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HOPE is one of the three theological virtues. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it is defined as “the virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit”.
“Hope is what gives people a sense of meaning,” Cardinal Tagle said. In the challenges our society faces today, one of the responses of the Archdiocese of Manila is the launching of Sanlakbay Program under its Restorative Justice Ministry-Caritas Manila. Sanlakbay is a parish-based program in coordination with the LGUs which assists drug dependents in restoring their lives, giving them not only spiritual directionbut more importantly pastoral care with the objective of uplifting their human dignity scarred by the influence of and dependence to illegal drugs.The Sanlakbay parish-based community rehabilitation which includes values and spiritual formation, counseling, sports and culture, and livelihood programs.
Another community-based center is located in Quiapo, Manila, to give support and assistance to is the La Colcha – Hospitaller Center for Pastoral Care.
To further strengthen Sanlakbay, the Archdiocese of Manila entered into a partnership with Fazenda da Esperança“The Farm of Hope”, a therapeutic community with over 30 years of experience in the recovery of drug addicts worldwide.
Founded in Brazil by Fr. Hans Stapel, Nelson Giovanelli, Luci Rosendo and IraciLeite, Fazenda da Esperançaoperates 120 farms in 18 countries, including the Philippines. Its Farm of Hope in the Philippines has helped in the recovery of over a hundred Filipinos in the past 13 years.
Believing that for as long as there is life, there is hope, the recovery program is based on three pillars: COMMUNITY – coexistence in the family, WORK – as a pedagogical process, and most of all SPIRITUALITY – to find a sense of life and love.
No one is a hopeless case. Let us live and spread Hope! Come and celebrate Mass of Hope at 10 o’clock in the morning in Manila Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica this Sunday, January 8, 2017.
