Letter from the Superior General for the Feast of the Annunciation
ImageThe Superior General, Fr Mark McDonald MSC, has written a letter to the whole Congregation for the Feast of the Annunciation (25th March 2009).

In it he takes the opportunity to remind all MSC and friends that this year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the title that Fr Chevalier gave to Mary - Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

Letter from the Superior General for the Feast of the Assumption

ImageThe Superior General, Fr Mark McDonald MSC, has written a letter to the whole Congregation for the Feast of the Annunciation (25th March 2009).

In it he takes the opportunity to remind all MSC and friends that this year we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of the title that Fr Chevalier gave to Mary - Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

"As you know, our Chevalier Family has chosen this year 2009 as a time to celebrate the Marian title of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. It was about 150 years ago (1857 or 1859, both dates were given by Fr. Piperon), that Fr. Jules Chevalier first announced this new title for Mary. It was 150 years ago (1859) that construction of what is now the Basilica of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Issoudun began. It was 140 years ago (September 8, 1869) that the statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in that basilica was solemnly crowned by a representative of Pope Pius IX."

"This new Marian devotion quickly spread around the world often preceding the Missionaries and the Daughters as they strove to make the Sacred Heart of Jesus known everywhere. More than just another Marian devotion, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart has an important place in our Spirituality of the Heart and is the great treasure in the spiritual heritage we have from Fr. Chevalier."

He invites all members of the Chevalier family to give special attention in their prayer and ministry to this important aspect of our spirituality.  On behalf of three Generalates (MSC, Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart and MSC Sisters) he offers a specially prepared booklet of texts for prayer and reflection.

Fr Mark's letter can be read/downloaded as a pdf file here.  The booklet can be access here  (N.B. the booklet has been set out for printing, folding and stapling, so the pages do not run consecutively).