REPORT BY: VIJAI DCUNHA

PHOTOS BY: VIJAI DCUNHA

On the morning of the 3^rd January, Members of Mangalorean Catholic Centre of the Parish (MCCP) of Oman, along with their family, paid a lovely visit to the Home for the destitute and orphanages for the community services with the motto of what life without helping one another.

Home for aged and destitute and Orphanages are an important part of our society as they give aged, destitute and the children the kind of care they need regardless of their family situation. Too often children find themselves in a situation where they don’t have parents to take care of them and elders just without care from their own. The reasons can be many but at the end the result is the same they become nowhere to go and no way to get the proper care they need. That is why people need to visit Home for the destitute and orphanages more often to help out the destitute and kids so they don’t feel completely left out – says the visiting Committee members.

The day begin with the first planned visit to Mother Theresa’s Home for dying destitute situated at Vas lane, Falnir. This was established in the year 1997. Since then so many dying destitute have experienced the caring and loving touch of Jesus through them. The Supervisor whom MCCP members met says, “Our Mission is to love. Therefore, our doors are open to destitute, those who are rejected by families due to addiction to drinks, drugs, smoking or other vices, we welcome with open arms those who are sick and bed ridden and are forsaken by the family”. At present there are 52 destitute, Catholics, Hindus and Muslims, both rich and poor, men and women.  Out of the five sisters in the Community, two go for Family visits and spend time with them sharing their sorrows and joys, listen to their woes – she said.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”3″ gal_title=”Visit to Orphanages at Mangalore”]

The MCCP members with their families then met all the inmates at the assembly hall, sat with them, spoke to them and spent considerable time in giving them a real feeling of care and extending a new friendship. The inmates seemed very happy and excited. MCCP members also carried with them day today stuff from their own houses, that includes rice, coconuts and Banana, which they handed over to the Administration apart to a cash of 25,000 rupees.

The next visit was to Infant Mary’s children’ Home Kulshekar. The Founder of Bethany Congregation Rev. Fr R.F.C Mascarenhas established the Infant Mary’s Hostel in Kulshekar on 08.05.1943 for the children who are economically backward and orphans.  According to the vision of Founder, Infant Mary’s Hostel provides home for the students specially girls from various parts of Karnataka. The purpose of its establishment is to help them in their education and all-round development. Hostel is aided by the government and gives admission for girls from first to tenth standard.

MCCP members got a live experience of the care and support that was given to the children by the sisters of Bethany Congregation. MCCP members then handed over a cash of Rupees 25,000 as a small support towards the noble work undertaken there.

The MCCP executive Committee members Sunil Furtado- President, Naveen Mascarenhas – Vice President – Cultural, spiritual and community Services, Francis Pinto – Honorary Treasurer, Vijai Dcunha – Internal auditor, Terence Dsouza – Sports Secretary, Suneel Menezes – community services secretary, and their families too joined in this small charity mission.

At the end, the whole MCCP group experienced a visit that wasn’t only about a short-term happiness; it was about a life-long lesson about how we should never take things for granted.