I often say that I was born to be a Missionary of the Sacred Heart. My parents, sisters and brother, niece and several nephews, and many uncles, aunts, and cousins were taught by our MSC Sisters at our schools in Nazareth, Coplay, Northampton, and Allentown. I grew up in Nazareth and my home parish of…
My journey to the priesthood began when I was a young altar server. I was drawn to the joy, sense of community, and the ministry of serving others. I want to emphasize from the outset that I never intended to join any religious orders because I had no understanding of them. However, I did wish…
Introduction My name is Joachim Vetenge. I come from a family of ten. I was born on August 26, 1984, the fourth of eight siblings—five brothers and two sisters. I was raised in Paparatava, Toma Local Level Government area, Gazelle District, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. Chapter 1: The Beginning of Life My…
By Celeste Behe of the AD Times, February 26, 2026, reprinted with permission Sister Lisa Marie Valentini, M.S.C. led the students in a prayer to know one’s vocation before directing them in a joyous “echo song,” accompanied by Sister’s guitar. Brother Warren Perrotta, M.S.C. then shared that, although he himself did not feel called to…
My journey toward the priesthood began quietly, without me fully realizing it at first. When I was in the 3rd grade, I became an altar server in my parish. Standing close to the altar, serving at Mass, and watching the priest offer the Eucharist filled me with a deep sense of joy and peace. I…
I am Fr. Lomano Kauvaetupu, a Missionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC) and I belong to the Province of the Pacific Islands. At the end of 2023, I was asked by my Provincial if I would like to come and work in the USA province. I said, “If it is the will of…
Father Tony knew he wanted to be a missionary from the time he was in the fourth or fifth grade at St. Henry’s, a German national church, in Philadelphia, PA. He credits the MSC sisters and priests with providing an example in his childhood that inspires him to this day. From those days in the…
Hello, everyone. I am Fr. Richard JunJeong Kim, MSC, from South Korea. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my vocation story today—the tale of my journey marked by God’s grace and my parents’ struggles. Richard JunJeong Kim, MSC I received my baptism at 18, just before Christmas, during my second year of high…
My story begins where I grew up in North Central Ohio, about five miles from the Major Seminary of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Shelby, Ohio. When I was in the fifth grade, one of our neighbors asked if I would like to accompany him to the “seminary,” where he would go to…
Cristhian Mancuello, MSC, was ordained a deacon in November. This is the testimony of his vocational journey. My lifelong parish is the MSC parish of San Pío X in Fernando de la Mora (Asunción), one of the cities close to the capital of Paraguay. I have been connected to the parish with my family since…