By Joan Yap
The organization of
“New Immigrants Children” consists of children of Filipino women married to
Taiwanese. These kids only speak Mandarin. Their mothers encourage them to make
Mandarin their mother tongue because the mothers also wish to develop their Mandarin.
I observed that many moms attend the Filipino/English mass because they have
difficulty understanding the Chinese mass. They bring with them their family
especially their kids.
For the Filipino
mothers, being away from home,
church has become their refuge. A mother’s faith becomes a gift to the
community. What inspires me most is that, since there are only a few Catholic
in Taiwan, they are very generous in allowing their children to help and
participate in any church activities. It was through their generosity and
spirit of volunteerism that the parish was inspired to organize Altar Servers
for the New Immigrants Children this year. It was really not that easy to start
with because of the language but we believe in the grace of God that we are able
to understand each other and everything went well. Language did not
become a barrier as long as we know that what we do is for the glory of God’s
name.
My experience with the
Altars Servers gives me the opportunity to look back at my own childhood years.
I remember, every Sunday, my parents together with my siblings would attend
mass and pray. At that time, church for me was the most peaceful place, though
I didn’t have much understanding what they were doing but all I knew I was
there to pray. It was through attending mass that my vocation started. I
remember, I dreamed to be a nun because I saw them very active in the church ministries. I appreciated the
people who volunteered themselves to be in church ministries and their
commitment to serve.
Young as I was, my
parents usually brought me to their church work. I was exposed, involved and it
became an inspiration for me. It was through this experience that my desire to
serve sprouted. The inspiration in giving their life in the service of the Church
brings me where I am now as a Columban Lay Missionary. The children taught me,
that language is not everything there is to understand in this mission but it
is always how you relay the language of love, which is God’s love.
The children may have difficulty in understanding the English Mass but this
does not hinder them to be of service. Just like their mother, I am proud to
see them giving themselves and serving the church. It is our prayer that they
become a hope in the church. That someday, as they grow old, they have
something to hold on to, an experience with God, that helps them mold their
vocation in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment