• English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • The FMM Institute
    • Blessed Mary of the Passion
    • Saints and Blessed
    • Becoming FMM
    • Associates
  • Where we are
  • Communications
    • News
    • Video
    • Meeting Space
  • Liturgy
  • Members area
  • Cookie Policy
  • Home
  • Who we are
    • The FMM Institute
    • Blessed Mary of the Passion
    • Saints and Blessed
    • Becoming FMM
    • Associates
  • Where we are
  • Communications
    • News
    • Video
    • Meeting Space
  • Liturgy
  • Members area
  • Cookie Policy

Sharing love with the homeless

For the past five years in Montreal, in our parish, St. Francis of Assisi (Park Extension), the Franciscan Young Adult Group has been organizing the event of “Sharing love with the homeless”.

Once a month on a Saturday, they prepare sandwiches and, together with other treats, share them with the homeless. It is a wonderful activity that involves our generous benefactors and our dedicated volunteers.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 Pandemic has disturbed all our activities. We stopped this activity due to the fear of contracting and transmitting the virus.

Yet, in the month of December during this special time of Christmas, we, with our young people, could not wait anymore until the end of the Covid-19 Pandemic to resume our activity, so we decided to face our challenges with faith and courage.

The young adults shared the spirit of Christmas by organizing Christmas meals and gifts for the homeless. Gift bags filled with sandwiches, boiled eggs, chocolates, chips, juice, and tangerines, as well as Christmas gifts of warm socks, gloves, masks, scarves, were prepared with love and excitement. I felt that we, 11 volunteers of 8 different nationalities, were a community of missionary disciples who were of “one heart and mind”, working together for the same mission, to manifest God’s compassion to our poor brothers and sisters.

We had to reorganize our plan of distribution and be prudent by following the necessary safety measures. We divided ourselves into two groups, sought out the homeless and shared our gifts with love and joy. Conversations took place as we distributed the gifts, of course while keeping social distancing: “It was not only about giving food but meeting each one, greeting and talking to them.”

One man was so happy to receive the gift bag that he could not stop looking inside to see what was there…

Another person who was sitting in front of a building, started crying and made the sign of the Cross as he received his Christmas surprise. He said, “I have made so many mistakes in my life and I do not go to Mass now… but I am not a bad person… Thank you, thank you…”  These words brought tears to our eyes.

This encounter touched us deeply as we felt that God was truly present among us.

Then, we met a big group of homeless persons (some of them were Inuits). Sadly, we did not have enough gift bags for everyone.

After all the meals were distributed, we returned to the parish hall to share our experiences and what touched us.  We were glad that even this pandemic could not stop us from sharing our love with the homeless. Our little gesture of love and compassion helped us to live more fully ”our sense of belonging to a single human family” (Fratelli Tutti 30). Let us always remember that:

‘’We received life freely; we paid nothing for it. Consequently, all of us are able to give without expecting anything in return, to do good to others without demanding that they treat us well in return.’’ (Fratelli Tutti no. 140)

 

Sister Marianna Jung, FMM

 


  • Posted by FMM Website
  • On 01/23/2021
  • 0 Comment
  • 0 likes

Leave Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search
News
  • CHARISM… A PATH…
  • Mission lived from abandonment to the will of the Father and the courage to always say “here I am, Lord”
  • How do I live the FMM Charism in my life?
  • Manifestations of the face of God’s love in the world today
  • Missionary ‘for’ and ‘with’ others…
  • FOLLOWING CHRIST IN MY DAILY LIFE
  • PROXIMITY IS THE KEY TO LIFE
  • LIVING THE FMM CHARISM IN DAILY LIFE
Video
  • Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
  • Magnificat
  • Canticle of the Sun
  • Epiphany 2022
  • Happy New Year!
  • TRANSITUS OF MARY OF THE PASSION
  • Laudato Si
  • Let’s pray together for Myanmar.
  • Easter Vigil Celebration
  • Maundy Thursday – Repository
Meeting Space
  • IX/5 – OCTOBER – NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2022
  • IX/4 – JULY – AUGUST – SEPTEMBER 2022
  • IX/3 – APRIL – MAY – JUNE 2022
  • IX/1 JANUARY – FEBRUARY – MARCH 2022
  • VIII/100 OCTOBER – NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2021

LAUDATO SI'

Previous thumb

Living our charism in the middle of the Bolivian tropic

Next thumb
Scroll
CONTACT US

Franciscan Missionaries of Mary General House

​Via Giusti 12,00185, Rome, Italy
+39 06 772 751
websitegen@fmm.org

Privacy Policy

ACCOMMODATION

DOMUS HELENA (ROME)

​Tel. +39 06 772 754
Email: domus@fmm.org
Address. Via Ferruccio 25, 00185, Rome
Homepage. www.domushelena.it

DOMUS MADONNA DELLE ROSE (ASSISI)

Tel. +39 075 804 1106
Email: info@madonnadellerose.com
Address. Via Protomartiri Francescani, 19, 06081, Assisi
Homepage. www.madonnadellerose.com

@ 2022 by Web Marketing Pro & Graphic Art 6
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}