Columban Fr Martin Koroiciri with the women in the soup kitchen, Chile. Photo: Fr Martin Koroiciri SSC
As the momentum of the coronavirus pandemic gained pace and the devastation became evident from the number of infections and deaths, the indirect effects also became apparent. Many people were without income and were going hungry. They needed help.
In our parish of San Columbano in Santiago, Chile, we started a successful soup kitchen project, but this was not enough.
We learned that many families were not coming for food because they were embarrassed at finding themselves in such a predicament. They worried about what the neighbours would think. But their reality was grave, and many had more needs than just food. Some families had babies and children up to five-years-old and no milk or winter clothes to protect them from the cold.
With the help of financial aid provided by benefactors, we were able to deliver food and clothing to more than 50 families, including those who had contracted coronavirus and were in isolation. Taking the recommended precautions, we delivered the groceries and tried our best to help those in isolation.
The emotional gratification we saw in their eyes was such a satisfying feeling that it encouraged us to keep striving to help more of those in our community that were in need.
Once the project was running well, we began receiving small donations of baby clothes from nearby families. This was immensely helpful and showed that the people were standing in solidarity with their brothers and sisters to break the chain of embarrassment.
Their action has lit a fire of hope within our communities, and it is our prayer that eventually we may learn to stand together rather than tear each other apart. This positive outcome resulted in naming our project “Manos de Misericordia” (Hands of Mercy). The name depicts a project where the initial help came from outside, but the healing came from within.
We hope to learn one day that mercy is not just a word, but a way of living and understanding our reality and helping each other build a community of God where we can set our differences aside and stand together as one.
Columban Fr Martin Koroiciri works at the parish of San Columbano in Santiago, Chile.
Listen to "Hands of Mercy project"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - August 2021
