“May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.”
For the past 150 years, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have worked to reach out and extend the hand of hope both at home and abroad. From initial endeavours in Papua New Guinea in the organisation’s infancy, to the Irish Province’s current missions on a worldwide scale, the MSC congregation has worked tirelessly in pursuit of a shared vision and a united purpose, providing aid and encouragement to those who need it most.
Africa
Irish MSCs embarked on their first mission in the Transvaal area (in the northern region of South Africa) in 1950, and have gone on to establish an active presence across Africa since then. Initial efforts were focused on the remote area of what is now called the Limpopo Province, and with new ministries evolving over the years, we now have MSC missionaries working across Senegal, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. From education and social development to the care of those suffering from HIV and AIDS, the MSC presence in Africa provides invaluable help to local communities throughout the country.
Russia
In 1995, MSCs from the Irish Province undertook an overseas mission in the Caucasus region of Southern Russia, where a troubled social and political climate had left society lacking in spiritual direction. Today, the Irish Province of the Missionaries of the Scared Heart continues to support local communities in providing religious guidance and humanitarian aid to the Piatigorsk area, bordering the turbulent Chechnya region.
North and Latin America
In the early 1930s, Irish MSCs began to stop off in the USA while travelling to and from the South Seas missions. During their stopovers, they would raise funds for their missionary work, and, in the 1960s, some began to stay for longer periods of time, in order to help the parish ministries there.
A base was soon established in San Antonio, Texas, and today, MSCs continue to work in parish ministry in Texas and California. Meanwhile, the current MSC mission in Venezuela has already aided in the development of parishes, formation houses, an evangelisation centre, medical facilities, and educational services, with our work still ongoing as we endeavour to make positive changes in communities struggling with poverty, hunger, and despair.