Day of Celebration for MSC Vocations

Kevin, Clare, Fr. Alan and Henry

It’s a real day of celebration for the Chevalier Family. Today we have three young adults entering formation in Dublin, two with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) and one with our sister congregation, the Daughters of our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH). It is an exciting new departure, as they take that courageous next step exploring where God is calling them in life.

Meet the Students

Henry has worked in schools, parishes and a youth retreat centre

Henry Balkwill originally comes from near Wells, but has lived all over the England. He has just finished as the school chaplain in the Salvatorian College in Harrow. Previously he has studied theology at Heythrop College and worked on residential youth retreats in Myddelton Grange Catholic Youth Centre in the Diocese of Leeds. Henry is also an accomplished musician and has led worship in his London parish of Borehamwood and most recently in the Greenbelt Youth Festival in August. Henry will begin his Masters in Theology in St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth today.

Clare looking after some of the kids in South Africa

Clare Brady hails from Ballybay in Monaghan and knows the Daughters’ local community very well. She finished her training as a nurse in DCU and is currently working in Beaumount Hospital. Last December she joined the exploreAway discernment programme run by Vocations Ireland and over summer she worked with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteering Project in South Africa. It wasn’t easy to get Clare back from Africa, but we just about managed it!

Kevin working hard in South Africa

Finally Kevin Murphy comes from Scotland, but Ireland is easily his second home. Kevin is an electrician from Kilsyth, near Glasgow. Like Clare he was part of the exploreAway programme and he was in South Africa last year with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Volunteer Programme. Earlier today Kevin said that, “starting my new journey in formation with the MSCs there is a lot of excitement and hope for the future. Excitement for the journey ahead and the hope to be able to carry out God’s work and to strengthen myself spiritually in the process. ” Kevin will be studying philosophy and a number of other courses in DCU.

Over the coming months we’d ask you to keep Kevin, Clare and Henry in your prayers, as well as their formators. We are looking forward to bringing a number of other people who are discerning religious life and priesthood to visit their community. If you feel like you might be called to discern life with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart or if you would simply like to know more about who we are and what we do you can contact Fr. Alan on (086) 7857955 or email on fralan@mscvocations.com