Special Cards for Sale in Shops

As a public service we provide a beautiful range of Sacred Heart Mission Cards for shops to make available to their customers. These are not Mass cards, rather they are prayer cards. They are within Church guidelines covering the administration of Mass cards. These guidelines were issued in 1988 by the Irish Bishops Conference, the Irish Missionary Union, and the Conference of Religious in Ireland to ensure respect and integrity for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Bishop Colm O' Reilly, Chairman of the Episcopal Commission for Missions welcomed the launch of Sacred Heart Mass Cards, as did the Irish Missionary Union which is the representative body for 85 missionary congregations in Ireland.

The range includes cards for occasions such as Sympathy, Get Well / Comfort & Healing, and Christmas. Each type contains prayerful reflections appropriate for the occasion. The cards are printed by Divine Word Missionaries at their printing works located at Donamon, Co. Roscommon. As the cards are not Mass cards they are not impacted by Section 99 of The Charities Act 2009 which governs the sale of pre-signed Mass cards in commercial outlets, and which we welcome as a necessary means to prohibit trafficking in the Mass.

Recommendations by CSNA, RGDATA, and the IPU

Sacred Heart Mission Cards are recommended by the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA) which is the representative body for 1,500 family-owned shops in Ireland. The following is an extract from the CSNA member newsletter of November 2008:

"The Irish Catholic Bishops recently outlined their concerns at what they considered was a growing abuse by Mass Card providers of the integrity of the Mass card system. As retailers, we need to be assured that the products we sell are fit for the purpose that they are intended; as such, concerns expressed by the Bishops must be considered very seriously.

“Missionaries of the Sacred Heart provide alternative cards called Sacred Heart Mission Cards. These offer remembrance in "the prayers and spiritual devotions" of the missionaries, and are officially approved by the Episcopal Commission for Missions. Cards can be ordered from the MSC Mission Support Centre, Western Road, Cork. Telephone 021-4545704”

RGDATA - the retail grocers' trade association representing over 4,000 independent, family owned shops, supermarkets, convenience stores and forecourt stores throughout Ireland - recommends the range of MSC cards.

RGDATA Director General, Tara Buckley said: "The MSC produce a range of Irish made cards suitable for expressions of sympathy, get well wishes and Christmas greetings that comply with the new government regulations which make it illegal for a retailer to sell pre-signed Mass cards that do not have the written approval of a bishop or the superior of a religious congregation."

The cards are also recommended by the Irish Postmasters’ Union which is the representative body for 1,000 post offices throughout Ireland.

Donations from Sacred Heart Mission Cards support MSC missionaries who have devoted their lives to preaching the Gospel of Christ and helping the poor in developing countries as is demonstrated in other pages on this site.

Shop owners wishing to stock Sacred Heart Mission Cards as a genuine religious card for their customers should contact:

The Cards Dept.

MSC Mission Support Centre

Western Road

Cork.