rachel
October 14, 2024
Caritas Penang’s October outreach was carried out at a mission organization of our Catholic Church, located at Penang Road, Lighthouse Feeding Centre.
Lighthouse allows us servants of the Lord to meet and feel inclusive with the marginalized.
18 volunteers from various deaneries of Penang Diocese came forward to experience the mission of Lighthouse.
For total immersion, volunteers were involved in the planning phase together with the Caritas Penang team. Volunteers took on the responsibility of buying raw materials and planning the meal.
On 11th October 2024, all the volunteers gathered at Lighthouse and the day kicked off with a briefing by Alan Kow the supervisor of Lighthouse and a short sharing by Lillian Chan on the MASC spiritual centre that is located at the same premises as Lighthouse.
The day continued with volunteers dividing the task among themselves to prepare for the meal, while preparing, all of them joined their hearts and minds in sharing and having conversations that were full of laughter and love.
As time passed, clients of Lighthouse started coming in for their tea time where scrumptious pieces of homemade cake were served along with hot coffee and they were entertained by songs played by our volunteers which then gave the clients some time to showcase their talents in singing and dancing with the volunteers.
As they were all hyped by our little joyful moments, dinner was ready to be served. More clients started coming in and settled as the volunteers began serving them and chatted with some of them. We witnessed the happiness on their faces of enjoying chicken curry, vegetables, and telur bawang which is the favorite dish of most, and shared their joy with us and blessed the volunteers.
We listened to some volunteers’ experiences;
“The feeling of being belonged from both sides is so warm”
“The preparation of the meal and the effort we put for it made me feel like I was preparing for my family and relatives for Christmas”
“This is one of the ways to go down to the roots to serve, to see beyond the need of food which is need of love and sense of belonging”
“I love the part where the volunteers gathered as strangers in the morning and by the time we were done for the day we built our relationship as brethren in Christ”
“Our sincerity and sole intention to bring God’s love made the food to be extra delicious and made the day merrier”
“The feeling of satisfaction when we were preparing for the day is amazing because we look into preparing as we do at our homes – to give the best”
This mission may seem to be a usual activity, but homelessness, poverty, and hunger may be a never-ending part of this world. Let’s remember, we have the responsibility to keep this at bay. God gave us the responsibility of stewards on this earth.
Every time we have the chance to serve someone let it be food, providing shelter, guarding their dignity, or clothing them it’s a chance for us to serve Jesus in them, to let them experience love and hope.
Our little act of kindness could be the answer to their prayers. Let’s say Yes to the Lord’s command to love our neighbors and serve them with kindness and mercy.
Let’s continue to fill this world with abundant Caritas.
~Together We Serve. ♥
Caritas is the charitable arm of the Roman Catholic Church. It is to spearhead the church’s social mission, to respond to humanitarian crisis, promote integral human development and advocate on the causes of poverty and violence.
Caritas Penang comes under the jurisdiction of The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang.
© 2022 Caritas – Diocese of Penang. All Right Reserved.