Missionaries of the Sacred

No matter what specific ministry he is involved in, part of the work of a Missionary of the Sacred Heart is to help strengthen the local community in which he serves. A few examples:

MSC in Illinois

Aurora, IL - The MSC Community hosts several Life’s Healing Journey Retreats in both English and Spanish. These retreats are designed to help people let go of the hurts, losses and disappointments which prevent them from living a fully human life, and improve their relationships with God, self and others.

Recently, Fr. Peter Campbell, MSC, co-founder of Life’s Healing Journey Retreats, offered a special day for people in the area who are unemployed or underemployed to address the spiritual and emotional affects of job loss.

Br. Joe Tesar, MSC, retired after 17 years of service in Papua New Guinea, volunteers regularly with Hesed House, a local organization which serves the homeless.

Chicago, IL - Frs. Joseph Jablonski, Jean-Marie Ndour and Hugo Londoño, are teaming together with others to respond to the gang problems within their neighborhood. Late last month, Fr. Jean-Marie (who also volunteers at Haymarket Center with people who suffer from chemical dependency)  gave a talk about gangs  to  students  from  Loyola University. Prior to his presentation, Fr. Jean-Marie met with 12 young gang members who belong to seven different gangs. In his talk, Fr. Jean-Marie, who is completing his Master’s Degree in Pastoral Counseling, addressed some of the psychological considerations of young people who join gangs (emotional maturity, group identity etc.).

MSC in Pennsylvania

Center Valley, PA - Sacred Heart Villa recently hosted a Life’s Healing Weekend in Spanish. Several more retreats are scheduled for 2010.

Ottsville, PA - St. John the Baptist Parish, staffed by Frs. Ray Diesbourg, MSC and Tony Ripp, MSC, serves the local community through a food pantry. Blessed with a large number of nurses and doctors in the congregation, in 2008 the parish also began a health clinic for people without insurance.