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Life Goes On – Fr Alan in South Sudan.

 

It has been heartening that many people got in touch over the last month to see how things were here, due to the ongoing civil war in Sudan. The situation there is dire, as rival leaders seek to gain as much power and wealth as possible, regardless of the suffering they cause. The only time they think of their people is when they look down to see who they are standing on. The loss of life in the conflict and the subsequent humanitarian crisis have sent shockwaves around an already fragile region.

 

Tens of thousands of the people now fleeing Sudan into northern South Sudan are themselves South Sudanese refugees who had fled South Sudan in 2013 because of the civil war here. Over the past few weeks they have arrived exhausted, carrying their meagre belonging, and uncertain what will happen next for them or their families. They have come at the worst possible time, as the rains have just started. Flooding usually cuts off the roads around the country, making it far more difficult to transport aid to impacted regions. To complicate matters further, by now people have used up most of their stores from last year’s harvest and it is a waiting game to see how long they can hold on for before they are forced by necessity to harvest what they have just planted. Finally, South Sudan’s largest export is oil from the north of the country, pumped through Sudan to Port Sudan. With the civil war this has all come to a sudden halt. This has fuelled hyperinflation nationally, making basic food and medicine prohibitively expensive in the market. The rains, which are seen as a real blessing, also unfortunately bring with them mosquitos and malaria. A single treatment for a family member can cost almost a month’s wages.

Uncertainty, however, is often the norm here and the South Sudanese are nothing if not resilient. How they manage continues to be something of a mystery to me. They have little alternative though. Within Loreto School and the University things are continuing as normal for the moment. In the school we have just welcomed a whole new group of first years students the Sunday before last. As part of our policy of cooperation and integration, they have come from all over the country, from different backgrounds and ethnic groups. They will be looked after through a fantastic system of school families, where students in second, third, and fourth year will act as their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmothers. Judging by the dancing and singing around the school last Saturday night I think they will be fine.

university students taking exams

In the University we are coming to the end of our first term and are due to finish exams on Saturday. The number of students enrolled has almost doubled this year and there is already a healthy interest among people hoping to apply for our next academic year. Our focus remains on raising up business leaders, who will build the South Sudanese economy, and training teachers for secondary school. We hope to begin a new Bachelor of Education programme this year in commerce, religious education, and citizenship. In addition, we will continue growing the Catholic ethos aspect of our curriculum, with courses on ethics, theology, and introduction to the Bible as part of our ongoing human formation.

 

When trying to learn how to play the guitar years and years ago, one of the first songs I practiced was by the Beatles. The lyrics are known by practically everybody and they seem relevant to where I find myself today: Obladi, Oblada, life goes on, brah Lala, how the life goes on. As I said earlier, how things go on here at times, I’ll never understand, but people have no choice, so they just get on with it. Self-pity is a luxury no one can afford. They do the best they can with what they have and they do it better than I ever could. Let’s continue to pray for the situation in Sudan and to pray for each other.

Nhialic ke yin ( God bless),

Fr. Alan.

 

 

 

Read more from Fr Alan’s missionary journey in South Sudan:

PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN

Award for MSC Centre for the Poor Agriculture Cooperative in the Philippines.

 

Last March 25th was a day of great significance for the MSC Center for the Poor  Agriculture Cooperative in Butaun, Philippines. It marked the anniversary of the organisation, coinciding with Annunciation Day.

 

MSC Center for the Poor Agricultural 2nd General Assembly

 

Fr. Richie and the Members of the Agricultural Cooperative held their 2nd General Assembly, to celebrate both these events. For the Members, who are mostly farmers from Mindanao, it is a day of hope, a moment to look forward to the future and to reflect on the truly amazing achievements. One of these achievements is the Award for the Most Outstanding CSO in the Country, awarded by the Philippine Department of Agriculture. The Awards states: 

 “For sharing best practises that demonstrate their dedicated efforts and valuable contributions resulting in outstanding and impactful engagement as beneficiary of agricultural and fishery programs and projects towards uplifting the lives of the farmers and fisher folk in their locality.” It is a testament to the hard work and perseverance of everyone involved in this organisation.

 

The cooperative has been experiencing fast growth and expansion, which is thanks in large part to the leadership of Fr. Richie MSC and the commitment of its members. The cooperative has become a beacon of hope for the farmers of Mindanao, providing them with the necessary tools and resources to improve their livelihoods. 

“Of course we always look with debt of gratitude to the MSC Irish

Province and to your people there for considering us in your fundraising activities. 

I hope and pray that we can collaborate and work more together in mission.” 

~ Fr. Richie MSC

 

 

This just emphasises how important the many contributions from our MSC friends are. That they have helped to achieve this high achievement is a blessing for us all. With continued perseverance and commitment, the future of the Center for the Poor Agriculture Cooperative in Butaun, Philippines looks very bright indeed. 

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SACRED HEART FAMILY
IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

 

 

Letters from around the world: Thank you from our OLSH Sisters

As our 2023 World Projects Appeal continues, our Sisters in the Daughters of the Lady of the Sacred Heart have been in contact to express their gratitude for the support of our mission friends here in the Irish Province.

Sr Marie-Laure writes from Burkina Faso, where the OLSH community are raising funds for construction work to improve the educational facilities in the school of Jules Chevalier de Ouagadougou. “It is a great joy for us Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Burkina Faso to express to you our gratitude for all that you do for us,” she says. “We are very grateful to you. May the Lord through Mary Our Lady of the Sacred Heart accompany you in your mission.”

Provincial Leader Sr Marie Solange also writes from Africa, with thanks for the support given to OLSH communities across the province. “I come with gratitude to you this day to express our joy and thanks in the name of the Province of Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Africa,” she writes. “Through your support, we have been able to improve certain activities in education, health care, or simply the means to ensure our mission. We really appreciate with all our heart this contribution for our province in construction.”

“On behalf of the African Province, I would like to express our gratitude,” adds Sr Clotilde. “Thank you for supporting our projects, and for your interest and attention to our mission in Africa. May the Lord repay you a hundredfold and shower you with his blessings.”

Finally, Sr Renisa has been in touch from Brazil, where current projects included care for the elderly, a kindergarten for vulnerable children, providing liturgical items and catechism books for communities in remote locations, and the support of a second-hand shop whose proceeds go towards feeding 65 local families each month. “I am writing to say a huge thank you for your support of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Brazil, for our ministry to those in need. I wish that you could see face to face the joy and relief your help spreads among the people which we work with. God bless you!”

MSCs and OLSH Sisters all over the world continue on our shared mission to make a difference to the people and places that need it most. There’s still time to take part in this year’s World Projects Appeal, where we’re highlighting some of the projects that need our immediate attention in the coming months. We add our voices to those of our OLSH Sisters as we thank you sincerely for your support – together, we can make a world of difference.

PLEASE CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT
OUR 2023 WORLD PROJECTS APPEAL

Welcome to the Chevalier Year!

March 15th, 2023 marks the 199th anniversary of the birth of Fr Jules Chevalier, founder of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and the beginning of the Chevalier Year. This jubilee year will come to a close on the Feast of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in May 2024, with a grand celebration on Fr Chevalier’s 200th birthday on March 15th.

The theme for the year is “Jules Chevalier MSC: A man with a heart on fire for mission,” which originated in the MSC provinces in Brazil. The accompanying logo was designed by Sr Helena, an MSC Sister from Korea, encapsulating the Holy Spirit and the MSC passion for the Spirituality of the Heart, the bicentennial, and the MSC charism and mission, the foundation of it all. The pierced Sacred Heart encompassed within the number 200, expressed in a continuous line, “symbolises our motto and vision originating from the time of Chevalier to our time,” explains the Chevalier Year Commission.

With the knowledge of Fr Chevalier’s unerring belief that “It is through love that God created everything,” we embark upon this special year in celebration of the great gifts that have been granted to us through God’s love, and with the continued shared aim of sharing this love “wherever and whenever it is needed most,” in keeping with our mission statement.

“As we celebrate this special jubilee for our Chevalier family, may each one of us be touched by the Spirit, and like Fr Chevalier, be gifted with a heart on fire for mission” (Chevalier Year Commission).

Images via the Ametur MSC Facebook page, from the Chevalier Year Commission.
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Fr Alan in South Sudan: The Papal Visit

Juba International Airport is chaotic at the best of times. It is only for the hardiest of travellers, with a sense of reckless abandon, and the sturdiest suitcases. On Friday, the 3rd of February, though, it reached new heights. As I flew back into Juba, the Pope was beginning his ecumenical pilgrimage to South Sudan, along with the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Scottish Presbyterian Church just two hours later. The crowds were heaving with singing and dancing, officials were everywhere waving arms and shouting, and (ironically for a peace pilgrimage) there were plenty of military to make sure everything went without a hitch.

The Vatican, and Pope in particular, have been involved in promoting peace in South Sudan for the last decade. When he met the President and Vice Presidents in Rome in 2019, the Pope stunned those present by getting down on his knees, kissing their feet, and begging that they would work for peace in the world’s newest country. This powerful act of humility demonstrated more beautifully than words ever could how committed he was to building a different future for a people in need of hope.

After dropping off my bags, I joined the group from our Loreto school lining the road to welcome the Pope. If I was tired after my flight, it was nothing in comparison to what they must have been feeling. Over the previous nine days, they had walked as part of a pilgrimage of peace from our school in Rumbek to Juba. A group of ninety students, interns, Religious, and youth walked from village to village on the way to the capital, witnessing to peace. Each evening they performed a play in the marketplace on the theme reconciliation and nonviolence.

“Brothers and sisters, it is time for peace!”

With all the police cars racing up and down the official route, we almost missed the Pope as he drove from the airport in his usual understated Fiat. He was to spend the first day meeting with the President, politicians, and the diplomatic corps. His message was encouraging, but given that twenty-seven people were killed the day before in a vicious revenge attack just three hours outside of Juba, uncompromising:

“Years of war and conflict seem never to end and recently, even yesterday, there have been bitter clashes. At the same time, the process of reconciliation seems stagnant and the promise of peace unfulfilled. May this protracted suffering not be in vain; may the patience and the sacrifices of the South Sudanese, this young, humble and courageous people, challenge everyone and, like the seeds sown in the soil that give life to plants, allow peace to blossom and bear fruit. Brothers and sisters, it is time for peace!”

The following morning the Pope met with priests and religious working around the country in the Cathedral. He remembered those sisters and priests who had been murdered in recent years, but also offered words of encouragement. Immediately afterwards, our youth who had walked from Rumbek had an opportunity to meet the Pope and have their photo taken with him on the steps of the Cathedral. He had heard their story and wanted to meet them personally. To say that they were on cloud nine afterwards would be an understatement. It would be something that they would never forget.

Later that day, the Pope met with internally displaced South Sudanese living around Juba, only a small group of over 2,000,000 people who have had to leave their homes due to flooding or fighting. Many have been living in camps for so long returning will be next to impossible. Mapourdit, where the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart minister, was a refugee camp before Independence, but has not become a permanent settlement. Pope Francis agreed with many of the local leaders that this cannot be the way.

“Only with peace, stability and justice can there be development and social reintegration. There is no room for further delay: great numbers of children born in recent years have known only the reality of camps for displaced persons. They have no memory of what it means to have a home; they are losing their connection with their native land, their roots and their traditions. The future cannot lie in refugee camps.”

On Saturday evening the Pope joined Archbishop Welby, the Rev Iain Greenshields, and church leaders from around South Sudan to pray for peace. In particular, they identified the problem of violence against women as a pervasive reality and spoke of the role women have played and will play as peacemakers, justice seekers, and future leaders. The response of the people there was joyous, even if many had to wait hours in 40C heat just to witness it.

Finally, on Sunday, we celebrated Mass with the Pope in the John Garang Memorial Park. It was a capacity congregation, and if you weren’t there by 4:00am, you weren’t getting a seat. When the Pope drove around the site at the beginning giving his blessing, he was greeted by cheers and ululations. In his homily, he spoke of St Josephine Bakhita, one of the patron saints of the country, and her fight from slavery to freedom, overcoming some of the worst challenges imaginable. Instead of becoming embittered by her struggle, she used it to inspire her and those around her to witness to her faith.

“Hope is the word I would leave with each of you, as a gift to share, a seed to bear fruit. As Saint Josephine reminds us, women, especially here, are a sign of hope, and in a special way I thank and bless all the women of the country.”

As the Pope started his journey back to Rome, we hopped onto the bus and joined our rag-tag collection of cars on the drive back to Rumbek. Only last year, this journey would not have been possible due to insecurity, but things are more settled now – hopefully a sign of things to come. Fourteen hours, one flat bus tire, and one broken down car later, we arrived back in Loreto Rumbek. An amazing journey for all of us, but for South Sudan one that is continuing.

Nhialic ke yin,
Fr Alan

Read more from Fr Alan’s missionary journey in South Sudan:

PLEASE HELP US TO TRANSFORM LIVES IN SOUTH SUDAN

Beginning the 2023 Lenten journey in Mozambique

As our Lenten journey gets underway here at home, our prayers are with our MSC brothers all over the world, united in this special season of prayer and reflection. These wonderful images were shared by our MSC mission in Metuge, Mozambique, where Fr José Eduardo Paixao MSC celebrated the first Sunday of Lent in a moving ceremony at the community of St Antonio de Metuge.

Originally established in 2018, our MSC mission in Mozambique marks its fifth anniversary in March, as it continues in its ministry to the vulnerable and displaced across the Diocese of Pemba. The need here is great; from the damage caused by natural disasters, to the terrible effects of the constant threats of war, violence, and political unrest, this is a mission that must continuously adapt and respond to the demands of the social climate and the prevailing needs of the local communities and parishioners.

The MSC community in the Irish Province has an enduring relationship with our Mozambique mission, with the friendship and support of our mission friends and benefactors here at home touching the lives of thousands in the district of Pemba. Since 2017, more than 850,000 people have been displaced by war in the region. Many have lost their lives to violence, while many more have gone missing. Together with Fr José, we have been raising funds to support those who have been displaced by war, along with other disadvantaged communities in the community of Metuge, as we work together to provide hope, brighter prospects, and a better quality of life for those in real need.

       

While local troubles are not at an end, the spirit of hope, perseverance, and unity remains at the heart of our Mozambique mission, and here we see the power of faith and community in these beautiful images of their Lenten celebrations. Please keep our MSC Mozambique mission in your prayers as we journey together towards Holy Week and Easter, with compassionate and open hearts.

Images via the Facebook page for MSC Mozambique, with credit to Abudo Manara.
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Growing in harmony with nature and others at the “School of Love” in the Philippines

As the new year gets underway, the MSC Centre for the Poor, located in the city of Butuan in the Philippine Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, continues in its efforts to promote sustainability and self-sufficiency in harmony and balance with the natural world. One of their most recent projects is the School of Love, a farm school dedicated to protecting and conserving the environment with “tender love and care,” while also encouraging positive growth in those who tend to the earth and reap the benefits of its resources.

Established in 2018, the MSC Centre for the Poor has since developed an agricultural cooperative movement for local farmers, with a view to improving quality of life for the poor and marginalised in society, and those who don’t have a voice of their own. The community there describe the MSC Centre for the Poor Agriculture Cooperative (MSC-CEPAGCO) as a “working arm of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, responding to the difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, by organising the farmers’ sector to ensure food sustainability and care for our common home.”

As part of their ongoing development programmes, the MSC-CEPAGCO is working on building a “learning site” – a model farm covering 4.3 hectares where farmers and community members can learn and practice basic principles and skills in the field of organic agriculture. The model farm has now been approved by the Department of Agriculture as a Learning Site for Sustainable Organic Agriculture, and a Farm School of Technical Education Skills Development Authority, aiming to empower locals through the promotion of an alternative, sustainable lifestyle.

The current goals of the cooperative focus on the promotion of healthy soil and organic produce, the use of ecologically balanced and safe farming technology, consciousness of managing waste with the ultimate aim of a zero-waste lifestyle, the creation of income-generating projects to raise the quality of life of poor families and communities in rural areas, and raising awareness of the necessity of caring for our environment in response to the ongoing climate emergency.

“Seeing ourselves within the web of life”

The project promotes a “holistic world view perspective” of “seeing ourselves within the web of life” – essentially, becoming aware that everything we do in life “causes a ripple of impacts, big or small, good or bad, to travel throughout the web and ultimately back to us.” This drives the desire to make a positive difference, alongside the awareness of a “high level of mutualism,” seeking to enable a better quality of life for each other as much as for one individual, “working together for the betterment of all.” With a consciousness of the damage that has already been done to local ecosystems, the School of Love is working on allowing the environment to regenerate. “From the tiniest seeds to a grown tree, from fertilization of eggs to completely matured animals, from planting to nurturing, growing and harvesting, all these processes are realised because of tender love and care, whether by nature or by a responsible steward,” states a recent report from the MSC-CEPAGCO.

Involvement in the scheme is far-reaching, including members from the professional, religious, and agricultural sectors of the local community, in addition to providing opportunities people undergoing rehabilitation from drug and alcohol abuse, young people who are out of school and lacking the necessary skills or prospects for progression, repatriated Filipinos from overseas, the indigenous Lumad community, and single parents who are struggling to raise a family on their own. To date, more than 100 participants have completed the training programme, going on to find employment in farming and market gardens, running community gardens, school programmes, and international development and food security projects. “One of the most important outcomes of the apprenticeship is the ripple effect our graduates have working locally, nationally, and internationally to promote, practice, and teach sustainable, organic farming and gardening,” reports the cooperative programme.

A sustainability expert who recently reviewed the programme writes of their experience in a report for the MSC-CEPAGCO: “I felt at home for the duration of my stay; all the people are so accommodating and warm. They include in their daily activities the morning and evening prayer, also yoga and meditation. We cooked and ate together (I introduced the practice of giving gratitude while we are circling the table), socialising on some nights, gardening together, and helping with livestock. We were able to unwind and rejuvenate as we visited a hot spring resort. The Christmas party was a joyous celebration, exchanging gifts, playing games, rendering karaoke songs hits, and dancing until past midnight. Every Sunday, [participants] have Mass with their missionary priest, then a big breakfast after the Mass where the stakeholders bring a potluck. [Each participant] must have a once-a-week value formation workshop with the stakeholders who are regular employees.”

Now in its second year, the agriculture cooperative continues to promote and develop an ethos of sharing, of zero waste, and a simple lifestyle based on having enough. As part of the programme, rainwater is collected and purified for use as drinking water, with the treatment of waste water and sewage the next project on the horizon. Unreliable weather conditions present their own difficulties, with issues such as storms and typhoons causing real challenges, especially when the MSC Centre for the Poor also act as first responders in these circumstances, bringing urgent relief aid to survivors of such natural disasters. In these cases, the community at the Centre for the Poor have also installed their water purifiers for regions where people have no source of safe drinking water as a result of storm damage.

From food foraging to composting, the different techniques employed on the programme are many and varied, and are constantly developing for the better in the quest to provide a positive, practical space in which people can grow and learn as they reap the benefits of nurturing the earth and our common home.

Images and quotes from the MSC-CEPAGCO Sustainability Report (January 2023),
courtesy of Fr Richie Gomez MSC.

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SACRED HEART FAMILY
IN THE PHILIPPINES

A new programme of events for Spring at Croi Nua

Spring is in the air at Croi Nua, our MSC spirituality centre in Co. Galway, with an inspiring and enriching programme of events lined up to take place over the coming months.

The 2023 Spring Programme includes the following workshops:

Fr Patsy Kelly MSC will also continue his weekly sessions on studies of the Bible (every Tuesday), and reflections on Sunday Mass readings (every Thursday).

Please click here for the full 2023 Spring Programme, with further details of each workshop.

All are very welcome to attend Spring workshops in person at Croi Nua Spirituality Centre, while a Zoom facility is also available for anybody who would like to take part remotely.

For more information, please contact Croi Nua Spirituality Centre:
Phone: 085 782 9855
Email: croinuacentre@gmail.com
Website: www.croinua.com

If you would like to join the Spring workshops online via Zoom,
please email croinuacentre@gmail.com to get the video link.
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Christmas baskets bring joy in the Philippines

As 2022 reached its end, the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines once again ran their Christmas Basket project, which this year saw over 1,000 pledges helping families in the remote communities of Bataan and Caloocan City.

Care packages containing groceries and essentials were distributed in Calcoocan City and in St Thomas Aquinas Parish, Bangkal, Abucay, Bataan at the end of December. Working together with the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station and a team of wonderful volunteers, the Missions Office were able to raise enough funds for over 1,000 Christmas baskets to help families in need. Each pledge for a basket was marked at a value of 500 Philippine pesos, which meant that a whole family’s Christmas could be entirely transformed for a little under €8.50 per household.

These photos, from the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines, show the distribution of Christmas baskets in the parish of St Thomas Aquinas in Bataan, led by Fr Ace Yu MSC with the help of parishioners and volunteers. You can also click here to watch a video from the Christmas basket distribution event in Caloocan City, courtesy of the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station.

“We would like to thank all our donors and mission partners who supported us in the campaign to bring joy this Christmas season,” posted the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines. “We also thank the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station and all the volunteers who help us to make this project possible. To all of you, MARAMING, MARAMING SALAMAT PO! (Thank you, thank you very much!)”

Images via the Facebook page for the MSC Mission Office in the Philippines.
Video link via the Facebook page for the Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Mission Station.
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MSC World Projects Appeal 2023: OLSH Global Outreach

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (OLSH) are a vital part of our Sacred Heart Family,
working in partnership with MSCs all over the world under our shared motto:
“May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved.”

OLSH ministry in Brazil

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart are active in their ministry in several areas across Brazil, from educating young children to caring for the elderly, and everything in between. This year, they’re appealing for our help in funding a number of different projects that will continue to change lives for the better in regions of real and pressing need.

In Alfenas, OLSH Sisters run a second-hand clothing shop, where the money raised from sales is used to buy food supplies for poor families in the area. Currently, the outreach programme provides food for 65 local families each month. Our 2022 World Projects Appeal helped the Sisters to raise money for essential renovations to the shop, and washing materials to launder the clothes for resale. This year, the Sisters are appealing for our help once again, as they do not always receive enough monthly donations to provide enough food to the families that depend it.

€1,000 will help the OLSH community in Alfenas to continue their outreach work
in providing food to families in real need.

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart began ministering in the small city of Eldorado in February 2022, working to help people in the local parish. Sr Ivone, one of the Sisters there, has founded two groups of the Lay of the Chevalier Family to help reach local families in need. Sr Ivone provides spiritual support to these lay groups in their shared mission.

€1,000 will purchase a multimedia projector to assist Sr Ivone
in sharing the Sacred Heart spirituality and mission.

Last year, our mission friends helped OLSH Sisters in Maranhão to buy essential liturgical items for Mass in remote locations. This parish is responsible for 18 small chapels, with approximately 250 catechists working with 2,000 young children who participate with the catechesis across their mission stations. This year, the Sisters need help to provide catechism books for the children attending the chapels across the parish.  “It is a joy for us to serve the people,” write the Sisters in their appeal.

€1,000 will buy catechism books to help 2,000 children in their ongoing education.

OLSH Sisters in SĂŁo Paulo run an outreach programme in an aged-care centre, where workshops are offered to elderly people who wish to take courses in topics including English, smartphones and computers, yoga, handcrafts, and more. Before the COVID pandemic struck, the centre catered to over 110 elderly people, and the demand is now rising once again. The majority of the people who attend the centre come not only to learn new skills, but to share their days with others and avoid loneliness.

€1,000 will provide materials for the Sisters’ workshops for the elderly,
such as equipment for embroidery and knitting classes.

In Campinas, OLSH Sisters run a kindergarten that currently welcomes 210 children from vulnerable backgrounds, providing them with a safe space to learn and grow. The Sisters are working to raise funds for two current projects: the purchase of fans to make their kitchen a safer and more comfortable work space when cooking meals for the children, and the renovation of an eco-friendly playground area, where children can play and grow in harmony with nature.

€2,000 will contribute greatly to the ongoing care of young children in the kindergarten.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR OLSH SISTERS IN THEIR GLOBAL OUTREACH

OLSH outreach across Africa

With ongoing mission projects in education, childcare, agriculture, and healthcare, OLSH ministry is touching and transforming lives across Africa.

Burkina Faso, located in West Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world. In its capital city, Ouagadougou, OLSH Sisters began working to nurture and educate disadvantaged children in 2007. Unfortunately, many children in the region are unable to attend school due to poverty, or travel distance. The Sisters in Ouagadougou make every effort to accommodate as many children as possible, which has led to issues with overcrowding in the available spaces.

The Sisters are currently working to raise a total of €9,170 to facilitate
the division of a large hall into separate classrooms,
in response to the ever-increasing demand for school places.

The Holy Family Care Centre is a residential care facility for children located in Ofcolaco. Currently home to 75 abandoned and chronically ill children, Holy Family provides a loving, nurturing environment for children with critical medical needs, who have nowhere else to turn.

Sr Sally Duigan FDNSC, leader of the Holy Family community, is appealing for support for ongoing necessities in the centre, including medications and baby formulas, educational supplies, weekly groceries, everyday clothing, and petrol to transport the children to and from school and hospital appointments.

€10,000 will provide immeasurable help to the Holy Family community as they continue their work in providing loving, caring childhoods to children in real and urgent need.

The Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Senegal have set up a small farm on their novitiate programme, in order to produce food for their daily needs, and to make their community more self-sufficient. Since the initial establishment of the farm, they have added poultry, rabbits, and pigs. The current global financial crisis has raised the cost of feed significantly, and the Sisters are appealing for funds to help them to purchase enough maize for the coming year.

€1,000 will contribute to maize supplies for the novitiate farm for one year.

In Toutouli, Cameroon, the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart have three hectares of land, including an orchard and a large area used for growing food crops. The produce grown supports the dietary requirements of the OLSH community, while they also sell food to local families. Encouraging self-sufficiency for the OLSH Sisters, this project also creates employment opportunities as they hire local workers to help on the farm.

€10,000 will purchase essential new equipment,
such as hoes, machetes, motor pumps, sickle blades, and juice extractors.

Lyonda, a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is an area of great poverty in a country that faces ongoing battles with diseases such as malaria, leprosy, and monkeypox. OLSH Sisters run a health care clinic for the local population, and are currently fundraising to be able to install equipment, including solar panels, batteries, and lamps, to give the community at the clinic access to solar energy and improved treatment facilities.

€10,000 will make a huge difference to the Sisters’ ability
to provide efficient health care to local families.

“Our sincere thanks to your wonderful benefactors in the Irish Province for the assistance you give to us. It is very much appreciated! We remember you in prayer, with deep gratitude.”
~ Sr Jenny Christie FDNSC, International Development Officer for the OLSH

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR OLSH SISTERS IN THEIR GLOBAL OUTREACH

MSC World Projects Appeal 2023: Ecuador

MSCs began ministering in the parish of San José de Chilibulo, in Quito, Ecuador, eight years ago. Today, the parish has a population of almost 42,000 people, with nine pastoral groups working to serve communities across the region.

The parish of San José de Chilibulo is a busy and constantly developing one, with several activities and programmes catering to different community groups. Parish catechesis runs every weekend from September to July, pastoral care groups for the elderly take place every day, and pastoral formation takes place once a month. Youth groups also provide holiday camps for children from low-income and vulnerable families, and MSCs work with the local Caritas group to provide regular social activities for local families.

As the parish continues to grow, parish priest Fr Marcelo Campoverde Arcentales MSC
has established the immediate need for two improvements
to the current facilities available to the local community:
a working parish kitchen, and the necessity of improving the outdoor space
outside the church and pastoral centre,
at a total cost of €11,500.

The need for a safe and hygienic cooking space is a priority, as the parish currently cater to several different community groups, such as cooking nutritious lunches for the elderly, providing meals for needy families, and preparing food for gatherings and celebrations. At the moment, they do not have adequate space to prepare food, and a dedicated parish kitchen would allow them to continue their work in serving the local population.

The parish is appealing for funds to repair the entrance area to the church and pastoral centre, replacing the current earthen floor with a cement covering. When it rains, the area becomes dangerously slippery, and is extremely difficult for the elderly or those with limited mobility to navigate. Several people have already fallen on the precarious ground, and so a safe surface is essential for the local community to be able to continue to visit in comfort and safety.

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MSC MISSIONS IN ECUADOR

MSC World Projects Appeal 2023: Fiji

Dignity and hope at the Chevalier Training Centre

Located in Wainadoi in the province of Namosi, Fiji, the Chevalier Training Centre opened its doors in 1992 with the aim of offering a practical education to underprivileged young men between the ages of 16 and 21.

Each year, the CTC welcomes 60 – 75 young men who come from underprivileged backgrounds, preparing them for employment and making an important contribution to local society. Many of their students have not been able to complete their secondary education, because of poverty in the home or struggles with broken family units, while others find themselves unemployed and lacking the practical skills they need to find employment.

“Our mission is to help these young men to face life with confidence and dignity,” says the CTC community. “Our priority is to assist those who have the least hope.”

       

Students are taught basic life skills such as accounting and time management, in addition to the curriculum, which includes cabinet making, carpentry, welding and fabrication, motor mechanics, farm management, and animal husbandry.

Students are asked to contribute $150 Fijian dollars, approximately €65, per year; however, many cannot afford to pay. The students also generate income for the centre, through local carpentry and construction jobs, selling their farm produce, and an annual bazaar where goods created during school workshops are sold.

This year, the Chevalier Training Centre is working to raise funds to help with day-to-day expenses, covering costs such as school fees, food, workshops and counselling, and medicine.

CAN YOU HELP THE CHEVALIER TRAINING CENTRE?

Second chances at the Chevalier Hostel

Established in 1981 in Suva, in the Fiji Islands, the Chevalier Hostel provides accommodation for young men who are trying to complete their education in the face of severely limiting financial difficulties.

The hostel is currently home to 13 students, between the ages of 13 and 22. The mission of the Chevalier Hostel is to provide a family-oriented, healthy environment for vulnerable youths. The community here also helps to rehabilitate young men who have previously been in trouble with the police, and who now wish to make a fresh start.

The hostel asks for a voluntary contribution of approximately €65 from each student per year, and those that can are glad to contribute. Students themselves also contribute to the running of the hostel, with regular fundraising activities such as selling raffle tickets, or hosting bazaars featuring homegrown produce and homemade cakes and preserves.

With the Chevalier Hostel stretched to capacity, the community is appealing for help in raising money to contribute to daily expenses. “We are grateful to these generous people who support and care for our boys and we thank them sincerely.”

IF YOU CAN, PLEASE SUPPORT THE CHEVALIER HOSTEL