MSC World Projects Appeal 2021: Educating disadvantaged youths in the Congo

Last year, our World Projects Appeal introduced you to the children of the Yetsi region in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Bishop Toussaint Iluku MSC was raising funds to build a school in an area of extreme poverty and hardship.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked as one of the poorest countries in Africa. The diocese of Bokungu-Ikela, located in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was founded by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1961 and is an area of real and pressing need.
The population depends on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods, and on a day-to-day basis, they live hand-to-mouth in precarious conditions.With the diocese coming up to its 60th anniversary, Bishop Toussaint and MSCs in the region are shining the spotlight on the lack of educational facilities in the region.
The Catholic Church is one of the main sources of hope for struggling families in the area, particularly when it comes to education, and our MSCs are doing their best to lay the groundwork to give local children,and generations to come, hope for the future.

Thanks to the generosity of our mission friends here in the Irish Province following last year’s appeal,Bishop Toussaint and his team were able to fund the construction of a school building in Yetsi.
Work is ongoing on the project; however, the school is sorely lacking in equipment as essential as benches and tables. The children can often be seen studying on the floor due to the lack of the most basic facilities,creating additional challenges for students who already have very little, and who are desperately trying to make the best of what they have in order to build a more hopeful future.

Some of the pupils bring their own chairs from their homes. However, many of these children are from homes that have so little, they don’t even have a chair to bring to school.Those children who don’t have them, they have the
floor, where they sit down and follow the teacher.”
– Bishop Toussaint MSC

CAN YOU HELP OUR MISSIONS IN THE CONGO?

MSC World Projects Appeal 2021: Holy Family Centre South Africa

Founded in 2002, the Holy Family Care Centre in South Africa has been run by the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart with the support of the MSC for almost 20 years, under the leadership of Sr Sally Duigan FDNSC.

The Holy Family facility provides invaluable care to young children who are seriously ill, and who, in the majority of cases, have been orphaned or abandoned. These children are primarily HIV positive and are in need of specialised care.
“The reasons for admission to the Holy Family Centre vary, but many children have been abandoned, sexually abused, physically abused, orphaned,or made vulnerable because of HIV/AIDS,” says Sr Sally. “Some come from horrific backgrounds and arrive here very ill, malnourished, frightened, lacking social skills, and generally very bewildered.”
The Holy Family Care Centre is, above all, a place of family, unity, and love.

“We love these children unconditionally,” says Sr Sally. “It doesn’t take long for them to feel at home and to change once they feel loved and cared for.”

With the resources to accommodate 70 children, the centre’s facilities are stretched to full capacity and beyond on a daily basis. Today, 76 children are resident at the centre, and of this number, 56 children attend the local primary school.

Last year, due to the challenges brought about by COVID-19, Sr Sally and the Holy Family team made the decision to home school the children for the year.This has proven to be very beneficial for the students, particularly those children with special needs who require extra care and attention.
Now that the school is returning for the new year, the Holy Family children are in need of help. The students need uniforms, shoes, books, pens, pencils,and bags, to prepare for their return to school and to be able to receive an education that will give them a solid foundation for a brighter, more hopeful future.

“It is with deep appreciation that I say ‘Thank you!’ In the past year, you have helped our ministries very significantly, and in this time of uncertainty, you are helping us to help people affected by the coronavirus pandemic all over the world.”
“May you be blessed! Be assured of our continued prayers for your intentions, through the intercession of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.”
Sr Marife Mendoza FDNSC
Congregational Leader of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

CAN YOU HELP EDUCATE THE HOLY FAMILY CHILDREN?

MSC World Projects Appeal 2021: Transforming lives in Brazil

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) first began their work in Brazil, in the city of Alfenas, 100 years ago. Today, they continue to help local communities all over the country, wherever and whenever they are needed most.

Community cars for pastoral work

OLSH communities in the cities of Barração and Campinas are both raising funds to buy a car each, which will prove invaluable to their pastoral work in local areas.
Sisters in Barração cover a total of 17 mission stations in the city and surrounding area. Some of these stations are located up to 40km away from the city, catering to local farmers and their families who are not able to travel into the city to hear Mass. Sisters in Campinas run a local kindergarten, caring for 296 children from the ages of two to six for eight hours a day. The Sisters here provide food, education, and spiritual care to these vulnerable children, and the school survives on donations and goodwill.

 

Children’s choir in Mirinzal

In Mirinzal, the local children’s choir run by Sr Maria is a safe haven for youths who come from backgrounds of severe hardship. Last year, we helped Sr Maria to buy musical instruments for the choir, and this year, she is asking us to help her to raise funds to buy three wireless microphones for the choir to use during Masses.

Mass for remote communities

OLSH Sisters in Mirinzal are asking for your help in buying essential liturgical items for Mass, such as missals, chalices, and lectionaries, for three of the 18 mission stations they cover in remote locations across the north of Brazil.

Empowering local women

In Alfenas, an OLSH-run social work centre helps 65 families from the region,providing them with essential food supplies once a month. The Sisters here also have a special purpose in empowering local women, enabling them to learn various practical skills, such as sewing, which will help them to earn money and provide desperately needed financial support for their families.
The OLSH Sisters at the social work centre are raising funds to replace a number of tools in their sewing and fabric painting workshops. They need two cabinets and two sewing machines, which will allow them to continue their work in helping local women to learn invaluable skills for self-sufficiency.

CAN YOU HELP THE OLSH SISTERS IN BRAZIL?

MSC World Projects Appeal 2021: OLSH Global Outreach

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) are a vital part of our Sacred Heart Family, working all over the world, often in partnership with MSCs, under our shared motto:

“May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.”

CARING FOR THE ELDERLY IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

In Papua New Guinea, a community of 86 OLSH Sisters provide dedicated hands-on care for vulnerable individuals and families, from young children to the elderly. In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial assistance from the Irish Province allowed the OLSH Sisters in Papua New Guinea to provide extra safety measures in the Hartzer Centre, an aged-care centre attached to the main convent in Port Moresby, the country’s capital, where the Sisters care for elderly OLSH Sisters and MSC missionary priests who have devoted their lives to serving the people of Papua New Guinea.

As we all know, hygiene is one of the most vital defences against the coronavirus, and our mission friends in Ireland and the UK have already helped to provide extra sinks for improved safety measures. The Hartzer Centre has eight rooms for their elderly residents, but the centre does not have a dedicated laundry area of its own, and this creates significant difficulties surrounding hygiene as the centre’s nurses must bring all dirty laundry through the convent dining room to reach the communal washing area.

Sr Relida, Provincial of the OLSH Sisters in Papua New Guinea, has sent her “deep gratitude” for the changes we have already helped to make, and now asks if our mission friends in the Irish Province could please help the Sisters to build a small laundry area for the Hartzer Centre, to ensure the continued safety and care of vulnerable elderly residents.

SOWING SEEDS FOR THE FUTURE IN SOUTH SUDAN

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart recently marked 25 years of service in South Sudan, where they have been involved in everything from education and nursing to general pastoral work.Most recently, the Sisters have been working to build gardens which will help to provide a stable and sustainable source of food and water to families in the region who have very little.

The gardens contain bores which are drilled and fitted with a pump, a tank, and a watering system.
These gardens are used to grow a variety of vegetables, and, when cultivated to their full potential, will be hugely beneficial in the long-term provision of nutritious food supplies to local families, who are up against a daily struggle to afford to feed their children.

CAN YOU HELP THE OLSH SISTERS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Your support greatly appreciated at Berea-Albion FC & Academy

Five academy learners that are greatly benefiting from your extremely generous donation very gratefully received : Koketso Mamogopodi, Lucky Marema, Vokois Mohlabini, Thato Moeti and Litha Lugalo.

Last year as part of our World Missions Appeal you helped us aid the students at Berea-Albion FC & Academy in Pretoria South Africa and we are glad to report the donations have been put to good use. The Academy helps young disadvantaged learners through quality education, accommodation, housing, nutrition, football training and development for a better future life. These youths often have struggled with poverty, HIV/AIDS, abuse, alcoholism, and poor educational backgrounds.

We are pleased to say that since then they have been able to fund the erection of water tanks and buildings which include an eatery/dining area and outdoor meeting and entertainment area for our academy learners.

Neil Bosman, co-founder of the Academy has expressed sincere gratitude for your continued support .

CAN YOU HELP OUR MSC MISSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 MSC Christmas Raffle!

MSC Christmas Raffle 2020

 Christmas Raffle Prize Winners:

1st Prize: Shopping voucher to the value of €1,000

J. Walsh

Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

2nd Prize: Festive Feast Hamper value €500

J O’Brien

Westport, Co Mayo.

3rd Prize: Supreme Christmas Hamper value €400

E O’Neill

Booterstown, Co. Dublin.

4th Prize: Festive Celebration Christmas Hamper value €350

R Grace,

Ballymitty, Co. Wexford.

5th Prize: Christmas Pantry Hamper value €250

R Lynch,

Boyle, Co. Roscommon.

6th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper value €150

A Scully

Birr Co. Offaly

7th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper value €150

O Lawrence

Dundalk, Co. Louth.

8th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper value €150

L Finnegan

Athlone, Co. Westmeath.

9th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper value €150

B Poniard

Athenry, Co. Galway.

10th Prize: Deck the Halls Hamper value €150

A Kennedy

Dundrum, Dublin 14.

Special Seller’s Prize: Christmas Pantry Hamper value €250

C Sheridan

Dundalk, Co. Louth

This year’s Christmas Draw took place on Thursday, December 18th 2020.

We would like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone for taking part. 

Click here to read a special Christmas message from Fr Michael

 

Fr Alan Neville joins our Missionaries in South Sudan

Our dear Fr Alan MSC has left us to join our Missionaries in South Sudan. Fr Alan has been Vocations Director here and has done some amazing work with us since 2011, having previously spent time ministering in Ireland, the UK, South Africa, and Venezuela.

As Vocations Director, Fr Alan helped people who were trying to discern a call to priesthood and religious life. Fr Alan had closely with those who were exploring the nature of their vocation, providing support and guidance during their period of discernment.

Within his role, Fr Alan was youth minister for the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Here, he worked with a team of dedicated youth workers to support young people as they celebrate their faith. Fr Alan has been involved in Catholic youth festivals, pilgrimages, the MSC overseas volunteering programme, and World Youth Day celebrations, helping young people from all walks to life to embrace God’s love.

We wish him the best of luck and look forward to his reports!

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are always proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.

HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN

Typhoon Rolly creates havoc in the Phillipines

On November 1, 2020, the Philippines was hit by the strongest typhoon recorded this year (Typhoon Rolly). One of the most affected areas was the Bicol Region (south of Luzon). Houses were buried, livelihoods were destroyed and families were displaced. Our Mission Partners in Gunobatan, Albay are now preparing for the Relief Operation Program in evacuation centers that are being set up by the local government.

Meanwhile, the MSC Philippine Province through the MSC Mission Office Phillippines organized a Call for Donations Campaign to send help to our brothers and sisters in the province. They conducted a 15 Day Donation Countdown that started last November 3, 2020 until November 18, 2020. In this way they can gather enough funds for the Mission Outreach for the affected families. According to our Mission Partner, sending the support later would be a great strategy since at this time lots of support are coming from different organizations and institutions. In their experiences before, they really had a hard time sustaining the people in evacuation centers especially during the later part of their stay in the centers. It is in this regard that they would appeal for donations to you and help us gather funds for our brothers and sisters who were greatly affected by Typhoon Rolly. Your support will be a great help to bring back the lives of the affected families in the region.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES

MSC’s celebrate Chevalier Day – “Be God’s Heart On Earth”,

“As we continue to live through these challenging, troubling, anxious times where we are stripped of so many certainties and usual ways of living and ministering, we remain men of hope, men with a mission, men of the present and the future – why? … because we are men who have been found, touched and transformed by the love of God revealed in the heart of Jesus.

Today, we remember our Founder, Fr. Jules Chevalier. We appreciate and thank God for all the activities and initiatives you are doing all over the MSC world to celebrate this day. It is in this spirit that we present this Videoclip in memory of Fr. Jules Chevalier. We hope that for all of us, this 21st of October 2020 will be a significant day that will encourage us to keep on committing ourselves to the Mission.

The greatness of Fr. Chevalier is that despite so many negative experiences throughout his life, setbacks in the growth and development of the little Society, internal divisions and many, many personal sufferings, he did not allow his life and view to be dominated by negativity. It always amazes me, reading the writings of his latter years: he clearly did not belong to those people who only blame the darkness; he always tried to light a candle and to make a difference in the world by being a missionary, by being a man of hope, a man of heart. His whole life is summed up in the title chosen by himself: Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

We are MSC!  We are God’s heart on earth!”

Fr Carl Tranter

Provincial superior,
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart.

 

 

 

South Sudan prepares for return to school.

It’s been a busy few months for our friends in Rumbeck in South Sudan. The fields are harvested and after 6 months absence, the students and the teachers are returning back from their different places of quarantine.

We have experienced many emotions but overall there has been great joy that we can return to teaching.

While malaria season continues they have been counting their blessings that they haven’t seen the obvious signs of coronavirus, but continue to take extra safe measures and hope and pray that they can prevent it from prevailing. Their delicate infrastructure simply would not be able to cope.
Earlier in the month of September, the Councils of Ministers in South Sudan made a decision concerning the reopening of schools and Loreto Rumbeck has decided to stagger the return of their students by 2 week intervals as a quarantine measure and to enforce social distancing measures.

Also in September “Mary’s meals” assisted the Rumbeck community by distributing food to local schools supported by the Diocese of Rumbek (DOR) through DOR Education. Loreto Primary School is one of the beneficiaries of Mary’s Meals. The distributions consisted of maize, beans, oil, salt, and soap. Since the students were still at home, parents and guardians collected the supplies on behalf of the students. This was done to encourage the pupils to continue their focus on education even while they were at home. Mary’s Meals has supported the Loreto school for many years and this has heavily impacted our high levels of school attendance – especially in the lower primary grades.

Recently an extra room, “a space for healing” was built for counselling at the school. The youths find great benefit in Sr Petra’s counselling sessions and as they were previously been held in the computer lab, it wasn’t ideal as they were being continuously interrupted. This was facilitated by you the donors support and Loreto Rumbeck are extremely grateful.

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart are always proud to support the wonderful work done by the Loreto Sisters for the young women of South Sudan.
For more photographs and further information about Loreto Rumbek, visit their website or visit their Facebook page.
You can also find out more about how MSC Missions work with Loreto Rumbek – and how you can help to make a difference to the young women of South Sudan.

HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN

MSC Phillipine Province – Celebrating 40 years of Mission Work.

“The Covid-10 Pandemic has affected each of us around the world in different ways. Some have experienced losing loved ones; hunger, idleness, uncertainty and vulnerability, while others are still in great crisis emotionally, mentally and financially. On the other hand it has united people and this year being the 40th year of Missions in the year of ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue and indigenous people in the Philippines despite the pandemic there in a sense of blessing for these celebrations.”

Indeed, Covid-19 pandemic cannot stop the celebrations of Love and life-giving force of the Holy Spirit. The year 2020 is also a great blessing to the MSc Philippines Province and the people entrusted to our care. With deep gratitude and joy, we celebrate our 40th Anniversary as a Province in a unique way. Temporarily forgoing mass celebration due to Covid -19 does not lessen the inspiration it conveys to everyone.

“On March 15, 1980, the MSC Philippines became the 14th Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. This year, March 15, 2020, the MSC Philippines celebrated 40 years of being a Province. The years may seem to have passed quickly but in reality, decade after decade, year after year, the MSC Philippine Province has experienced its own share of challenges, trials and disappointments. But beyond all these challenges, we are one in proclaiming that after 40 years, we MSCs of the Philippines have JOY, GRATITUDE AND COURAGE. Joy, gratitude and courage because, most importantly, it’s due to the faithful, abiding presence and guidance of God who has called us to be Missionaries of His Love in what ever missionary and ministerial undertakings we are in. Joy, gratitude and courage because of the countless people, partners and companions, who have journeyed with us these forty years. MSC Philippines continues to remember with gratefulness our “Mother Province” – MSC Netherlands – to all our Dutch MSC confreres who came to the Philippines from 1908 onwards for their sacrifice and gift of themselves for the people and the Church in the Philippines.
“ONE HEART, NEW SPIRIT “- may these words guide us as we move forward as a Province after the grace of this milestone of 40 years. “One Heart, New Spirit” – united and renewed as MSC Philippine Province in our continuing desire to be like Jesus whose love is our inspiration and driving force as we continue to dedicate our lives to the works of our mission.
We give special mention to our ongoing mission engagement with the communities of indigenous people on this “Year of Ecumenism, interreligious dialogue and Indigenous people”. The MSCs are constantly challenged to respond in dialogue with our indigenous brothers and sisters for their welfare and protection, for their human and cultural rights. Concretely, the MSC is doing indigenous people ministries in our parishes in San Luis, Agusan del Sur and Bangkal, Abukay, Bataan.”

As individuals, our personal contributions may be small, but when united in common cause, we can change the world.

“Our membership statistics on December 31, 1979 show that we started our province with 85 professed members, of whom 16 were still under the initial formation program. The 69 “working members” were – with one exception – all ministering within the Philippines. In our forty years as a province, we were blessed with 184 new members who made their first profession – of course, not all on these stayed with us, for a good number their first profession was also their last, and actually less than 120 reached their final profession. We counted 89 ordinations to the priesthood in our 40 years as province.”

Indeed, our members are our greatest asset for our present and future mission.

“Becoming a Province, feels a bit like reaching the age of maturity, of adulthood, within the large MSC community. It is not so much a matter of new rights and privileges, as a matter of new responsibilities. For more than seventy years (1908-1980) the MSC community in the Philippines was at the receiving end of MSC generosity. Provincehood brought also a greater co-responsibility for a mission in common with the MSC Society all over the world. From mainly receiving, we became a contributing province. We were able to provide the general administration with one general bursar and two general councilors, we opened our novitiate for MSC novices from Korea, India and Vietnam, we took the initiative that led to APIA and hosted – as long as they lasted – its yearly spirituality seminars; and lately we are the host of Cor Vitae and its formation activities.
…while we have also experienced disappointments when missions were less successful as we had hoped it will not stop us from sending more of us abroad. ”

“An even greater grace than all this is that from just receiving missionaries, we have become a community that has actively joined the MSC mission to the world by sending missionaries. In 1985, the Philippine Province sent its first two missionaries to South Korea. They would be followed by two more in 1986 and 1988. It is a story that deserves a more extensive telling, but for this article it should suffice to mention that a mission that the Philippine Province accepted in 1985, found its happy conclusion only thirty-three years later with the elevation of the Korea MSC region to MSC provincehood. While Korea can definitely be considered the crown of our “mission ad extra” experience, we may be equally proud of the missionaries we sent to Japan, the Marshall Islands, Brazil and the Netherlands. And while we have also experienced disappointments, when missions were less “successful” as we had hoped, it will not stop us from sending more of us abroad. From here on, international mission has to remain a constituent part of being Philippine Province. Our next step will be Lebanon and it cannot be the last, for sure.
There are many more blessings to celebrate, graces to be thankful for in our jubilee celebration: new initiatives to spread the spirituality of the heart also outside of our traditional parish context, the growing number of lay people associated with us who joined us in our spirituality, the solid initial formation program that our formators were able to design and implement and all the often unseen and unsung commitment and perseverance of our members assigned in difficult places. ”

Extract from PARTNERS Province V0l 12, ISSUE NO.1
(Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Philippines publication)
Fr. Ad Van Hest, MSC

Building for Sustainability in the Phillippines

Our dear friends in the Philippines have been busy during this pandemic. As the United Nation’s
secretary general recently noted, the threat from coronavirus is temporary whereas the threat from heat waves, floods and extreme storms resulting in the loss of human life will remain with us for years.
Though Bravely trying not to succumb to the dreaded implications of the corona-virus they are trying to come together to build a stronger community and developed their approach to sustainable living.
Earlier on in the year they had begun their relentless  “Beat the Plastic” campaign in which they were making brick products from the plastic trash and now they are admirably trying to create a sustainable living by launching their UMAHANTA programme  on MAY 15, 2020 the Feast Day of San Isidro Labrador (Patron Saint of the Farmers). They have already obtained a DSWD certificate (registered as a Social Welfare and Development Agency) and are now waiting on a licence to operate.

“We have a total of 4.2 land hectares with an encroachment of cemetery more or less 5 mts. by 300 mts. With more or less 40 tombs inside our property.”
Their main aims are :
1. Establish a farm structure with a nursery house, seeding shelter house & composting area.

2. Build a Water system which will include a deep well, solar power , a big water tank and water impounding area.

3. Build an inventory of Bodega Farm Tools for the community . (Enough for 10 workers)

4. Construct an Animal Raising house (i.e. huts for goats, chickens, pig, turkey etc.)

5. Increase their crop production i.e.
-Vegetables bahay kubo (nipa hut) 10 kg harvest
-Fruit trees (minimum 20 pcs each)
Indigenous Trees/Fruit Trees will be sourced out from San Luis, La Paz, & Talacogon, etc.

“We want to adopt the style of Fr. Mac in Surigao generously dispersing seedlings all the time. Our Target for dispersal: at least 100 seedling trees every month.”

They also intend to produce quality organic Bio-feeds from Market Waste -fruits/vegetables and farm roughages with their machines like the Shredder, the Pelletizer, the Presser and the Mixer with a proper Fermentation Technique.

A Livestock Dispersal Programme  – Must be planned out and intensified in this time of pandemic with the farmers who are willing to avail of this livelihood.

The MSC Centre for the Poor Phillippines wants to pursue this project by organising the local community, schools, parishes, organizations and gather their collective efforts to carry the following advocacy:
-Education on the integrity of creation,
-Zero Waste and Segregation,
-Ecological Balance,
-Garbage Management.
“We have to open our resources for the people our “UMAHANTA” Community Farming Program serves as a model to develop more farms… .COVID 19 has brought us back to the BASIC…
We must establish and produce farm products which is sustainable for people to live.”

There is a strong need now more than ever to create income generating projects and other efforts to raise the quality of life for the rural poor, promote and work with technology that is appropriate , ecologically balanced and safe. They must be able to save and use the traditional rice, corn and vegetable seed varieties that are not dependent on heavy chemical input.
Through this they need to create training programmes on Environmental Management Systems that will strengthen their centres and collective farms.

We must look forward and work for a just, equitable, judicious use of our natural and human resources.7. We believe that we are all connected and that by helping another, we help ourselves. Each individual can make a commitment to work towards the common good. As individuals, our personal contributions may be small, but when united in common cause, we can change the world. Let us reshape our planet revolutionizing sustainable life style of today to a much better future starting with ourselves.
development.

Update from MSC August Conference 2020 , Fr Richie Gomez MSC and Fr Tans MSC

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES