Heart for the City

News 2006

Missionaries of the

Sacred Heart

Last Update: 22/01/2010

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Archived News from 2006

For current news from 2007 click here.

In the midst of the regular pace of day to day life there are always certain highlights.  These are some of the more special things that happened for us in 2006.   Events are listed in reverse order.

• Sunday 24th December:

The last couple of weeks have been fairly quiet for us, mainly helping out with supply ministry.  Mark was in Tamworth from the 15th to the 17th December to help cover masses and confessions while Manus Ferry MSC was away.

On the evening of the 17th December we attended a beautiful Carol Concert in Princethorpe College Chapel which had been organised by the team of Princethorpe Retreat Centre.  The guest choir was from St Peter's Church in Leamington Spa.  It was a lovely evening of traditional and contemporary carols and readings, followed by mince pies and fantastic home-made mulled-wine.  A capacity church ensured it was a great fundraising success for the retreat Centre and their chosen charity, Cancer Research UK.

On Monday 18th December all three of us were in Tamworth again to assist with an Advent reconciliation service led by Fr John Finn MSC, the recently appointed Parish Priest.  It was great to see so many people in church for a very moving communal celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation.

On 19th December Mike Serrage MSC called to see us before returning to Grace Dieu retreat Centre in Waterford where he is Director and Superior.  It has been a very difficult year for Mike who has lost both of his parents in the course of the last 12 months and it was good to see him looking well.

On 20th December Carl flew to Ireland to attend the 40th Anniversary of ordination of Pat Courtney MSC, the Irish Provincial.  Pat celebrated his jubilee mass in his home parish of Kilcumin in Co. Kerry, followed by a lovely reception for family and friends in a hotel in Killarney.  We all offer our heartfelt congratulations to Pat and wish him many more years of happy and fruitful ministry.  We're now looking forward to celebrating Ton's 40th anniversary next July.

Managing to avoid the dreadful delays caused by fog at most British airports, Carl returned home on Thursday 21st.  On Saturday 23rd he went to Villa Park to see the match between Aston Villa and Manchester United with Mike and Sean King, friends from Tamworth.  Unfortunately Villa were soundly defeated by Man United (3-0).  We have every confidence that once we move into our new home we will bring much better luck to the team!!

Tonight we will be celebrating midnight mass in Princethorpe with the local MSC community, parishioners and friends of the College.  Tomorrow we will be joined by other MSCs from Tamworth, Cardiff and Cork to complete our community celebrations of Christmas before going our separate ways for a week's holiday.  May we wish all of our friends, supporters, families and fellow MSC a very happy and peaceful Christmas!

• Tuesday 12th December:

Over the last couple of weeks Carl has spent quite a bit of time in Dublin, for Provincial Leadership Team meetings and working on the preparation of a new website for the Irish Province of the MSC.

Each Friday evening Mark plays football with a local group from surrounding villages.  The weekend before last he joined them for their Christmas night out in one of the local village pubs.  We're all wondering if he'll get an invitation from Aston Villa when we move!

On Friday 1st December Ton led a very interesting discussion on an article written by Louis Dupré: Spiritual Life and the Survival of Christianity.  As a result of some of the questions we raised, Ton has posted an entry on our blog to hopefully stimulate a bit of discussion.

On Saturday 2nd December Carl went to take a look at the house in Aston.  There had been good progress, so we are hopeful that it won't be too long into the New Year before we will be able to move in.  The latest photos are posted on the House Building page.

On Sunday 3rd December we joined MSCs and parishioners in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of Sacred Heart Church in Tamworth.  Carl had ministered in Tamworth for six years, and over the last year all three of us have been regular visitors to help out with supply work. It was a great occasion to catch up with many old friends.

The first Sunday of Advent also marked the beginning of Cafod's livesimply campaign.  In January we will be making our pledge to live simply for the coming 12 months on the livesimply website.

Friday the 8th December (Feast of the Immaculate Conception) was the Foundation Day of the MSC Congregation (founded in 1854).  We travelled to Tamworth where we joined with other MSC working in the midlands region for evening prayer and a meal, graciously hosted by Manus Ferry MSC and Donie Hallissey MSC.

Sunday 10th December was Carl's birthday which he spent with Adam Hollier, a good friend of his from school days.  Adam lives in Hemel Hempstead and is deputy editor of the local newspaper.

On Monday 11th December Ton participated in the second meeting of the Spirituality of the Heart Formation group, established by the English MSC Assembly in October this year.  The meeting took place in Princethorpe Retreat Centre and was attended by Sara Nash and Stan Grabecki, two parishioners from our parish in St Albans.  They are planning the first event in Princethorpe on March 24th 2007, entitled "God's Heartbeat in the World".  The guest speaker will be David Payne, Director of Catholic Evangelisation Services.

• Saturday 25th November:

Ton returned from Rome on 12th November.  He had been at our General House for a few days for a Finance Advisory Board meeting.

On Tuesday 14th November the three of us went to choose carpets for the new house.  We had thought it would be a relatively easy decision, having chatted about it beforehand.  However, when confronted with literally hundreds of designs, colours and patterns it suddenly became a much more difficult choice.  Those of you who are able to come and visit us over the coming months/years will have to tell us whether or not we chose well!!

On 15th November Mark attended a Vocations fair at Stuart Bathurst Catholic Secondary School in Wednesbury, north of Birmingham.  He went along with Dave Nixon MSC, the Vocations Director for the Irish Province.  The day had been organised by the Birmingham Archdiocese and provided the year 10 pupils (15 years old) with an opportunity to reflect on the issue of vocation and meet with male and female religious and diocesan priests.  Mark has also been continuing celebrating mass for the year 7 pupils in Princethorpe and exploring with them the theme of belonging.

This last week Ton spent four days in Cambridge visiting his good friend and wonderfully generous supporter of our project, Hilary Clay.  Hilary is preparing a book for publication and Ton went to help her with some of the final editing.  While there he was also treated to some of the cultural delights of Cambridge, including a night at the theatre to see a dramatised version of "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens.  We wish Hilary well with the final stages of preparing her book for publication and thank her for the great encouragement and support she is to all three of us.

For the last two weeks Carl has been busy preparing content for a new Irish MSC Province website which will hopefully be launched early in the New Year.  He has also had several meetings in Princethorpe relating to his role as one of the Governors of the College.

On Thursday of this week (23rd November) Mark and Carl attended an in-service training day for the clergy of the Birmingham Archdiocese.  The day was led by Mgr John Devine of the Liverpool Archdiocese on the theme: "Catholicism in a Multi-Faith World: Challenge or Opportunity?"  John is the Forum of Faiths Representative on the Northwest Regional Development Agency and spoke of the important opportunities that we have in Britain today to join forces with other faith communities in trying to respond to the needs of our neighbourhoods from the perspective of faith.  The day was generously hosted by Birmingham Central Mosque and included the chance to be present at the Mosque's midday prayers before being treated to a wonderful lunch by the Mosque Committee.  The treasurer of the Mosque introduced us to the practices and customs of what is the second largest Mosque in Europe before fielding a lively question and answer session.

• Saturday 11th November:

On Monday 6th November Ryan Holovlasky left us to return to Dublin where he will spend another couple of weeks before returning to South Africa.  We really enjoyed Ryan's visit and wish him well as he returns home.

The same Day Ton travelled to the MSC community in St Alban's for his first visit and to attend a planning meeting for the newly established Spirituality of the Heart Formation Group. 

On Tuesday morning Carl flew to Ireland where he had a meeting in Dublin on Tuesday afternoon before taking the train across the country to Galway on Tuesday evening.  The MSC community in Galway, together with a core group of lay people, run "Croi Nua" (New Heart) MSC Spirituality Centre.  For the coming six weeks they are offering an Autumn lecture series entitled "Where is God in the secular city?" and had invited Carl to give the opening lecture, "Heart for the City".  Although the numbers attending were less that had been hoped for, the evening was a great success and a led to a lively sharing by those who came.  The PowerPoint slide presentation of Carl's input can be viewed here. 

As Carl returned on Thursday, so Ton left for Rome where he is currently attending meetings of the Finance Advisory Board of the worldwide MSC Congregation. 

In Carl and Ton's absence Mark has been busy all week preparing and leading class Masses for Year 7 (11 year olds) in the College here at Princethorpe around the theme of belonging.  For many of the children from non-Catholic backgrounds this is their first experience of Eucharist.  Mark has very much enjoyed the opportunity to work with Alan Whelan MSC and the Religious Studies Department in the College in leading these celebrations.

On Saturday 11th November Carl and Mark attended the RESTORE conference in Harborne, Birmingham.  RESTORE is the Ecumenical body established by Birmingham Churches Together to provide support, advocacy and befriending to Asylum Seekers and Refugees.  The day was entitled: "God's Heart for the Marginalised" and included input from lawyers, doctors, support workers and clergy as well as from refugees and asylum seekers themselves.  The day was very well attended and proved to be a great occasion for more networking and building contacts across the city.  We hope to work in association with RESTORE when we are established in Aston.

On the way back from the RESTORE Conference we called into Aston to check on our house.  Progress is good and it is still hoped that the building will be complete by Christmas.  You can see all the latest photos of the house here.

• Sunday 5th November:

This last week has been a week of visitors.  On Monday 2nd November Fr Dave Nixon MSC arrived to spend a couple of days with the Princethorpe community.  Dave has recently taken up responsibility for Vocations Promotion in the Irish Province of the MSC.  On Tuesday morning we had a long meeting with Dave to discuss vocations promotion and the ways in which we might be able to contribute as a community.  That evening Dave, Alan Whelan MSC and Teddy O'Brien MSC all joined us in the Cottage for a meal. 

The following day Dave departed for Liverpool where he is now based and Ryan Holovlasky arrived.  Ryan, who is from South Africa, spent a year studying with the MSC in Dublin before deciding to take a break from formation and return home last May.  He has been visiting the Province for the last few weeks.  On Thursday we took advantage of a free day and some fantastic autumn weather and we went with Ryan to the Cotswolds district of central England (Gloucestershire).  We went for a lovely walk from the village of Chadworth to a nearby Roman Villa which has been superbly excavated and preserved by the National Trust. 

On Friday evening we attended the annual Prize Giving ceremony for Princethorpe College.  The guest of honour and keynote speaker was Heather Reynolds the founder of God's Golden Acre in South Africa, a project now working with thousands of AIDS orphans. 

On Saturday 4th November we attended a day for the male and female Religious of the Archdiocese of Birmingham at St Catherine's Church in Birmingham.  David McLoughlin, lecturer in post-graduate theology in Newman College, Birmingham, gave an inspiring and challenging address entitled "Insiders, Outsiders, Shifting Margins and Unholy Spaces", a gospel reflection on the involvement of Jesus in the struggle between two interpretations of the Law and a burning concern for justice.  The Archbishop was present in the afternoon.  In addition to stimulating input it was also a welcome opportunity to make useful contact with other Religious working in Birmingham.  On the way home we called into Aston to check on the house.  You can see the progress in the latest pictures here.  The canopy over the front door and bay window has been erected and the plastering has begun.

• Wednesday 25th October:  First of all, apologies for the lack of news for the last two weeks.  The webmaster has been away!!  The highlight of the last fortnight is that the contract on our new home has at last been signed!  We were delighted to get news of the exchange on Monday 23rd October.  But first to return to a chronological order... Following news of Fr Kees Braun's death we decided that Carl should represent the community at the funeral and so he travelled to Tilburg on Friday 13th October.  The moving requiem mass and burial took place the following morning at the MSC Mission House and was attended by many MSC from The Netherlands, Belgium, Rome and Austria, as well as representatives of many other religious congregations.  On Saturday 14th October Ton returned from Ireland where he had been facilitating the Irish MSC Assembly.  The gathering was reported to have been a very positive meeting by those who attended and Ton's deft touch at facilitation was very much appreciated - so much so that he has been invited to facilitate their next meeting in March 2007.  On the 15th October Carl returned from The Netherlands and set off on his travels again early the following morning to attend a week-long meeting of the Irish Provincial Council.  The first two days were held in a Rosminian retreat Centre in Co Tipperary where Sr Liz Murphy RSM facilitated a period of evaluation.  Then the Council moved to the MSC house in Cork City for a three day meeting.  Carl concluded the week with a day's planning to undertake a revision to the Irish Province website before returning to Princethorpe on the 24th October.  In Carl's absence Mark and Ton attended a "Make Poverty History" rally in central Birmingham (which was sadly poorly attended) and a much more lively Multi-cultural mass in St Catherine's Church in Birmingham.  Mark also paid a visit to Tony Nolan MSC who lives in Cardiff and works as an ecumenical resource person for adult formation in the Cardiff RC Archdiocese and with other local Christian churches.  Tony was a wonderful host and has invited Mark to return again and possibly do some work together in the Cardiff area.  Following news of the exchange of contracts on the house all three of us visited Aston on Tuesday 24th October to check on development.  There has been good progress in the last couple of weeks with all the windows fitted, the staircase installed, the stud-walling erected and some of the plaster-board attached.  The site foreman expects the house to be completed by Christmas... we'll see!!

• Tuesday 10th October: On Sunday 1st October all three of us travelled up to The Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire for the English MSC Autumn Assembly. Some 16 MSC gathered together for three days with a small representative group of laity who minister alongside us in our parishes in England.  The Assembly was a really positive gathering, providing time for reflection on our MSC life in England and some evaluation of priorities set by the 2005 Provincial Chapter.  Following the successful Spirituality of the Heart day held in Princethorpe in June of this year a new team was established to plan a more structured response to the desire articulated at that meeting for more formation and reflection on our MSC spirituality.  Ton was nominated as a member of that group.  Not to be outdone, Mark was nominated to the group responsible for planning the English Assemblies for the next three years.  On Friday 6th October Mark was in Tamworth for an Irish Province Formation Advisory Group meeting.  On Saturday Ton caught the train to Liverpool where he was supplying for Fintan O'Driscoll MSC in our parish of St Albert's, Stockbridge Village.  He was treated royally by parishioners Pat and Jimmy who had been at the MSC Assembly only a few days earlier, and was given a guided tour of the city of Liverpool.  On Monday 9th October in the evening all three of us went to Aston to meet with Sharon Palmer of Regional Action West Midlands.  We had previously met Sharon at the Faithful Cities seminar in Leicester in July.  Sharon knows the community and faith scene in Aston very well and was able to share with us some of the current projects, initiatives and challenges as well as providing us with some more very useful contacts.  Today (October 10th) Ton flew to Ireland where he will be facilitating the Irish MSC Autumn Assembly in Waterford on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  This afternoon we were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Fr Kees Braun MSC.  Kees was a member of the Dutch Province, a professor of Philosophy and an outstanding Superior General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from 1981 to 1993 (read more here).  Kees' health has been failing for some time now and we were most fortunate that he was well enough to spend a day working with us during our Seminar in Tilburg in February earlier this year.  You can access the text and audio of his day with us here.  Kees has left a lasting legacy to the MSCs in his continued renewal and expansion of the Congregation and the strong accent he placed on discovering the riches of our spirituality and the charism of Fr Chevalier, our founder.  As we commend him to the Lord, we trust he is now enjoying the peace and joy of the Fathers house.  May he rest in peace.  Amen.

• Thursday 28th September: Today is the first anniversary of our being together as a community.  On September 28th last year Mark and Ton flew into England and first arrived at Gardener's Cottage to join Carl who had been living there for a week.  Little did we think then that a year later we would still be in the Cottage!  Unfortunately progress with the house is frustratingly slow, but we are hopeful that it will be finished within the next couple of months.  Carl arrived back from Dundee on Monday evening where he had spent a really enjoyable weekend with his friends Mike and Eleanor who were married earlier in the summer.  This morning Mark led us in our daily Eucharist as we commemorated our first anniversary.  Later in the morning Carl had a meeting on site in Aston to agree the location of electrical fittings in the house.  In the evening we had a celebration meal to mark this significant date in our lives together as a community

• Wednesday 20th September:  Last week Carl was in Dublin for five days for a Provincial Council meeting.  Ton was also in Dublin for a couple of days for a planning meeting for the Irish MSC Assembly which he will be facilitating in Waterford next month.  Carl and Ton both returned on Thursday 14th September, the tenth anniversary of Mark's fist profession as an MSC, which of course warranted a special celebration!  On Friday Mark and Ton travelled to Birmingham to meet a friend of Ton's who is a Mercy Sister from Australia, currently visiting family in England.  In the evening Carl went to the theatre in Stratford Upon Avon with fellow MSC Alan Whelan to see a production of Shakespeare's "The Tempest".  Over the weekend Mark celebrated the wedding of a local couple in the church here in Princethorpe, while Ton led a day's retreat for the Justice and Peace group of our MSC parish in Tamworth at the Cistercian Monastery of Mount St Bernard in Leicestershire.  These last couple of days we have been trying to finalise details with our solicitor regarding legal paperwork for the house in Aston.  We hope to have this concluded in the next week.  Tomorrow (21st September) is the anniversary of Carl's and Ton's first profession (Carl 17 years and Ton 45 years!!).  In the afternoon Carl will be travelling to Scotland where he is taking the last few days of his summer holiday with friends in Dundee.

• Sunday 10th September:  The last week has been a quiet one for us.  All around us the fruit trees are in season and we have been profiting from the many apples, plums, damsons and pears and learning new jam-making skills!!  Progress with the house is still slow and frustrating.  We were delighted to be invited to an Afro-Caribbean evening in Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Aston on Saturday evening.  It was a good chance to meet some of the local community, including the North Birmingham Steel Band which is based in Sacred Heart RC Primary School in Aston.  It was especially good to make contact with the Vicar and his wife and we are looking forward to meeting them again when we move into the house.  Today (Sunday) Carl is travelling to Dublin for a Provincial Council meeting next week.  Ton will also be in Ireland for two days this coming week for a preparatory meeting for the forthcoming Irish Assembly in October which he is facilitating.

• Tuesday 29th August: From Monday 21st August to Friday 25th August we were present at the Third MSC European Assembly in Issoudun, France.  During the Assembly we made a presentation on the progress of our project so far, shared the fruits of some of our study and revealed the new name for our community: MSC Cordate Community.  We were greatly heartened by the enthusiasm, support and encouragement of the 55 MSCs gathered for the meeting.  At the end of the Assembly the Superior General, Fr Mark McDonald MSC and the Chair of the Conference of European Provincials, Fr Ben Verberne MSC formally sent the three of us on mission to Aston during the closing mass at the parish Church of St Cyr, Issoudun, where Fr Chevalier had been Parish Priest for 35 years.  A full report on the Assembly can be read on the European Assemblies page.  More details of the Missioning ceremony are on the Community page.  Saturday 26th August was Mark's birthday so we broke our journey back to England and stayed at the French Provincial house in Paris for a night.  On Saturday afternoon we visited some of the central parts of Paris before sharing a celebration birthday meal in the Latin Quarter.  On Sunday we continued our journey home to Princethorpe.  Yesterday evening (Monday) Fr Herman Van Holsbeek, a good friend of Mark's from Belgium, and by now a great friend too of the whole community, arrived to stay with us for the coming week.  We joined with Alan Whelan MSC and Teddy O'Brien MSC for a meal to mark the end of the summer holiday period and the beginning of a new school year.

• Wednesday 16th August:  Last weekend Mark travelled to St Alban's to help out with supply while Fr Charles Sweeney, the Parish Priest was on holiday.  On Monday we began preparations on the presentation we will make to the MSC European Assembly in Issoudun next week.  Yesterday Carl was in Tamworth to cover the masses for the Feast of the Assumption and took the opportunity of being close to Birmingham to call into Aston and check on progress with the house building.  Unfortunately the progress is much slower than we had hoped for and the roof is still not complete.  Next Monday we travel to France for the European Assembly.  We are hoping to see much more progress on the house when we return.

• Wednesday 9th August: At the beginning of last week all three of us returned from holidays.  Mark and Ton went home to Belgium and Holland respectively while Carl spent a few days with his parents in Devon and caught up with some friends in England.  We now expect that the house won't be ready until at least the beginning of October so we have spent the last couple of days planning our work and activity between now and then.  We will be travelling to the European MSC Assembly in Issoudun on August 21st for one week.  We have supply work booked for most of the remaining weekends and more reading and study that we want to finish.  There are also some contacts we hope to make in September with people that have been recommended to us.  Today we have spent time reviewing and discussing a recent survey commissioned by Channel 4 (a British TV channel) on Muslim Attitudes to living in Britain.  The survey was the subject of a television documentary broadcast on Monday evening - "What Muslims Want" - and has been followed up by a series of nightly discussion programmes between young British Muslims and Islamic scholars, theologians, academics and community leaders in a programme called "Sharia TV".  Resources can be found by clicking on the underlined hyperlinks here and on our Links page.

• Thursday 13th July: Last Thursday (6th July) both Mark and Ton went home to commence their summer holidays.  Carl has been in Dublin since the weekend for a Provincial Council meeting returning on Wednesday evening (12th July).  On his way back to Princethorpe from Birmingham airport he dropped into Aston to check on progress of the house.  The latest photos are posted here.  Carl will now also be away on holidays for the coming week, returning to Princethorpe on July 19th.  Mark and Ton return at the end of July.

• Tuesday 4th July: Today is Ton's Birthday and we wish him many happy returns.  This evening we will be celebrating with Alan Whelan MSC and Teddy O'Brien MSC.  Last Friday Mark participated in a second Vocations workshop organised by the Archdiocese.  The workshop was held in Bishop Ullathorne Catholic Secondary School in Coventry and was led by a team of diocesan priests and male and female religious each sharing on various aspects of vocation, priestly and religious life, mission and ministry.  Mark will be participating in a third such workshop tomorrow (Wednesday 5th July) in St Francis of Assisi School in Aldridge, near Tamworth.  Over the last weekend we were delighted to welcome Carl's parents who were staying at Princethorpe to visit some family and friends in the area.  On Saturday (before the England football game!) Carl took them to Aston to show them around the neighbourhood and take a look at the house (click here for latest photos).  On Sunday evening Alan Whelan invited us all to join him for a barbecue.  Yesterday (Monday 3rd July) the three of us attended a seminar in Leicester hosted by the East Midlands Churches Forum reflecting on the recent report published by the Church of England Commission on Urban Life and Faith: "Faithful Cities".  It was an interesting day exploring the concept of "faithful capital" and how faith groups and churches might have a greater impact on the regeneration agenda of local and regional government.  For a brief review of the report see the summary that is posted on our Readings page.

• Thursday 29th June: Wednesday of last week was the Silver Jubilee of Priesthood of Fr Alan Whelan MSC, a member of the Princethorpe Community.  Alan has been at Princethorpe since his ordination in 1981, and was Headmaster from 1992 to 1998.  We joined with Alan, Teddy O'Brien MSC and staff and students of the College in a lovely, simple, concelebrated mass in the College Chapel during the School's lunch break before sharing a meal together with some other guests afterwards.  On Thursday Mark was involved in a day-long Vocations workshop in one of the local Catholic Secondary Schools.  Friday the 23rd was the Feast of the Sacred Heart and we were delighted to travel with Alan Whelan to the Tamworth Community for a concelebrated mass in Sacred Heart Church in the Parish followed by a special dinner to celebrate our feast day and Alan's Jubilee.  On Saturday Carl spent the day in Tamworth with friends (Tina and Rory) whose wedding he is celebrating in August.  On his return to Princethorpe on Sunday 25th he paid a quick visit to Aston to check on progress with the house.  Since Mark last saw it two weeks previously the kitchen has been built and most of the first floor has been completed.  Check out progress here.  The last week has seen us involved in a mixture of local supply work, reading and study, meetings and welcoming visitors.  On Monday evening we were delighted that Charles Lawton called in to see us.  Charles is a past pupil of Princethorpe (from the early days of the College in the 1960s and 70s) now living in London and doing some work in Coventry.  He had heard about our project and discovered our website so decided to make contact.  It was good for Charles and Carl to reminisce about the old days in Princethorpe as well as explain something of what we are hoping to do in Aston.  On Wednesday 28th Hilary Clay, an old friend of Ton's from Cambridge, called in to see us after spending some days with friends from Holland in the Cotswolds.  Hilary has been a great supporter of our project since its inception and very generously took us out for lunch before returning to Cambridge.

• Sunday 18th June:  On Wednesday of this last week we were delighted to welcome four priests from the Sacred Hearts Community (SSCCs) in London.  They are in the process of discerning a new community project for themselves in the London area and wanted to hear of our experience of preparation over the last few years.  We had most interesting afternoon of discussion and sharing with them.  We wish them well, especially in the coming month as they take time together with a facilitator to plan the next steps in their project.  Yesterday (Saturday 17th June) we gathered together with some 60 MSC's, laity and other religious from across all of our ministries in England for a day of reflection on Spirituality of the Heart.  The day was held here in Princethorpe College and was led by Fr Nick Harnan MSC, a member of the Irish Province currently working in Cor Novum, the MSC International Spirituality Centre in Issoudun, France.  It was a day to explore the implications of the founding Charism of Fr Jules Chevalier (founder of the MSCs) and the way the charism can be expressed in a contemporary spirituality of the heart.  As part of the day Ton gave some input on our project and how it seeks to be a concrete expression of our spirituality.  Everyone agreed that it was a great day of encounter, sharing and reflecting together and it is hoped to be able to organise similar days in the future.

• Wednesday 14th June: On Monday 12th June the European Community formally came into existence.  This was the anniversary of the formal, canonical erection of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in 1874 when, on that day (which was the Feast of the Sacred Heart that year) Pope Pius IX gave his approbation of the Society and approved the first MSC Constitutions.  This was twenty years after the foundation of the Society by Jules Chevalier in 1854.  Our own formal beginning was a day of great joy for us and we celebrated in a special Eucharist at midday.  Unfortunately Carl had a Governing Body Meeting in Princethorpe College on the evening of the 12th so we extended celebrations by 24 hours to have a celebratory meal together on Tuesday evening.  We were delighted that Fr Manus Ferry MSC was able to travel over from the Tamworth Community to join us for our celebration.  Over the last weekend all three of us were away.  Ton was in Rome for a meeting of the Finance Advisory Board of the MSC Congregation.  Mark was visiting the MSC communities in Liverpool and Carl was in Perth in Scotland for the marriage of one of his best friends.  On his way up to Liverpool, and again on his way back, Mark dropped into Aston to check on progress on the house.  The ground floor is now complete.  He took a few photos and these are posted on the House Building page - click here.

• Tuesday 6th June: During the meeting of the Provincial Council of the Irish Province in Dublin last week, following receipt of letters of permission from the Archbishop of Birmingham and the Superior General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, it was decided to formally (canonically) erect the European Community as a special community of the Irish Province.  Although a project of all eight European Provinces, the community is located in the jurisdiction of the Irish Province and consequently responsibility has been delegated to the Irish Provincial, Fr Pat Courtney MSC.  The community will officially come into being on June 12th, the anniversary of the day in 1874 that Pope Pius IX signed the decree of approbation of the MSC Society.  Carl Tranter MSC has been appointed superior of the community.

• Friday 26th May: During our seminar in Tilburg we had agreed to take time to explore one another's personality profiles and have a time of sharing on our uniqueness: the things that drive and limit each of us.  With this in mind we spent the day on Friday sharing the results of the Myers-Briggs personality test that each of us had done over the previous few days.  After nearly eight months of living together we felt that we knew one another well enough to be in a position to really appreciate what such a test could reveal.  It was a wonderful day, begun in prayer and concluded with the celebration of Eucharist.  The deep sharing and reflection on each other's profiles confirmed many things we had come to learn about each other, but it also helped each of us better appreciate the subtleties of our personalities, the three unique people God has created in his own image and likeness.  We are sure that this exercise will prove to be an important building block of our commitment to live a deep community life.  Take the test yourself here and read more explanations of your profile here.

• Thursday 25th May: After a week of continuing study on inter-faith dialogue, last Sunday we were delighted to welcome our three Provincial Superiors.  Following a decision of the Conference of European Provincials (PEC) at their last meeting in March to divide the Conference up into smaller clusters, Ben Verberne MSC (Dutch Provincial), André Claessens MSC (Belgian Provincial) and Pat Courtney MSC (Irish Provincial) arrived in Princethorpe on Sunday 21st May for a first meeting of their cluster.  They had decided to have their meeting here in Princethorpe so that they could spend time with us and evaluate the progress of the project to date.  We had excellent meetings with them and on Tuesday morning we were also able to visit Aston in Birmingham.  While there we were delighted to be able to have coffee with Fr Peter Jones, the Parish Priest of Aston before walking around the neighbourhood.  We were also keen to check out progress on the building of our house.  It was rather disappointing to find that progress has been slow over the last two weeks due to such bad weather.  On Tuesday evening we joined with Alan and Teddy from the local MSC community for a meal in a local pub.  We are grateful to Ben, André and Pat for the great support and encouragement they continue to give us.

• Sunday 14th May: At the beginning of this last week we went again to Aston to do a tour of all the Estate Agents.  It was becoming increasingly apparent that we were going to have to be very patient if we wanted to find the right property to rent or purchase.  Most of the housing stock in Aston is two or three bedroomed Victorian terrace houses and it is seemingly very rare that 4 or 5 bedroomed houses come on the market.  Amazingly, however, we discovered six new, three-storey, five bedroomed town houses being built in the centre of Aston, just around the corner from the Catholic parish church and surrounded by small local shops, schools, the library, fire station and one of the local mosques.  Five of the properties had already been sold and after much prayer, reflection and discussion we decided to make on offer on the one remaining house.  The offer was accepted on Wednesday and currently legal papers are being drawn up before signing a contract and paying a deposit.  We hope that the building of the house will be completed at the end of July, allowing us to move in during August.  The decision has meant a double compromise; we really wanted to rent a property rather than buy, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that this was going to be very difficult.  We also now have to wait until August before we can move to Aston - much longer than we had wanted.  Had we held out for a rental property, however, we were advised that the wait could have been even longer.  The property is being purchased by the Irish Province of the MSCs and will be rented by the European Community from the Irish Province.  This week we also continued our study in the area of Islam and interfaith dialogue.  We were delighted to welcome Fr Manus Ferry MSC who joined us for a meal on Wednesday evening.

• Monday 8th May: While Carl was in Dublin for the April Provincial Council Meeting Ton and Mark visited Aston and began the search for housing.  They also had a very useful meeting with Fr Peter Jones, the Parish Priest of Aston, who has been so welcoming and helpful.  When Carl returned we registered with eleven estate and lettings agents in the Aston area.  So far there is nothing available and we are having to be patient.  We will be visiting Aston again tomorrow to carry on the house-hunting.  In the meantime we have been continuing our reading programme (see new book added today: Understanding Theology and Popular Culture).  Over the Bank Holiday weekend we were delighted to welcome Ryan Holovlasky, one of our MSC students from Dublin.  This last weekend Mark has been leading a retreat in Princethorpe Retreat Centre and on Saturday Carl was giving an in-service training day to the staff of Crackley Hall school on Prayer and Meditation.

• Saturday 22nd April: After a lovely celebration of the Easter Triduum with the local parish community of Wappenbury here in Princethorpe, the three of us travelled to Devon on Easter Monday to visit Carl's parents near Newton Abbot.  We were blessed with good weather and were able to explore Dartmoor, the South Devon coast and spend a day at the Eden Project near St Austell in Cornwall.  We returned on Friday afternoon (21st April).  Tomorrow (Sunday 23rd) Carl travels to Dublin until Thursday for a Provincial Council meeting.  While he is away Mark and Ton will begin the search for housing in Aston.

• Wednesday 12th April: We attended the Chrism Mass at St Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham where the Archbishop announced the foundation of our new project in his homily and welcomed us to the Diocese.  At the reception for clergy afterwards we were able to meet Fr Peter Jones, the Parish Priest of Aston, and several of the other priests working in the  neighbouring parishes.  We felt truly welcomed into the Diocese and we very much look forward to working in partnership with the local parish communities.

• Saturday 8th April: We had a second excellent meeting with the Archbishop of Birmingham, Vincent Nichols.  He agreed to our request to establish the community and the project in the Aston area of Birmingham.  Read more about the meeting here.  For a profile of Birmingham and Aston, click here.

• Friday 7th April: The three of us spent the day visiting the neighbourhoods of Aston, Birchfield and Lozells in Birmingham; walking the streets, exploring local neighbourhood organisations and shops and generally getting a feel for the area that we had highlighted as the neighbourhood most closely corresponding to our criteria.

• Sunday 2nd April: Carl returned from Valladolid.  The European Provincials had approved the first five-month accounts of the community and the budget for the remaining 10 months of 2006.  They also ratified the criteria for selecting a city and urged us to continue to seek the Archbishop's approval for establishing the community in Birmingham.

• Tuesday 28th March: Carl flew to Valladolid with Pat Courtney MSC (Irish Provincial) and Dan O'Connor MSC (Irish Provincial Councillor) for the PEC meeting of European Provincials.  At the meeting Carl updated the Provincials on the progress of the project, presented the accounts of the last five months, proposed a budget for the remaining 10 months of 2006 and sought to further clarify some of the objectives of the project.

• Tuesday 21st March: After the Swanwick Conference finished we travelled to meet with Bishop David McGough, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham, for a visit of the city of Stoke-on-Trent.  It was really good to get a feel of the city and explore some of the different neighbourhoods.  Stoke has been proposed as an alternative to Birmingham for our project.

• Sunday 19th March: A new letter is being sent to all the MSC European Provinces.  Read it here.  Also, all three of us are travelling to Swanwick in Derbyshire today until Tuesday 21st March for the Spring Assembly of the MSCs working in England.

• Thursday 16th March: We had a meeting today with Archbishop Vincent Nicholls, the Archbishop of Birmingham and Bishop David McGough, one of his Auxiliary Bishops.  The purpose of the meeting was to introduce ourselves, explain our intended project and begin to explore possibilities for establishing our community in the Archdiocese, particularly Birmingham.  We had an excellent conversation with both Bishops and were grateful for the way they engaged in a supportive and critical way with our proposal.  In addition to Birmingham they suggested alternative settings for our community and we shall be undertaking more visits and research over the coming couple of weeks before meeting with them again.

• Sunday 12th March: After returning from Tilburg Carl travelled to Dublin, Ireland to attend the three-day March meeting of the Provincial Leadership Team.  He then went down to his parents in Devon to visit his father who has been in hospital for the last two weeks.  In the meantime Mark and Ton worked on collating the notes and readings from the seminar in Tilburg and preparing for the forthcoming week of review and consolidation.

• Tuesday 28th February: The Tilburg Seminar has finally come to an end.  It has been an excellent month of revisiting our Congregational history and exploring further our charism and spirituality.  We are deeply appreciative of the time, contributions, enthusiasm and encouragement given so generously by each of our conversation partners.  The Seminar has provided us (and hopefully countless others too) with a rich resource for many years to come.  All the details of the seminar, including the resources, can be accessed on the Seminar page of this website.  Our conclusions, learnings and remaining questions can be viewed here.

• Sunday 26th February 2006: A third excellent week of the seminar has come to an end.  Mark is visiting MSC's and family in Belgium.  On Saturday Ton and Carl visited the Delta Works in the Province of Zeeland.  On Saturday evening the Superior General, Fr Mark McDonald MSC arrived in Tilburg for a week's visitation of the Dutch Province.  He begins on Monday by working with the new European Community.

• Sunday 19th February 2006: At the end of the second week of the Tilburg Seminar Mark again took the opportunity to visit family and friends in Belgium while Carl and Ton visited the beautiful city of Utrecht, climbing all 440 steps of the medieval church tower. 

• Sunday 12th February 2006: After an excellent first week of the Tilburg Seminar Mark is staying for the weekend with his family in Kontich near Antwerp.  Carl and Ton visited the town of Leiden on Saturday, birthplace of Rembrandt.  While there they spent some time at the De Lakenhal museum which currently has an exhibition entitled "Rembrandt's Mother: Myth or Reality" - prepared as part of the 400th anniversary year of Rembrandt.

• On February 6th 2006: Carl, Mark and Ton travelled by car down to Dover on the South coast of England.  With time to spare, they made a quick visit to Canterbury Cathedral where they arrived in time for the morning office of Lauds.  A lunchtime ferry took them to Dunkirque in France from where they drove on through Belgium to Tilburg in The Netherlands.  The community is currently staying in the Mission House of the Dutch MSC Province during the month of February for a Seminar in MSC history, charism and spirituality.  You can follow the proceedings of the seminar here.

• On February 1st 2006 Carl returned from South Africa where he and the Provincial had been attending the Regional Conference of MSCs working in Southern Africa.  The Conference elected Fr. Jimmy Stubbs MSC as their new Regional Superior.  Jimmy will take up office on 17th February.  We wish him and his new Regional Council every blessing in their ministry of leadership over the coming three years.

• On January 25th 2006 Mark and Ton attended an ecumenical conference on Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK hosted by RESTORE - the Refugee and Asylum Seekers support project of Birmingham Churches Together.  Read more...

• On January 21st 2006 Carl travelled with Pat Courtney MSC (the Irish Provincial) and Dave Nixon MSC (Director of Formation), to South Africa to be present at the MSC Regional Conference.  During the Conference the MSCs in the Southern African Region will elect a new Regional Superior and members of the new Regional Council.  Carl returns on 1st February.

• On January 16th 2006 the community spent time drawing up the criteria that will be used in selecting which city to base the project in.  Read more...

• On 11th January 2006 the community visited the CASE offices in London (Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation) and met with Mgr. Keith Barltrop, the director, and Clare Ford, team member.  The meeting began to focus attention on cities and dioceses that may become the location for the new project.  Read more...

• The community concelebrated the beginning of term mass for the School Community at Princethorpe College on the feast of the Epiphany.  The chief celebrant was Fr. Alan Whelan MSC, the Head of Religious Studies at the College.  Carl gave the homily.

News from other years is here: 2005, 2007