Pending Meal Project Relaunch

07 Jul Pending Meal Project Relaunch

Indeed, “Charity begins at home but shouldn’t end there”.

On July 4, 2018, the students, faculty and staff of Holy Cross College of Calinan gathered to relaunch the “Pending Meals and Snacks” Program for the poor. Sr. Zosima A. Escolano, pm, the Head of the Pastoral Ministry of the College spearheaded the relaunching of the project with the Basic Ed. Department on Wednesday morning and with the College Department in the afternoon.

Through this program, HCCC will be able to achieve the following objectives: to concretize our school’s vision-mission particularly the challenge to be compassionate, loving and socially responsive; to live out Marie Rivier’s spirituality, her love for the poor and less fortunate as expressions of our love of God through His people; and to respond to the urgent call of Pope Francis which is to go to the peripheries and share our 3Ts(Time, Talent and Treasure) to the 3Ls (Least, Last and Lost) – a realization of our being Christ-centered and Marian in spirituality.

The relaunching aimed to rekindle the burning love for the poor and the willingness to make a sacrifice and share among the HCCC students, faculty and staff. The para-liturgy started with a prayer, songs of Mother Rivier and giving of love offering from Kindergarten to College together with their advisers.

The “Pending Meals and Snacks” Program of Holy Cross College of Calinan, Inc. was actually conceived by the then HCCC Directress now President, Sr. Lorna B. Murillo, pm.  The program was adopted from the “Pending Coffee” Program of Italy and the “Suspended Meals” Program of Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and other countries.

Inspired by the generosity and in creative fidelity to Blessed Marie Rivier’s love and compassion to the poor, the Campus Ministry launched the “Pending Meal and Merienda” Program on September 8, 2015 as a tribute to our Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of her Nativity.

But why was it named “Pending Meals/Snacks?   Simply because the members of the community will generously sacrifice one of their meals or snacks to be shared with the least fortunate brothers and sisters. Participating in the “Pending Meals/Snacks” Program is taking pains to remove the pains of others. Such is the essence of true generosity.

The immediate beneficiaries of the program are the poor Saturday Schoolers and the “Badjaos” in churches and marketplaces.

The invitation for everyone to partake in the institutional project for the less fortunate brothers and sisters is capped in the project slogan: “Let us come and share our resources in the name of Jesus Christ.”