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The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) are an international community of religious men of the Catholic Church who believe that nothing is more important than the saving power of God's love. The initials M.S.C. come from the Latin: Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis.


ORIGINS

In 1854, a French parish priest, Jules Chevalier, gathered a small group of like-minded priests and formed the MSC congregation under the protection of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Their concern was global, but they began with efforts to restore the vitality of the faith in rural France. On September 1, 1881, the first missionaries left for Papua New Guinea, the fulfillment of a dream that Fr. Chevalier already had as a seminarian.


SPIRIT

The spirit of the MSC is formed by our experience of the love of God through the compassion of Jesus. We want everyone to experience the same compassionate Jesus, His healing love, and reconciliation with His Father and with one another. See: Spirituality of the Heart


MISSION

MSC work to deepen appreciation of God's love. Some minister here at home by serving in parishes, hospitals, prisons, and in special retreat programs that lead people to healing. Others proclaim the compassion of God as revealed in the Heart of Christ by going to missions overseas. MSC are active in over 54 countries, most of them in the Third World. The USA-MSC staff missions in Papua New Guinea (S. Pacific) and Colombia (S. America).

GOALS

* to live our lives supporting each other as witnesses of God's love for everyone;
* to reach out to those who are broken, alienated, isolated or in any way separated from God's love;
* to foster a global vision both as our gift to the local church and as a way of unifying our ministries;
* to send men to Colombia and Papua New Guinea as part of our emphasis on missionary evangelization;
* to work with the laity in bringing all members of the church to their rightful participation in the mission of the Church;
* to welcome enrichment from the laity as we share our spirituality with them;
* to respond to the issues of human rights/justice and peace, and the integrity of creation.