50 years serving PH poor, sisters say anyone can help
The
Little Sisters of Jesus are urging ordinary people to serve the poor,
saying compassion does not require advanced training or special
qualifications.
Sr. Cecilia Grace of Jesus, the congregation’s
sister-in-charge, made the appeal as the sisters marked 50 years in the
Philippines on Friday, Aug. 14.
“It is not necessary to have finished a high-level course to be able to help,” she told Radyo Veritas.
For
five decades, the sisters have lived among workers, farmers, domestic
workers and other marginalized communities, including helping homeless
people secure government identification cards and restore their legal
identity.
Sr. Cecilia said their mission reflects the congregation’s belief that God is found in ordinary human life and work.
“We want to remind everyone that God became a worker like us,” she said.
The
sisters marked their golden jubilee at San Roque Parish Church in
Mandaluyong City, where Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila presided over
Mass.
Advincula urged the sisters to remain faithful to their
mission of simplicity and communion, saying the anniversary should
highlight God’s work rather than the congregation’s achievements.
“Fifty years is not simply a measure of time,” he said. “It is a testimony to God’s faithfulness.”
He
also urged the faithful to resist “worldly powers and systems of
domination,” drawing from Mary’s Magnificat, and encouraged the sisters
to remain rooted in the spirituality of Nazareth and Bethlehem.
The
Little Sisters of Jesus was founded in Algeria in 1939 by Little Sister
Magdeleine of Jesus, inspired by St. Charles de Foucauld.
The
sisters arrived in the Philippines in 1976 at the invitation of Bishop
Bienvenido Tudtud and began living among poor communities.
Since
then, they have shared the daily lives of rural settlers, workers and
other marginalized groups through their simple presence. Sr. Cecilia
said the mission remains open to anyone willing to accompany the poor,
regardless of education or profession.
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