Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

On Saturday, August 9 at 5:30 p.m. in St. Margaret Mary Parish in Bogotá, Colombia, Guillermo Cuarán, Faiber Vargas, William Tamayo, Jesús Adrían Benavides, Favio Castro and Juan Pablo Romero made their first vows as MSC. Fr. Joseph Jablonski, MSC, Provincial Superior of the MSC United States Province received the vows. All six young men had just finished their Novitiate, which is the year after the pre-novitiate (consisting of 4 years of Philosophy) that each MSC seminarian spends to learn more about the MSC charism and the Spirituality of the Heart. Jesús Adrián Benavides and Juan Pablo Romero spent the past year and a half in Brazil and Favio Castro, Faiber Vargas, Guillermo Cuarán and William Tamayo made their Novitiate in the Dominican Republic. All six young men have already experienced, in part, the missionary life and we are delighted to welcome them to our community. They will begin their advanced studies in Theology later this month and will reside with the MSC community in Bogotá. In addition to their studies, they will each engage in part-time ministry in the local area, whether it is leading religious education classes or doing social services volunteer work.

The Colombia Section of the USA Province of Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is growing quickly, so quickly in fact that a new seminary residence is urgently needed. Space is already very tight and with six new members this year alone, the United States Province has made it a priority to build a new facility which could be used by next fall (2009) and which would also be available as an international theologate for other MSC communities in South and Central America. We are delighted that our students are responding to God's call to make the great love of the Sacred Heart known everywhere, and we too must respond in kind by ensuring that our students have adequate residences, with the study, recreation, and worship space they need to fulfill their potential as MSC. We need your support! You can help us by donating online and selecting "Support a Seminarian" or the "Colombian Mission" or by becoming a MSC sponsor in one of these areas. Or, you can become a member of the Sacred Heart Foundation, which awards scholarships to MSC seminarians around the world.

We continue to pray that others might follow these young men's examples and discern the vocation to which God is calling them. There is certainly a great need in the world today for the healing and love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Each one of us has a vocation and we each need to discern what it is that God is calling us to do. Several of us are called to serve God's people through the Religious Life or priesthood, and we all are called to nurture both our vocation and the vocations of others. Not sure where to start? Click here to read a message from our Vocation Director, Fr. Andrew Torma, MSC. You'll also find a prayer for discerning your vocation and information about the MSC discernment process.

The MSC United States Province and the Colombian Section joyfully welcome our new members and we pray to God that He might continue to guide them and to give them the strength and faith they need to continue on their journey. Congratulations! May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere!