Priests in Pakistan urge Catholics to serve less fortunate during Lent
(March 03,2009): - In Pakistan, priests are urging Catholics to do charitable work
during Lent by visiting handicapped people and giving money to the poor. "Make a resolution
to spend an hour weekly or monthly with disabled people," Father Andrew Nisari suggested
to a gathering of 50 Catholics at a home for physically and mentally challenged people.
"Healthy people can be a blessing to the less fortunate," said the vicar general
of Lahore archdiocese to parishioners from Lahore's Sacred Heart Cathedral. The
March 1 visit to the Home of Love, run by Missionaries of Charity nuns, was the first
of several visits that Father Nisari organized for Catholics during Lent. The priest
has organized similar visits during the Lenten season over the past six years. This
year, his visits will include a newly built Catholic church, a Catholic home for the
destitute, and a center for blind people run by a Dutch non-governmental organization
and administered by a lay board that includes Catholics and Protestants.