Caritas-Caceres sends quick response to 70 parishes
A total of 9, 487 families, typhoon evacuees from seventy (70) parishes of the Archdiocese of Caceres were recipients of food packs from Caritas-Caceres, the social action commission of the archdiocese.
Caritas-Caceres and its network has continuously provided humanitarian response to communities severely affected by typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses.
Loading sacks of rice, boxes of sardines, corned beef, drinking water and clothes in trucks, pick-up vans and service vehicles of various parishes and volunteer private individuals has been a non-stop activity at the Caritas-Caceres Development Center (CCDC) at Cadlan, Pili, Camarines Sur since Typhoon Quinta.
Fr. Marc Real, Director of Caritas- Caceres, Inc and his assistant, Fr. Erwin Bismonte, take turns in bringing quick response to the parishes hardest hit by the typhoons. Quick response teams went to the coastal Parish of Our Lady of Peñafrancia, in Balaton, Lagonoy, the Parish of Holy Cross in Nabua, Camarines Sur, Parish of St. Padre Pio, in Sabang, San Jose, Camarines Sur, Parish of St Anthony of Padua in Presentacion , Parish of St. Michael the Archangel in Caramoan and Parish of St. Vincent Ferrer in Ombao, Bula and other parishes in the Archdiocese of Caceres.
Donation from generous donors here and abroad helped in responding to the needs of disaster stricken communities. Caritas Manila, Veritas846 and NASSA/ Caritas Philippines are collaborators of Caritas-Caceres in giving quick response during disasters and for those severely affected by the three successive typhoons which hit Bicol Region.
“Caritas is service.This is our ministry, this is our mission. This is also our source of joy and fulfilment. To be of service is a source of joy especially in this times of need and suffering. Our lives and our vocation becomes more meaningful if we are able to serve. We are doing this as a loving response to the call of our Lord Jesus to help the poor and the needy. And because of the quick response, we are able to alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters. It is a source of joy and fulfilment to be able to serve.” This was the message by Fr. Marc Real during the radio interview on November 18, 2020 at Radio Caritas Mariae 98.3FM. Fr. Real was interviewed during the program called Casarig sa Pagbangon, a special program in collaboration with Caritas-Caceres designed for information dissemination for relief and rehabilitation activities and to give hope and inspiration.
Fr. Marc Real assists in carrying the rice donations from the Diocese of Sorsogon. FB Page of Caritas-Caceres
Fr. Marc Real also announced the Alay Kapwa Sunday celebration on November 22, 2020, Christ The King Sunday for the Archdiocese of Caceres. Alay Kapwa is a day where Filipino Catholics are enjoined to contribute to the needs of the poor through a special collection made on that day. It is commemorated on Holy Week but was postponed due to the Covid19 pandemic. Fr. Real made an appeal to help the typhoon victims by contributing to the Alay Kapwa. Due to the pandemic, the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CPCP) has postponed celebration of Alay Kapwa Sunday for the month of November.
The Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe on November 22, 2020. This celebration is the culmination of the Church’s liturgical year- a glorious celebration of the Lord who reigns. To proclaim Christ as King is to hail Him and follow Him. He who said “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.” (Mt. 25:40)
“To be of service is a source of joy. To serve those in need is a source of fulfilment,” concludes Fr. Marc Real, Director of Caritas-Caceres.