What is Caritas
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.
Refugee Community project
Don’t give up yet. (Luke 13:1-9)
Reflection
Caritas Risen Christ Catholic Church (Caritas RC) attended a forum by Caritas Penang and MSF on the Refugee Crisis in 2023. At the forum, Caritas RC learned about the challenges being faced by the refugee community. The team brought this concern to the attention of their parish priest, Fr.Esmund, and the rest of the team members, and they decided to do something for the community. They then visited the community to learn more about how they could help and what are their needs.
What was the need that Caritas RC saw in the refugee community?
Visiting the community was an exposure for the team to see the reality refugees are living in. The plight of refugees is beyond our power, yet we saw an area where we could bring hope. In a situation where they are deprived of every basic need, few adults in the community with a decent level of education started teaching the children in the community at a commonplace of the village. We saw a need for the community to be educated.
How did the parish judge the situation after the visit?
The team looked into the area the parish could contribute, which was to provide facilities for the classrooms. Caritas RC understood that the condition of the learning environment and facilities would be helpful for the students. We believe that through this initiative we could bring hope to the refugee community.
How did you advocate for this mission to your parishioners?
Advent is a four-week-long preparation, each week, we focused on different areas of refugees and migrants. We addressed the issue in a global context in the first week, the second week in Asia, the third week in Malaysia, and the fourth week in our backyard. That creates a level of awareness of what’s happening out there and with a hope that people will be sensitized to the reality in their neighborhood and encourage them to see something that can be done, not necessarily to think far or too big scale but little acts itself can make a difference for the people who are around us. ~ Fr.Esmund
The act of love
We provided items like linoleum flooring for the rooms, a color printer, a cabinet to start a small library, foldable banquet tables, plastic chairs, stationery, and school bags for the students.
Who made this possible?
The Caritas RC team proposed a collaboration with the parish youth ministry and Caritas Penang. With the acknowledgment of the parish priest, the team called for a 2nd collection in mass as a way to encourage parishioners to be contributors as well to this mission. We believe this collaborative method is way to advocate for the refugees.
Volunteer
Being a volunteer I realised I can give more because of what I have received from God. God’s blessings and grace is my courage to take a step for social mission. It was hard to understand the needs of refugees, but when I went and saw the reality, I understood God has called me for a purpose. ~ Siskah, Parish Youth Ministry Representative
Volunteers are the significant part of the Catholic Church social mission. Our spirituality, which includes our disposition and motivation must be guided by the three elements: sanctity, synodality and solidarity. Our God who became human like us and in so doing, revealed the true dignity of each human being. Honouring the divine presence in each human being and being compassionate is love in action. ~ Stephanie Cheong, Advent Project Coordinator
Pope Francis Prays
Jesus, give me a drink that will quench my thirst forever.
Jesus, change my life,
Jesus, fill me with joy,
Amen.
LET'S CONTEMPLATE
The owner of the tree is not God. The owner is us.
In this parable, the owner of the tree asks to chop the tree for it was not bearing fruits, he saw it as a waste of space and pronounced judgment on the tree to chop it down and see it as deserving nothing but death. Is it the tree that needs change or the owner of the fig tree whose mind the gardener is trying to change by asking to leave it alone for one more year, to dig around it and fertilize it? The gardener is trying to change the mind of the owner who questions the fruitlessness of the tree, are we the owners who are questioning the use of the tree? The ones looking at people affected by tragedy, who lost their homes and struggling to survive? As owners, together with the gardener, can we have a little hope for the trees to bear fruits?
Resources
Do you want to plan a social project in your church and bring impacts to the vulnerable communities? Download the Lenten kit.
Donate
A small RM200 donation can help one month education fee for 2 students, one month food ration for a family of 4, one month insurance cover for 1 refugee.
COLLABORATE WITH US
Call Us If You Want To Work Together
The Catholic church’s mission is to carry out and continue the work of Jesus Christ on earth. Therefore, we seek to work with communities, non-governmental organisations, and local authorities to promote an inclusive and sustainable development for all.
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Caritas Penang comes under the jurisdiction of The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang.
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