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.
Soup Kitchen for the Poor
Every one of us is so precious to Him (Luke 15:1-3,11-32)
Reflection
The beginning of the social mission
When I came to Sungai Petani, I saw people who were homeless and poor on the streets, looking at that situation, Inspired by the mission of Lighthouse in Penang and also all the soup kitchens around the world, I initiated the Caritas Kitchen project in my parish. I intended to feed people who did not know their next meal, so, I proposed this project to my parishioners. They enthusiastically accepted the idea and started working on it for two years. ~ Fr.Victor Louis
How has this project grown so far?
The number of volunteers for Caritas Kitchen has increased since the project started, and it has reached people of different faiths. We now have diverse volunteers for this project.
Challenges we handle
We have received criticisms that we are feeding the addicts and encouraging people to live in poverty if we were to see and judge by the eyes of the world, maybe we would have given up, but we choose to see through the eyes of Jesus, judge like Jesus and act like Jesus.
The Volunteers
To spend my day off in a quality way and to practice what Jesus taught us, I volunteer to cook for CTK Caritas Kitchen. It gives me joy to serve the people who are the poorest of the poor. At least one day out of seven days, I’m able to give them hope by cooking healthy food for them. Yesudass, Volunteer cook
I’m a retiree, and I didn’t want to waste my time, so when I got to know about Caritas Kitchen, I started volunteering. I listen to God and do. I find joy in being able to serve the Lord through this project. Arokiamary, Volunteer cook
I’ve been volunteering for the past two years. Seeing people in need of food, which is a basic need, moves my heart. Being a retired military personnel, I yearn to continue serving, so I go out looking for people in a desperate situation to offer them whatever I can. Alex, Volunteer distributor
Volunteers come forward with passion to spread love through cooking for unknown people who are hungry. David, Caritas Soup Kitchen leader
What is the Hope CTK Caritas Kitchen has for this mission?
We aspire to not only feed people in hunger but to make them feel cared for, seen and heard and to show them that God loves them no matter who they are. We hope this project will go on and we will be able to look into the issues of homelessness in depth.
Transformed by Hope
As long as someone is hungry and we are able to feed, we feed. This gives hope for them that God loves them and that people care, which may transform their lives. Our action might be the answer to some who pray “Give us this day our daily bread”.
Pope Francis Prays
May Mary, who is the Mother of Mercy, place in our hearts the certitude that we are loved by God. May she be close to us in moments of difficulty and give us the sentiments of her Son, so our Lenten journey may be an experience of forgiveness, of welcome, and of charity.
LET'S CONTEMPLATE
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus sat at the same table with those who were labeled as “sinners.” Being the Lord, the Son of God, He could have just turned back and called them out as sinners, but He did not, that’s compassion and mercy. Through His action, Jesus taught us to open our arms to the lost ones, welcome them with compassion, and be a reason for them to find hope. Just like how He opens His arms when we run back to Him with the hope that He will be merciful and compassionate towards us. Like the father who rejoiced when the lost son was found, God our Father will rejoice when we find those who are lost. How can we help those who are lost to rediscover hope?
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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