Fr Mike Shea celebrates our Mass for Donors past and present
10 Nov 2008 10:38 am
Fr Mike Shea celebrated Mass for the donors and supporters of Pattaya Orphanage Trust at St Augustine's Church in Fulham Palace Road, London, on Saturday November 8th. His homily on stewardship was illuminated by his own frightening experience of losing 400,000 baht to an armed and dangerous robber, a story which successfully kept his audience gripped and awake!
Speaking warmly of the visit to Sarnelli House by Bupa volunteers in 2007, Fr Mike recounted the achievements of the volunteers - the buildings painted, the kitchens, washrooms and sports facilities built, the gardens stocked. They had bought new bedding for all the girls, 'since which time', said Fr Mike, 'not one girl has wet the bed, a miracle in itself'. Bupa had sent a dvd of their visit, which his children had seen, and had been amazed to find that the people they knew in paintstained dungarees as painters and gardeners were in fact people with busy, responsible jobs in grand offices: the kids were amazed that they would take time out to go to Sarnelli to help.
'You can see the face of Christ in the face of a child', said Fr Mike, 'especially a little two year old who is brought in very, very ill, unloved, unwanted, despairing and frightened.' He told the story of one of his children, a little girl from Laos, whose mother had died of AIDS, and who was abandoned in his care by her aunt. The child has been horribly disfigured by shingles. Parts of her face were simply missing - nostrils, lip, a cheek. 'She looked ashamed', said Fr Mike, 'utterly humiliated.' His reaction, like everyone else's, was to take a step back in shock, then he was ashamed. He felt he had let the child down. Now, he says, 'we have made up for it. She is a lovely, happy smiling little girl, full of life. In her we have seen both faces of Christ, the suffering Christ and the Christ happy, laughing, loving.' And this, said Fr Mike speaking directly to the donors in the church and beyond, 'is due to you. God's love is shown to people like her through people like you. God bless you!'
Following the Mass Fr Mike had lunch with some of the Bupa volunteers from the 2007 challenge, and was presented with a cheque for £5000 by Claire Atkinson (pictured, with Fr Mike), of Bupa Community Connections, who was the main instigator of the 2007 Challenge in Sarnelli.