News from the Mission in the Philippines
As it has already become our old tradition, we started the Lenten season by celebrating the Ash Wednesday with the Holy Mass in the jail. Taking into account the upcoming news about the coronavirus, we gave the inmates food and hygiene packs. We also asked the Jail Warden for a date of retreat and confession. As was never before, the answer came at a lightning speed and the date of confession was settled on March 4. We immediately found priests so that the inmates could have the sacrament of reconciliation. After then, on March 9, all jails were officially closed for visitors. From that moment on, we began intensive prayer of the Rosary and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for the intention of the healing of the world from the pandemic. On March 10, together with the Missionaries of Charity brothers, we managed to distribute food for about 300 families living around the dumpsite where we used to go. Unfortunately, we no longer managed to reach the 30 families living in the most remote dumpsite belonging to the parish of St. John Paul II in Tanza, because on March 16 the President announced the Enhanced community quarantine (Lockdown) of the entire island. This happened suddenly, all the villages were sealed off. Public transportations stopped, most people lost their jobs. The families were not prepared for something like that. Here, people used to live day by day, they cannot afford to buy food for the whole week for their families. There is no such thing as a pantry, most have no fridges,
and the food spoils very quickly because of the hot climate. That is why hunger quickly started to knock on doors of the poor. Seeing what was going on, taking advantage of the privilege of having a car, we quickly asked permission from the local authorities to move around more freely and do the shopping for other people too. We bought more than 1,000 kg of rice (1 ton!) and other canned goods on the market. In addition, the "River of Milk" came with help. We added a pack of milk to every food packs. For many children they are adding the milk to their rice. We also managed to contact the only milk distributor who had permission to enter our city. Thanks to that the "River of Milk" for it did not stop flowing even in this situation. Since all the villages were closed, we had to stop all our apostolic activities (feeding 100 children from the parish of John Paul II, visiting families in dumpsites, inmates, building houses for the poor, meetings with adopted children), but this did not make us "idle". A new and difficult call was born before us to take care of the families living within our reach, who need help, especially food to survive the difficult time of the pandemic. So we took up the task heartily. There was once were we reached 120 families in a week. The families living near us came to our house by themselves to pick up a food packs. To the most remote ones, we discreetly distributed the food by car. We realized clearly the importance of even a small amount of rice, and all those who accepted the packs were having tears in their eyes, thanking God for not leaving them behind. Our adopted families found
themselves in a hopeless situation, and we often heard them say that they would not die of the virus but of hunger!
Caritas Manila also helped us. We received from them 90 cheques = 1000 pesos each, for which the poorest families could buy food in the supermarket. And so we spent almost the entire Lent packing and distributing food. We also discreetly delivered food once a week to the Cloistered Sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, our neighbors. After almost all the employees were laid off, they found themselves in a very difficult situation, isolated from all benefactors. Three times we were able to meet our Sisters from Amadeo on a closed road to give them water and food because they were completely separated from their shopping possibilities, after sometime, the road to the market was opened, so they could buy food themselves. All the time we were thinking about how to deliver packages of food and milk to 30 families from the dumpsite, which we hadn't managed to reach before lockdown, imagining how difficult the situation was. After a conversation with the Priest, we managed to meet at the checkpoint where we handed the packages from car to car and the priest took them to the dumpsite. It looked like a conspiracy from the time of the war as all the checkpoints are
guarded by the army and the police. Yet, after explaining our purpose, the soldiers then allowed us to hand over the packs because they were touched by such gesture.
Since March 27 we no longer had the opportunity to attend the Holy Mass, so we watched the transmission on TV and after we received the Holy Communion in our Chapel.
The Holy Week was coming, we prayed intensely for the inmates, with whom we lived the Triduum every year, because it was the only way we could reach them, we also thought how to help them, because they found themselves in a drastic situation. We had constant contact with the guards. How great was our joy when we received from them the news of experiencing the 3 Great Days... Now that we could not visit them, the seed of faith we tried to sow in the hearts of the inmates during our Sunday masses and meetings produced fruit. God himself took care of them through the guards. And to our community he unexpectedly sent a priest who came every day to celebrate the Liturgy of the Triduum in our small community, we accepted this gift with great joy, praying even more intensely for all those who find it impossible to participate in the Paschal Triduum. Immediately after Easter Sunday we were able to obtain permission from the local authorities to buy toiletries for 800 inmates who began to have serious skin conditions because of the lack of supplies. It was not so easy, due to the great restrictions on purchasing more products. However, we managed to do an almost impossible thing, and exactly on St. Ursula's birthday, the inmates received toiletries. Different guards from the two jails went to our house to bring these kits for the inmates. . Despite the difficult situation in which they all suddenly found themselves, we still experience kindness, solidarity and kindness among our neighbors. Everyone even they are experiencing deprivation shares what he or she has, which builds beautiful relations between people.
We continue to give thanks for all those who are supporting our mission. Thanks for your sacrifices in order for us to receive these graces for our various projects which we are using to help many families. We express our gratitude for you in our prayers, asking for the generosity of God's gifts to all our benefactors. Indeed, the act of kindness towards the poor will never be forgotten.
Ursuline Sisters from the Philippines
As it has already become our old tradition, we started the Lenten season by celebrating the Ash Wednesday with the Holy Mass in the jail. Taking into account the upcoming news about the coronavirus, we gave the inmates food and hygiene packs. We also asked the Jail Warden for a date of retreat and confession. As was never before, the answer came at a lightning speed and the date of confession was settled on March 4. We immediately found priests so that the inmates could have the sacrament of reconciliation. After then, on March 9, all jails were officially closed for visitors. From that moment on, we began intensive prayer of the Rosary and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for the intention of the healing of the world from the pandemic. On March 10, together with the Missionaries of Charity brothers, we managed to distribute food for about 300 families living around the dumpsite where we used to go. Unfortunately, we no longer managed to reach the 30 families living in the most remote dumpsite belonging to the parish of St. John Paul II in Tanza, because on March 16 the President announced the Enhanced community quarantine (Lockdown) of the entire island. This happened suddenly, all the villages were sealed off. Public transportations stopped, most people lost their jobs. The families were not prepared for something like that. Here, people used to live day by day, they cannot afford to buy food for the whole week for their families. There is no such thing as a pantry, most have no fridges,
and the food spoils very quickly because of the hot climate. That is why hunger quickly started to knock on doors of the poor. Seeing what was going on, taking advantage of the privilege of having a car, we quickly asked permission from the local authorities to move around more freely and do the shopping for other people too. We bought more than 1,000 kg of rice (1 ton!) and other canned goods on the market. In addition, the "River of Milk" came with help. We added a pack of milk to every food packs. For many children they are adding the milk to their rice. We also managed to contact the only milk distributor who had permission to enter our city. Thanks to that the "River of Milk" for it did not stop flowing even in this situation. Since all the villages were closed, we had to stop all our apostolic activities (feeding 100 children from the parish of John Paul II, visiting families in dumpsites, inmates, building houses for the poor, meetings with adopted children), but this did not make us "idle". A new and difficult call was born before us to take care of the families living within our reach, who need help, especially food to survive the difficult time of the pandemic. So we took up the task heartily. There was once were we reached 120 families in a week. The families living near us came to our house by themselves to pick up a food packs. To the most remote ones, we discreetly distributed the food by car. We realized clearly the importance of even a small amount of rice, and all those who accepted the packs were having tears in their eyes, thanking God for not leaving them behind. Our adopted families found
themselves in a hopeless situation, and we often heard them say that they would not die of the virus but of hunger!
Caritas Manila also helped us. We received from them 90 cheques = 1000 pesos each, for which the poorest families could buy food in the supermarket. And so we spent almost the entire Lent packing and distributing food. We also discreetly delivered food once a week to the Cloistered Sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, our neighbors. After almost all the employees were laid off, they found themselves in a very difficult situation, isolated from all benefactors. Three times we were able to meet our Sisters from Amadeo on a closed road to give them water and food because they were completely separated from their shopping possibilities, after sometime, the road to the market was opened, so they could buy food themselves. All the time we were thinking about how to deliver packages of food and milk to 30 families from the dumpsite, which we hadn't managed to reach before lockdown, imagining how difficult the situation was. After a conversation with the Priest, we managed to meet at the checkpoint where we handed the packages from car to car and the priest took them to the dumpsite. It looked like a conspiracy from the time of the war as all the checkpoints are
guarded by the army and the police. Yet, after explaining our purpose, the soldiers then allowed us to hand over the packs because they were touched by such gesture.
Since March 27 we no longer had the opportunity to attend the Holy Mass, so we watched the transmission on TV and after we received the Holy Communion in our Chapel.
The Holy Week was coming, we prayed intensely for the inmates, with whom we lived the Triduum every year, because it was the only way we could reach them, we also thought how to help them, because they found themselves in a drastic situation. We had constant contact with the guards. How great was our joy when we received from them the news of experiencing the 3 Great Days... Now that we could not visit them, the seed of faith we tried to sow in the hearts of the inmates during our Sunday masses and meetings produced fruit. God himself took care of them through the guards. And to our community he unexpectedly sent a priest who came every day to celebrate the Liturgy of the Triduum in our small community, we accepted this gift with great joy, praying even more intensely for all those who find it impossible to participate in the Paschal Triduum. Immediately after Easter Sunday we were able to obtain permission from the local authorities to buy toiletries for 800 inmates who began to have serious skin conditions because of the lack of supplies. It was not so easy, due to the great restrictions on purchasing more products. However, we managed to do an almost impossible thing, and exactly on St. Ursula's birthday, the inmates received toiletries. Different guards from the two jails went to our house to bring these kits for the inmates. . Despite the difficult situation in which they all suddenly found themselves, we still experience kindness, solidarity and kindness among our neighbors. Everyone even they are experiencing deprivation shares what he or she has, which builds beautiful relations between people.
We continue to give thanks for all those who are supporting our mission. Thanks for your sacrifices in order for us to receive these graces for our various projects which we are using to help many families. We express our gratitude for you in our prayers, asking for the generosity of God's gifts to all our benefactors. Indeed, the act of kindness towards the poor will never be forgotten.
Ursuline Sisters from the Philippines
