| Celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the 155th Anniversary of the Founding of the MSC |
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| Thursday, 10 December 2009 08:27 |
 December 8th is an important day in the Church because it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. For the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, December 8th has an additional special significance; it was on this day in 1854 that the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart were founded. When our founder, Fr. Jules Chevalier was serving as a curate to a parish in Issoudun, France, he began planning to found a society whose mission would be to address the evils of the time by bringing God’s compassionate and merciful love to all people. On November 30, 1854, he and a fellow priest at the parish, Fr. Maugenest, began a novena to ask for Our Lady’s light and help, and Fr. Chevalier promised Our Lady that he would venerate her in a special way.On December 8, 1854, the last day of the Novena and the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Chevalier received a gift from an anonymous benefactor and the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart was founded. Fr. Chevalier fulfilled his promise to Mary, honoring her with the title: Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
MSC in Chicago, IL, celebrated the day with a community gathering and special meal. The community also had the chance to celebrate the special anniversaries of two of its members: Fr. Hugo Londoño, MSC, pastor of St. Joseph Parish Shrine, and Frank Natale, MSC, who is studying Theology. Both Fr. Hugo and Frank took their vows on December 8th. Fr. Hugo was also ordained on December 8th, this year celebrating his 6th anniversary as a MSC priest. The gathering and meal served as a joyful reminder that working as a community builds strength and brotherhood for a life-long commitment to community and service.
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