History of the Mission News from the desk
Soon after arriving in Cebu
in Feb. 4, 2004 the Brothers began
visiting Pasil and Sawang Calero, Cebu’s
worst squatter neighborhoods. Here we began to minister particularly to children
by gathering them for prayer, catechesis and
recreation. The Brothers also began
visiting lepers who gathered in the city’s
commercial area looking for alms.
In February 2006, the Missionaries of the Poor opened the Little Lambs Center (LILAC)--the first and only permanent residential facility in Cebu that caters exclusively to children with multiple disabilities. This is a permanent home for the destitute, physically and mentally handicapped children, and receives those with cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome. The crippled, lamed and those with slow progress in their mental behavior are also being welcomed..
The Little Lambs Center was blessed by His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, Archbishop of Cebu, and opened by the very Rev. Fr. Richard Ho Lung, Founder and Superior General of the Missionaries of the Poor last June 23, 2006. In his short and inspiring homily at the Mass of Blessing, His Eminence expressed his gratitude to the Missionaries of the Poor for such tangible and concrete expression of the Church’s preferential option for the poor.
We are thankful for our dear friends and benefactors, especially Mrs. Wilma Lee, Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), Mirant Philippines and to those who have contributed in one way or another to make this dream a reality.
Our Ministry in Cebu
We
teach the Catholic faith to over 80 children
in the squatter’s area where our center is
constructed. We usually have catechism in
two settings, one for the high school level
and the other one for the elementary level.
Bro. Raul takes charge of the teaching and
formation at the high school level while our
volunteer catechists take care of the
elementary level . We have classes on
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
On Sundays, we celebrate Holy Mass with the children together with their beloved parents at 5:00 p.m. Priest celebrants come from different religious congregations come to help us. We also have regular Sunday evening gatherings for a group of lepers at the downtown city of Cebu. We provide some sort of a para -liturgy, Bible sharing, fellowship, meals and food packed. There are about 30 to 40 who usually come; they are negative patients of different ages afflicted with leprosy.
The brothers also have a regular outreach program of visiting the Psychiatry Department of Vicente Sotto Memorial Hospital and provide working hand in hand with the mentally challenged patients, which is visible in the photos below.
Photos from Cebu