Church in Cheras honours the elderly

Oct 07, 2015

By Marian Chua
How does a parish show appreciation for the elderly in its community? There are countless ways. The Church of St Francis of Assisi (SFA) decided to make Sunday, Sept 27, a special day for them. This was SFA’s way of celebrating the International Day of the Elderly.

That special day started with Mass animated by some elderly parishioners. Those who took part served as hospitality ministers, readers, choir members and commentator. A group of men even served as altar servers.

The homily, delivered by Deacon Leslie Petrus, focused on the important role played by parents, as sharers in God’s creative power. He said parents — and that includes the elderly as well — must be channels of peace, love and forgiveness in the homes.

Parish priest Fr Andrew Manickam OFM Cap also anointed some of the elderly. As the Mass concluded, all the elderly were invited to the sanctuary for a group blessing. Seeing their active participation moved Fr Andrew to say that he looked forward to having more elderly animating the Masses.

The celebration didn’t end there. After Mass, fellowship followed and to round up the morning’s event, a free medical check-up was provided by a medical team from a private university.

Having a special day for the elderly brings to mind the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who said, “the quality of a society is judged by how well older people are treated and the place reserved for them in community life…Whoever welcomes the elderly welcomes life!”

The Catholic Church is always a staunch advocate of a person’s right to life. She firmly believes that every person has the right to life, and protecting the dignity of life in all forms is the responsibility of the Church family.