ASIA/THAILAND - “Houses of Hope” at Our Lady of Mercy Mission offers aid to orphan and needy children and their families

Nonthaburi (Agenzia Fides) – The activities of the Saint Martin Center at the mission of Our Lady of Mercy, in Nonthaburi (Thailand) continue. Fides learns of their situation from two PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions) missionaries working in the country. "With the boys of the Houses of Hope with their school year under way, it began at the end of May with 85 boys and girls,” say Father Raffaele and Father Adriano. "Some of those who were with us last year have been moved back into their families of origin to favor a reunion with their families. Other new ones, with big family problems behind them, were accepted. About half are completely orphaned and have been abandoned and will be with us into adulthood and another half come from disastrous family situations, but their families remain an important reference point for all of them and sometimes they even end up being able make a stable return to the family."
"The wish of every child - the two missionaries say - is to see the parents again. This is why we encourage them to come once a month to see their children, and we organize festivals to attract them to stay a bit with them. Phraeo and Phloi, ages 5 and 7, are two sisters who were abandoned by their mother after their father was seriously injured in an accident. They are happy here with us because we try to give them all the care they need, but every time the little one sees me, she sadly asks me: 'Today, will you help me find my real dad?' The joy she feels every time she can visit her father is reflected in the smiling eyes of her father, who barely manages to stand on his feet but is revived when his daughters come to visit." The St. Martin Center also cares for about 700 poor children of the slums, assisted with academic grants to help them attend school regularly. "In the slums - continued Father Adriano – we always see many situations of disease, neglect, and discomfort. This year, a group of Capuchin novices, along with the priest leading them, are working alongside our staff and once a week, go to visit the sick and hold festivities and prayer groups for women in the slums. Almost a year ago, two Xaverian Missionaries, Sr. Caterina and Sr. Antonella, came to work, with the hope of bringing the light of Jesus to all these initiatives. Along with Sister Angela, who is in charge of the House of the Angels for handicapped children, they now form a community that, by its presence, bears witness to Jesus in a place where many still do not know Him."
(AP) (Agenzia Fides 7/1/2010)