By Catherine Engsun
BUKIT PADANG — Christian friendship between two churches led to a collaboration in giving alms to 25 needy/poor families in the form of food bags.
These families are living in the areas of Penampang, Tanjung Aru, Kg Dambai, Inanam and Telipok.
The outreach mission was through the personal efforts of the faithful from Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish (SHC) and Basel Church (BC) to assist the needy/poor in any way they can.
This almsgiving was timely as Christians entered into the first Sunday of Lent on 21 Feb, where almsgiving, for the Catholic Church, is one of the three pillars of Lent after praying and fasting.
Volunteers from both SHC and BC gathered at Church of Mary Immaculate (CMI) here to collect the food bags. SHC was led by Fr Paul Lo while BC was led by Pastor Simon Chong. Before departing with the food bags, Fr Paul led them in prayer and gave blessings for a safe and meaningful Lenten journey.
Since it was still the Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration, the outreach mission also brought some CNY cheers to the families.
The last distribution was made on Feb 25 to two more families, which made it on time for them to celebrate Chap Goh Mei, the 15th day of CNY, the following day.
Both Fr Paul and Pastor Simon expressed their gratitude to the donors and volunteers for being the *pillars* in this outreach mission.
