Welcome to 2025

Every blessing for the New Year - and for the rest of the year! 2025 is also a Jubille Year for the universal Church.

A way of focusing on 2025 for us as MSC and for our visitors to our site and Facebook page is to look at some statements of our Provincial Council as they look towards the future – our future. And with hope and trust.

And Dominic Gleeson MSC

I see a much smaller Province ten years hence. We will see a different leadership team and style, which younger MSCs will feel comfortable with; some existing ministries will continue, with increased lay involvement and participation and leadership; some new ministries will also emerge to meet our mission to be the Heart of God everywhere. This will always emerge through the “synodal way”, which is the new Church, and essential for us as Chevalier Family.  Phil Hicks MSC

I feel encouraged to say yes to life, regardless of our circumstances. To say yes to life is to enter into and draw on the fruits of the discernment process. As we know, Chevalier often said, “Obstacles become means”; in that sense, the Spirit of God is never overwhelmed.  Peter Hendriks MSC

Active listening to the Spirit in prayer, we have listened to the movement of the Spirit is active in each one of us, listened to what is going on inside each of us. Honestly, in writing this reflection, James Maher’s lyrics resonated with me: Moving forward in the Spirit, taking new steps with a trusting heart, sharing a vision to shape our future, confident in God’s hands, missionaries of God’s heart. Thoi Tran MSC

At times I’ve felt I lacked the strength Jesus mentions to survive all that is going to happen, but God is always there at the right time to bless me with a reminder of his love. Pat Mara MSC

From the Phlippines Province

Perhaps the most significant takeaway for me was the realisation that effective leadership must dare to envision new ways of operating. This not only grants members the permission to explore innovative ideas but also inspires them to take initiative in doing so. By fostering an environment where imagination and creativity are encouraged, we can collectively and collaboratively navigate the challenges ahead and embrace the new opportunities that arise in our mission and ministry. Kimi Vunivesilevu MSC

How we actively listen to – ‘the signs of the times’ – and to where the Spirit is actively leading us, very gently and surely. That would be the cornerstone of any understanding of how to ‘adapt’ to the ministry of leadership – to be a leader who can adapt to and welcome the ‘signs of the times’, with joy and peace and not be threatened or afraid. Dominic Gleeson MSC

Many of us have already become accustomed to change, having lived with its consequences for many years. As we continue to become fewer, it may feel like the change we have been living with is accelerating. Awareness of the gifts we bring to our mission, and of the benefits of our ongoing formation, will hopefully help us to be ready to engage with the inevitability of change and to consent to what we discern is being asked of us.  Stephen Hackett MSC