CELEBRATING THE FAREWELL TO THE MSC FROM THE RESIDENCE AT DARAMALAN COLLEGE.
On 8th December, Foundation Day for the MSC, a Mass was celebrated to honour the MSC presence at the College, the withdrawal by the last three MSC, Fr Harold Baker, Fr Jim Littleton, Br John Walker. You will read the background in the text of Fr Littleton’s homily below.
Many MSC lived in the Residence since the 1960s. The building will be incorporated into the school.
Homily for 8th December 2019, James Littleton MSC
The 8th day of December is a very important day in the history of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart – and so it is fitting that we have an MSC celebration today.
On the 8th of December1854 Fr Jules Chevalier founded the Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Issoudun in central France.
From very small beginnings and despite some apparently insuperable difficulties, our religious congregation has spread all over the world. Today we have Missionaries working in 55 different countries in all five continents.
Our worldwide membership reached a peak of about 3300 members in the 1970s, but now is only about 1600. While numbers have decreased significantly in first world countries, they have increased remarkably in third world countries. Our withdrawal from Daramalan College is symptomatic of these worldwide changes. In the 1970’s there were at one stage 26 MSC living and working at Daramalan; this has been reduced to only a few in recent years.
It is in this context that the scriptural reading from the Letter to the Hebrews to which you have listened is apposite. It begins with the phrase: “There is no eternal city for us in this life but we look for one in the life to come.” I do not have exact statistics on the number of MSC who have lived and worked at Daramalan but it could be as many as 100. Fr Harold Baker holds the record of having been here for 45 years, I come next with 31 years. It is sad for us to leave, but as Scripture says: “There is no eternal city for us in this life.”
The Responsorial Psalm to the first reading is taken from Psalm 21 and it contains the beautiful phrase which you have recited: “O God you come to meet us, blessing us with success”. There is no doubt that over the 58 years of its existence, God has blessed the work of
the staff at Daramalan and here I refer particularly to the work of lay staff. Many have absorbed the MSC ethos and live it out in their private lives, as well as in their relationships with students and other staff members. I venture to say that the MSC Charism is more alive now and more clearly articulated than when there were many professed MSC on the staff. And despite occasional problems the achievements of the College over the years have been spectacular. God has indeed blessed the College.
The Message of the reading for today’s gospel would be summed up in the phrase: “Go out to all the world and tell the good news”. This was the instruction Jesus gave to the disciples before his ascension into heaven. The Church has done that over the years sometimes with success and sometimes with mistakes. The MSC are a missionary group. Together with lay staff, we have endeavoured to bring the Good news of God’s love to the people of Canberra. And we have taken confidence from the promise of Jesus in today’s gospel: “Know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time”. A beautiful promise that gives all our staff much confidence.
With friend and supporter, Bishop Pat Power
Might I conclude by quoting from two numbers of the MSC Constitutions: “As Missionaries of the Sacred Heart we live our faith in the Father’s love revealed in the Heart of Christ. We want to be like Jesus who loved with a human heart; we want to love through him and with him and to proclaim his love to the world”. (Number 10)
“Following the example of Jesus, we will strive to lead others to God with kindness and gentleness, to unite them to him by love and to free them from fear”. (Number 12)
Those two numbers express something of the spirit of Daramalan at this time and for that we give thanks.
Photos: thanks to Bernard Kane.
Jim and Harold with Michael Fallon,
