits in return, the current programme incorporates the following goals:
- The development of healthy soil and fresh organic produce, to contribute to a plentiful and nutritious diet for members of the co-operative.
- The development and use of safe, ecologically balanced technology to tie in with the concept of organic sustainable farming employed by the MSC Centre for the Poor.
- The development of a deeper consciousness of managing waste with the aim of a zero-water lifestyle in all kitchens across the co-operative.
- The development of income-generating projects and additional efforts to raise the quality of life of the rural poor.
- The continued raising of awareness of the necessity of caring for the environment in response to the ongoing climate emergency.
âFrom the tiniest seeds to a grown tree, from the fertilization of eggs to completely matured animals, from planting to nurturing, growing, and harvesting, all of these processes are realized because of tender love and care, whether by nature or by a responsible steward,â writes Fr Richie. âWe have to stop abusing and poisoning the soil, water, air and our bodies, for us to allow the natural regeneration process of our environment.â
âFarm-to-table connectionsâ
The MSC Centre for the Poor community are continuing work on the establishment of a fair-trade system based on an inclusive economy, whereby nobody will be left out through âfarm to table connectionsâ that bypass large commercial traders. Consumers are educated about the lives and work of the farmers that grow the produce they buy, and all of this produce is grown organically, without chemical interference.
âWe have a sincere desire for change â not to make false promises but to be true to our conviction for total transformation from âego-systemâ to âeco-systemâ,â explains Fr Richie. âWe value the collective efforts of our co-op members through the establishment of their own farms, and we bring them together at the Centreâs Trading Post Harvest Facility. Then, we become the green producers and bring our products to the green consumers.â
The MSC Centre for the Poor is conscious of upholding their responsibility to the consumer, noting that each member of the co-operative must âfulfil its obligation to produce and supply with the corresponding demands. Each member of the co-op is tasked to be part of the responsibility and must be prepared for the assigned crops or livestock productions.â
âAs long as there are people who believe and trust in us and in regaining oneâs relationship with the environment, this work will sustain.â
The community at the Centre for the Poor benefit greatly from a wonderful team of volunteers. âVolunteerism is one of our core values to meet our goals, as we believe that by helping others, we help ourselves.â
âAs long as there are people who believe and trust in us and in regaining oneâs relationship with the environment, this work will sustain,â continues Fr Richie. âWe are an emerging social enterprise that allows individuals to create regenerative livelihoods that nourish the soul and take care of the planet.â
âThe honing of the land to its full potential will create multiple revenue streams, while we will implement a model of an assets-based community. This is a closed-loop system that generates and replenishes the earthâs resources without creating waste and ecological harm.â
The MSC Centre for the Poor also operates a âLiving Museumâ of farmland in Del Monte Agusan del Sur. âOur farmland will be stewarded by the members of the co-op who are ready and willing to embark on a pathway of alternate living,â says Fr Richie. âThe goal is to allow for choice around intentional community and to create the opportunity for lifelong learning for everyone.â
âOur priority is to meet the needs of each member and the land. We will create a full-featured settlement that allows all of the functions of everyday life. The community will provide a place to live, make things, enjoy leisure, and honour social connections. We will encourage individuals to find their own niche for self-expression, livelihood, and growth. Everyone will have the opportunity to co-create the change they seek.â
âA fertile community allows for the emergence of a new culture rooted in a deep connection to nature and the self, collective consciousness of ecology, and mutual respect between all living beings.â
Jan 20, 2022
Fr Richie Gomez MSC, community leader at the MSC Centre for the Poor, located in Butuan, updates us on the current situation in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette, which struck on December 16th, 2021. In a letter to Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC, Fr Richie writes of the deep gratitude of the Filipino MSC community for the support of our mission friends in the Irish Province. âI would like to thank you for your untiring support to the Philippine Province,â he writes. âWe are your extended arms, feet, mind, and heart in reaching the poor, and now with our typhoon survivors.â
The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart â Social Initiative and Collaborative Action Project (MSC-SICAP) is a group of missionary volunteers âwith a charismatic heart,â working as a dedicated disaster response and management team under the umbrella of the MSC Centre of the Poor and led by Fr Richie, the centreâs director.
In response to the devastating impact of Typhoon Odette, Fr Richie has gathered a group of community-based volunteers, including doctors, engineers, teachers, business people, artists, students, and many more. âWhen it made landfall, winds of up to 210 km per hour were uprooting coconut trees, ripping down electricity poles, and hurling slabs of corrugated tin and wood through the air,â reports the MSC-SICAP group. This group initiated an immediate active response to provide a basic relief kit of necessities including food, water, medicine, and hygiene products, to victims from both the mainland and islands of Surigao. âThe group aims to amalgamate passionate and compassionate volunteers in the region, whose hearts are dedicated and committed in the service of humanitarian movements,â writes Fr Richie.
MSC Strategic Disaster Response Plan
The MSC-SICAP group, working with the MSC Centre for the Poor, have developed a strategic disaster response plan, detailing three recovery stages:
Stage 1: Bangon-Igsoon (In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon)
This stage has focused on answering the immediate and urgent needs of survivors, with the distribution of essentials such as food, water, medical aid, and clothes. All of these necessities have been issued directly to victims of the typhoon at designated distribution points, with a target reach of 10,000 households.
Stage 1 also includes the installation of water filtration stations in Siargao Island, which is currently suffering from a dangerous cholera outbreak. These water filtration stations cost 100,000 Philippine pesos, an equivalent of approximately âŹ1,700.
Stage 2: Bahay-Buhay (Approximately one month after the typhoon)
Stage 2 involves helping to build simple houses for families who cannot afford to repair or rebuild homes that have been destroyed by the storm. The target goal is to build 500 houses, benefitting people from the communities of Siargao, Nonoc, Bayagnan, Dinagat, Loreto, and the Islands.
Stage 3: Heal-Surigao (Taking time to heal the island)
During Stage 3, MSCs around the islands will pray with local communities for cleansing and renewal of the land. This stage will also incorporate the arts as a vehicle for healing children and the wider community, through music, dance, storytelling, and more. Through the creative process, it is hoped that children and their families will be able to better process the impact of the typhoon and look with renewed hope towards the future.
âFaith based, love driven.â
The motto for the response plan is âFaith based, love drivenâ, as MSCs throughout affected areas work together with local communities to rebuild a ravaged land. The MSC-SICAP group are working to âreact, respond, and rescueâ the victims of natural disasters such as Typhoon Odette, providing fundamental needs, from the physical to the spiritual, and bringing the light of hope into the hearts of survivors.
As they continue in the implementation of their response plan, the MSC-SICAP group write of the impact of Typhoon Odette, and the power of faith and unity in the hope of renewal:
ââExpect the unexpectedâ â a classic line that could somehow happen to anybody at any moment in any place, just like the typhoon, Odette, that wrecked Surigao. It was once a haven of natureâs bounty, with exciting hullabaloo coming from different nationalities. Now, nothing but silence! December 16th 2021 was an unforgettable traumatic moment for every Surigaonon and tourists in the area, along with other areas where the typhoon made landfall. It was a nightmareâŠ
Strong winds of 165 km/h near the centre, with gusts of up to 205 km/h and central pressure of 950 hPa, swept away houses, buildings, trees, and street posts, leaving the entire place destroyed. The roaring storm sounded horrid, bouncing back into each corner, frightening the children, the elders, and the weak, a miserable experience of anxiety and fear. The unthinkable orchestration of chaos, fear, hunger, and hopelessness has savaged and saddened our Surigaonon brethren.
Emotionally, the circumstances have been intensified because it was near Christmas season when the typhoon hit â supposedly a season of merry making and thanksgiving, to celebrate the most awaited Simbang Gabi, but this year, it turned out differently. Many have suffered and been broken, dreams have been shattered, smiles have been torn, and hearts have been wounded. That echoing feeling of devastation resonates in the whole island of Mindanao and to the heart of the world.
They need our HELP! They need our PRAYERS! They need US!
We, the Missionary of the Sacred Heart- Social Initiative and Collaborative Action Project (MSC-SICAP) volunteers, have initiated a massive calamity response from the very start, beginning with providing basic needs to over 5,000 families in several parts of Surigao. The operation runs under our own strategic organising and management system to accelerate the distribution of relief goods with the help of our partners. Hundreds of volunteers convene 24/7 at the district house of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Butuan City, and together we are working hand-in-hand to address the urgent necessities continuously.
Fr Richie Gomez is the captain of the project and keeps our vessel afloat amidst exhaustion and sleepless nights, for the sake of the wailing sacred land of Surigao that seeks our comfort. We will stand right beside them until they will rise back.
For us, this is an awakening journey and a profound reminder of what our hearts are made of â compassion and kindness. Together, we will rebuild the hopes and dreams of our fellow Surigaononsâ brothers and sisters, and with the provisions of Godâs divine grace we shall rejoice back the victory of our loving and united place, Caraga.â
Jan 12, 2022
As relief efforts continue in the Philippines following the devastating impact of Typhoon Odette in December 2021, MSC Mission response programmes are ongoing.
On January 11th, the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines reported that relief outreach to date has been far-reaching, with 3,791 relief packs, 575 sacks of rice, and 730 gallons of water distributed since the typhoon hit in mid-December, killing over 400 and rendering hundreds of thousands of people homeless.
The Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines shared a collection of photographs of the relief distribution programme based in Guilutongan Island, Cordova, which is one of the most affected communities in Cebu. These images give just some indication of the sheer scale of the damage done by Typhoon Odette as it tore through the country, leaving close to 600,000 people without homes.
Writing from an evacuation centre on Christmas Eve, community leader Fr Richie Gomez MSC told Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC how grateful he was for the âoverwhelming supportâ that our Filipino MSC brothers have received from the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We ask that your continue to keep our MSC brothers and the people of the Philippines in your prayers as they continue to navigate this landscape of loss and destruction.
Images via the MSC Mission Office Philippines, Inc. Facebook page.
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Jan 4, 2022
MSCs in the Philippines have been working throughout the Christmas season to bring emergency aid to survivors of Typhoon Odette, which hit the country with devastating consequences on December 16th, 2021.
Super Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, was the largest storm of 2021, with 6.2 million people affected in ten regions across the country. 580,000 people were displaced by the storm, and the death toll, as of December 30th, was at 397, with many more injuries. Over 712,000 homes have been badly damaged or destroyed by the storm, while an estimated 80,000 hectares of crops and agricultural land have been ravaged by powerful winds and torrential rain.
Our MSC Centre for the Poor, located in Butuan, has been carrying out relief efforts over the Christmas period. Headed by community leader Fr Richie Gomez MSC, the volunteer team have been working to bring vital emergency aid to families and communities in the south of the country.
As of December 30th, it was reported that some 580,000 people had been displaced by the storm, with 356,000 people dependent on the services of evacuation centres, while a further 227,000 were staying with family or friends. Writing from an evacuation centre on Christmas Eve, where he and a group of volunteers were handing out meals to the indigenous Badjao community, who had been âwashed outâ of their homes on the shoreline, Fr Richie told Irish Provincial Superior Fr Carl Tranter MSC how grateful he was for the âoverwhelming supportâ that our Filipino MSC brothers have received from the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.
âIt is quite emotional, on my part, celebrating Christmas Eve in evacuation centres, when Jesus became the bread of life, the Emmanuel, for all of us,â wrote Fr Richie.
âI thank God for this great privilege⊠He has used me on a Christmas Eve to feed hundreds of evacuees with mushroom burgers made by our scholars at the Centre for the Poor.â
âThank you for your overwhelming support!â
Our MSC brothers and Sacred Heart sisters are working tirelessly to provide essential support to the survivors of the typhoon as clean-up operations continue. We ask that you please keep our Sacred Heart family, and the communities they serve, in your prayers at this time of great need.
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