OUTREACH PROGRAM
“The hungry nations of the whole world cry out to the peoples blessed with abundance. And the Church, cuts to the quick by this cry, asks each and every man to hear his brother’s plea and answer it lovingly.” Paul VI “Populorum Progressio”
God has entrusted to us a rich earth that could offer all men sufficient food and living space. Yet there are whole regions, countries, and continents in which many people have scarcely the bare necessities for living. There are complex historical causes for this division in the world, but it is not irreformable. The rich countries have the moral obligation to help the underdeveloped nations out of poverty through developmental aid and the establishment of just economic and commercial conditions. Love for the poor must be in every age the distinguishing mark of Christians. The poor deserve not just few alms; they have a claim to justice. For Christians there is a special obligation to share their goods and the example in love for the poor is Christ.
The Salvatorian Fathers and Brothers have received some blessings from the merciful Father and yet they decided to share these blessings to those who are in need. On December 22, 2015, Fr. Adam Janus SDS, the Superior of the East Asian Mission Vicariate, asked some of the brothers to go for shopping and buy things that would be needed during the event. Few brothers together with some members of Father Jordan Youth went to the willage and informed people about planned activities.
In the Village of Minantok East, located in Amadeo parish, there is one, particular place along the river, where some families setteld down there. Fifteen houses with twenty-two families live there. Most of them do not have stable income due to the lack of work. They have very hard time to suport their children and provide basic education for them. Children’s education is very important because it is the first, basic thing they need in order to look for better future.
On December 27, 2015 at nine o’clock in the morning, the Savatorian Fathers from Talon, together with Fr. Agustín Van Baelen from Rome, some brothers and members of Father Jordan Youth started preparing themselves for the trip, loading a car with Christmas gifts that would be distributing later on among the families. By the time they reached the destination, they had to leave a car quite far from the village due to the very poor road condition.
So they were helping each other, finding the best way to curry out the gifts they prepared. The distance was a little bit far but they did not mind the exhaustion because their goal was to help those in need and make them expirance there are people who really care for them. When the group arrived to the willage, they started visiting families one by one, singing christmas songs, exchanging greetings and giving them christmas gifts. The people were so happy to expirance the presence of Christ among them. The joy and happiness of the people there, the smile on thair faces was the best reword for the organizers of the even. Touching the hearts of others even in a simple way makes the heart of Jesus rejoicing since he told us: “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me”. (Mt. 25, 40).
