STORIES OF COURAGE AND COMPASSION
‘It takes courage to answer the call’ goes the line of the hymn which we sing very often in the Church.Our parishioners took courage and accepted the challenge to practice what they sing, by reaching out to the poor and needy families, during the ongoing pandemic, overcoming the very natural fear of becoming a victim of the corona virus. Despite the risk involved, our parishioners decided to step out of their homes to distribute rations to those in need, in our parish.
The poor among our parishioners have always felt solace under the mantle of Our Lady of the Forsaken, Malwani. It was even more important for them to feel this protection in the time of COVID 19. Our parish comprises 350 families, out of which around 150 families were provided rations, four times during the last three months. It was a joint venture of the three Religious Congregations, laity and clergy teams who came together to reach out to the families in need. Besides rations, the parish also provided medical aid.
Our parish may be a poor parish but it is not so poor that we cannot reach out to those in need. We believe God, in His providence, always provides us whenever we are in want. I am truly happy to say a big ‘THANK YOU!’ to our parishioners who came forward to distribute rations to the poor and needy families, and special thanks go to the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, Society of the Helpers of Mary and Carmelite Missionaries who joined the parish team in this outreach. We continue to hope and pray that we will uphold our mission, in situations like this, and that they will always bring us closer to God and to one another. We stand united in reaching out to the poor and needy. All praise to God for He stands by us in times of troubles and difficulties.
Fr Vincent Barboza