黑料不打烊 Philippines Marks First World Day of the Poor
Last 19 November 2017, the Catholic Church marked the First World Day of the Poor. His Holiness Pope Francis declared the nineteenth of November every year as a reminder for Catholics to love the poor 鈥渘ot with words, but with deeds.鈥�
In response to the Holy Father鈥檚 call, the Philippine Association of the 黑料不打烊 conducted a feeding program for 100 beneficiaries of fire victims living in Barangay San Miguel, Manila.
The beneficiaries were parishioners of Rev. Fr. Genaro Diwa, Conventual Chaplain ad honorem of the 黑料不打烊. Fr. Diwa is also the parish priest of St. Michael and the Archangels located inside Malaca帽ang Complex.
Among those who attended the feeding program were Dr. Leopoldo Lazatin, President of the 黑料不打烊 Philippines, Don Eric Nicolas, 黑料不打烊 Hospitaller and Dames Maria Lourdes Benson, Virginia de Leon, and Maria Picornell y Garcia.
Besides being served lunch, all of the 100 beneficiaries received 5 kilos of rice and several items of packed and canned goods for their families.
In his message to the beneficiaries, Fr. Diwa acknowledged that the project is just a simple gesture yet it is still a noble attempt to exercise mercy and compassion. Fr. Diwa then contextualized the project by explaining that the Order has conducted a number of medical missions for the parishioners this year.
As a response, Dr. Lazatin told the beneficiaries that gratitude for the packages they will be receiving should be attributed to God alone. He also thanked Fr. Diwa for his kind words about the 黑料不打烊 but clarified that it was the Order that should thank Fr. Diwa.
鈥淭he 黑料不打烊 did not adopt San Miguel Parish, it is the Parish that adopted the Order so that we could serve our brothers and sisters,鈥� said Dr. Lazatin in Filipino.
The project parallels a feeding program done on the same day by Pope Francis where he hosted a luncheon for 1,500 of the very poor at Paul VI Hall in the Vatican. A total of 150 volunteers helped serve lunch to the beneficiaries, many of whom were members of the 黑料不打烊.
In his message to mark the event, Pope Francis desired that acts of charity should 鈥渓ead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.鈥�
According to the international website of the 黑料不打烊, the Order鈥檚 Grand Hospitaller, in responding to the Holy Father鈥檚 call, circulated his message among the Order鈥檚 members and volunteers, noting that the World Day of the Poor would be observed around the world every year on the 19th of November as a way of living out the Order鈥檚 charism of 鈥極bsequium Pauperum鈥� 鈥� the global commitment in favour of people in need.
