In April 2023 we had the opportunity to be guests of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor community in Dumaguete, Philippines, for two weeks, to share in their daily activities, prayer, service to the poor, visits to families who are looked after through various programs, and more. (https://franciscansisters.org/?p=28024&lang=en)
It was an unforgettable, profound experience not only because we got to know and participate in the life of the community but also because of how we were welcomed by the people there. They made us feel like part of the community and never out of place.
On occasion of our visit to a village called “Caritas 1,” which hosts around 100 families, we met Marc, who at the time was 18 years old. Marc had a physical deformity that forced him to stay seated on a rug in his house, without being able to move, also due to his robust physique.
Marc made an impression on us with his welcoming smile but even more because the whole time we were there, he was continuously looking at the door, which was open, trying to catch sight of the people and children passing by in the little street outside. In addition, it saddened us that he could not participate in the party that the village inhabitants had prepared for our visit with songs, dances, and a delicious snack.
His attention to what was happening outside the house struck us so much that immediately after our visit we began to discuss with the Sisters how to help Marc so that he would not stay so isolated all the time and could have the opportunity to move around. Providing him a wheelchair would guarantee him this opportunity, both inside the house, though it is very small, and outside the house. He would be able to be with the people and children of the village.
When we departed, we expressed our desire to help Marc with a fundraiser to the Sisters. It was not enough to simply purchase a chair for him, it was also necessary to support Marc with a doctor’s visit, perhaps physical therapy, and, importantly, to build a ramp to allow him to enter and exit the house with the chair, since the entrance to the house was in no way easy to manage.
Several months then passed after our visit, but the thought of Marc remained alive and present.
It was a great joy when the Sisters, at the beginning of December 2024, communicated the amount that would be needed to cover all the expenses and entrusted the responsibility of handling the fundraiser to us, together with the Francescane con i Poveri nonprofit organization (https://fcponlus.sfp-poor.org/).
Thus the “A present for Marc” project was born, in which we involved the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor Associates from Italy. We were united in a common purpose that would also reach friends and acquaintances.
The project started strong in the first months of 2025 and the fundraiser exceeded expectations, with the joy of all of us Associates for having reached the goal, seeing firsthand that it is possible to give hope for a better future to those living in impoverished conditions.
Recently the sisters arranged for Marc to have needed medical visits, to give him the chair, and to have the work done to fix the entrance to the house. We express all our gratitude to those who strived to realize this project: first to the Sisters of the Dumaguete community, to the donors, and to Congregational Leadership. This synergy permitted the success of this project. And a special thank you to Marc, who, with his unwitting smile, made us understand the importance of relying on the help of others and God’s Providence.
Prisca Luciani and Calogero La Zara, SFP Associates
