The Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia donated funds to Caritas Malaysia to assist in humanitarian relief efforts in war-torn Ukraine.
From March 21 to April 3, the parish's fundraising effort collected Ringgit Malaysian 50,870.00 (US$12,041). This amount will be deposited into Caritas Malaysia's relief account through the Archdiocese's Caritas.
Sacred Heart Caritas inaugurated and consecrated its new operations center on the grounds of the Sacred Heart Complex during the campaign.
Father Paul Lo, parish rector and spiritual adviser to Sacred Heart Caritas, officiated a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Jason Joenoi, pastor of the Parish Pastoral Council, and Anthony Lim, chairman of the Parish Finance and Property Council.
The center, which was restored using parish funds, demonstrates the parish's commitment to continuing to assist the needy by keeping and distributing donated items.
Caritas Malaysia, the social service wing of bishops in the country, is a newly founded affiliate of Caritas Internationalis (international), the worldwide federation of social development of the Catholic Church. The newly formed parish-level charity and development group is happy to assist the poor in their time of need.
A Holy Mass for Peace was celebrated in Bukit Padang's Church of Mary Immaculate as part of the pope’s appeal for peace in Ukraine and Russia.
In preparation for the Mass, parishioners prayed the rosary with a specific intention for peace in the warring nations.
"We are joining the Holy Father in calling for peace by consecrating these warring countries to Mary," Bishop Paul said in his homily, "because war occurs when the human heart is so full of pride and self-centeredness that it desires to conquer and manipulate at the expense of the innocent, particularly children."
"While the dedication to Our Lady is not miraculous, and war will not cease instantly, we surrendered this process of peace to God by praying for compassion and requesting that conflict be brought to an end and peace be achieved through prayer," he continued.
Bishop Paul was named Chairman of Caritas Malaysia on February 25, 2020, and Charles Bertille was appointed executive secretary of the national office.
As soon as the Parish Caritas was created during the epidemic, it began distributing food bags to the impoverished.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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