Jeffrey testimony of a friend who visited the lepers

Thank you very much for inviting me to visit the sick on the island. I am a witness of love in action.

The sick are very happy for all the love and support he has shown them. They are very grateful and praise the Lord constantly by sending it to them. I witnessed something very special during my stay on the island.

There was a young Peking named Jack. It was on the island in recent months to shoot the sick. His intention was to show the film at the International Festival in Cannes, France to show the world his talents to film.

While making the film, I witnessed the loving care of the Sisters for the sick. I had never seen before Catholic Sisters. This was the first. This caused me a deep impression. Love, which the confession, had never seen. Was totally impressed phoned his mother in Peking, her parents are both doctors, and told his mother that for the first time in his life, witnessed the true love in action.

Returned in the Chinese New Year in their free time to visit patients. This time he brought his own clothes to give it to patients. He said that the sick will talk much of Casa Ricci and wants to meet and see in what way can also help in other centers.

He said he would visit other centers for film and document to bring help everywhere.Since he started his first project to raise funds to change metal legs with plastic others. Already received the first support for this project.

I gave him the phone number, and I hope that I will call so that I can make an appointment to introduce.
 

For now, thanks for giving me the chance to work testimonear her loving and beautiful fruits of their sweat and blood.

Jeffrey

Visiting places

Visiting patients of HIV/AIDS in Hunan "Home Care" by Father Fernando Azpiroz.

 

During this Easter I had the opportunity to pay three visits to our CRSS Loving Care Center for HIV-AIDS patients in Hongjiang, Hunan Province.

 

The first visit was during Holy Week was a great privilege and a gift because I could see patients both adults and childrens as well as the sisters who serve them and accompany and volunteers, one can feel the mystery of the Passion and resurrection of the Lord is physically present in their bodies, touching every aspect fo your life, and thanks to them, too touching and transforming my life, the mystery of the Passion of Jesus Christ felt the presence of Christ which is also reflected in them!

The second visit was to attend the 10th anniversary of one our centers for palliative care for patients infected with HIV or affected in Hunan Province.

 

The center is home to about twenty patients, including 4 children. It was the first center of its kind in the province and one of the first in China. At the ceremony attended by more than 200 guests, including goings Beijing authorities and the provincial capital, including an actress who is the wife of the president as "ambassador" on issues related to AIDS. With it came more than twenty journalists, so our patients had to mingle with other people to avoid being interviewed. In China, discrimination against people affected and infected by AIDS is very strong. It was interesting to hear people's government expressed his admiration for the dedication and service to the sisters and Casa Ricci provide patients. Listen to a provincial minister of China say publicly "Without faith, this work would be imposible" is something very rare, almost hard to believe. Once again, it is clear that for God nothing is impossible, ask you now Mary.

Finallly, my last visit to Hongjiang took place just one week ago. I had the honor to preside over the Mass to celebrate the final vows of two Chinese Sisters who had served at the center and with other CRSS services as well. With their big smiles and firm voices they pronounced their final vows. I could feel how much their daily service and friendship with the poor and the suffering have brought immense joy and deep meaning to their consecrated lives. These young Chinese Sisters centainly knew what they were doing when they promised chastity, poverty and obedience to serve the Lord, living in those who are suffering.

 

Just as new flowers blossom during Spring. Easter is also a time for new projects to unfold. During the past two months, two important Casa Ricci projects have gradually been taking shape. One is the future opening of a new HIV-AIDS children's home in Guangxi, a province where there is a big need for this kinds of service to families affected by HIV. The other important project is the developing of a new educational center to offer short term professional trainning to youths coming from underprivileged and marginalized families in southern China. This is a very challenging and difficult project. This center will requiere quite a lot of negotiating with the local government to get their approval and support. But nothing is impossible for the Lord, as Mary taught us! Please, pray for these tow intentions, so we can be open and faithful to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, so that the Holy Spirit will continue to inspire our faith and perseverance.

 

With gratitude for you friendship and support!

 

In Christ,

 

Fr. Fernando Azpiroz, S. J.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A letter from a benefactor of Australia

(Written by the son of a former benefactor Mr. Adrian Reading)

 

Dear Fr Fernando,

I was recently sorting through piles of family photos and came across the attached colour photo that I would have taken of my late mother, Marie Reading, together with Fr Ruiz at the time of our day visit to Casa Ricci in 1990.
 

At that time, Fr Ruiz was getting around in his motor cycle and he left a deep impression on me regarding the work he was doing.  My mother had made donations to Casa Ricci over the years.
 

At the time of our visit that day, in which he also said Mass, I suggested that he be very careful on his motorcycle.  In an complete expression of faith I can still remember that he replied  to me “If God wants me to continue to do his work—he will protect me”.
 

What a wonderful man of GOD!
 

Bless you all.
 

Regards,
 

Adrian Reading

Perth

Western Australia

 

Letter from a Student at Father

(Text written by a student Lee Chi Fai who is receiving assitance and service from Casa Ricci)

Dear Fathers,

 

 

How are you?

 

Thank you so much for having built up this school which changed our lives, in this school we got teachers, sisters and also fathers who come often to visit us, all these make the school full of love, energy and life, boys are growing up happily and free  from the poverty.

 

I am one of those village boys, receiving care and education from the teachers and sisters, I learned responsibility and duty, struggle to make my dreams come true, I have difficult and hard moments, but I am happy that I am working hard for these.

 

I have spent already one year in the second school, I obtain correct education from the teachers, I have been learning more and more each day, understanding what is right in life and what is moral means, knowing more deeply about my dreams and ways to work on them.  

 

But, these are just all that the teachers can give, beside this, they cannot help me in need of economy, unfortunately economy is just the key which decide whether I can keep on studying or not.
 

 

My parents are old and are lepers people, their health are not good, they are weak, the only income of the family is farming, here is no any other incomes beside the farming, to keep me in continued studying is very hard for them.

 

Each time when I think about this, I feel like I was falling into a dark world, I feel sometimes desire to give up my study.


But suddenly, in one day, I realized that in the not too distant place there is a shooting star is shinning me and thank God and Casa Ricci for all the support offered me and I give and so was me I valued and I woke up and said: "I have to go to so much effort into my studio and someone is giving me this golden opportunity".

long to get helping hands from people to help me to finish my study, but after all, I just don’t know how to thank for their help, I believe that the best way is to turn the ‘village of recover’ into a real recover village, show to the whole world of the love and good will that you teach us.  

 

With my warmest regards,

 

李志飛

Lee Chi Fai

 

 

Ophthalmologists Doctors of mobile unit visit the homes of patients

Over ten years ago, the eye team worked in Guizhou, Xinyi. When to the homes to examine patients who cannot come to clinic, we found and elderly couple, both with bilateral blindness.

 

 

 

The place they lived was like a dark hole. They could not walk. They were waiting to die in this hole. I examined Mr. Huang and he had very complicated eyes. The cornea was damaged. I felt that I could save the eye very carefully by using ECC method which is a large incision and carefully extracting the cataract. The other eye ball was missing. Mrs. Huang’s eyes were also damaged. One eye ball missing, the other eye blind probably from iritis. So I made a decision al that time to do surgery on both husband and wife and give them some hope. The operation was successful. I gave cataract glasses to them.

Now over ten years later I came to Xinyi to do dental work. I met this couple and found that the eyes clear. We had extended their life more than ten years. The old glasses were broken but still were being worn. I was able to give them new glasses that I had received from Hong Kong years ago and now not available in China. They still held on the old glasses because they had become so precious to them. I gave them each two pair. When they took the glasses in their hands, they said “enough, enough” as if to say. “These will last until we die”. Now Mrs. Huang sits on a seat watching us do our dental clinic.

Mr. Huang’s wife who has had sight restored, but still does not have ability to walk. Besides these problems she dearly wants to be able to eat beef. But she only has one tooth. Mr. Huang has great concern and love for his wife and each time we have come to Xinyi he puts her on a stool to watch. She has some mental disability too which makes it difficult. Because of this we could not make a mold, but we removed her one tooth. Next time we will go and again try to make a mold.

We went to Lianjiang, XikangJang several time and this last time, I noticed a man sitting a distance away watching us work. He appeared to be very shy and I walked over and saw he had very stange eye glasses. His glasses which I formerly were prescribed as cataract glasses had broken. He only had one eye. He had taken then lens from the old cataract glasses and used scotch tape to repair them and then taped to his one eye without a frame. I asked him, “why is your eye glasses like this?” He was very shy and embarrassed to say that he had broken his glasses, tried often to find the similar on the outside, but could not. So he had used this method to stick one glass to his face in order to see. He did not know that I had brought glasses with me. I was happy to give him two new pair of glasses. He put the glasses on, went over to watch TV. I looked al him from a distance and he was laughing joyfully.

These two stories are follow up of the eye work. I can check the eyes as we work in the dental clinic and see the success of the cataract surgery done. I have replaced many glasses in this way.

 

A sad story. This time is the second time we went to Sichuan, Dechang for dental clinic. The first time we did a mold for Mr. Ma and this time we were prepared to fit him with his new teeth. However, he was sick so we could not fit it. Instead we took him to the hospital and told him that the next we came we would fit his teeth. This time we returned and found he had passed away so he never got to enjoy his new teeth.

 

 

 

 

In Jiangxi, Fengcheng, Mr. Fan had strange teeth. All his teeth were loose, and every one had to be extracted before we could make the mold. Every time we went a few teeth were extracted. We went five or six times. Finally, the last time, the dentist was impatient with this man and his lose teeth, he suggested he go outside, have the teet extracted and then he would make the mold. The dentist on the outside also refused to pull his teeth unless he made the false teeth too.

 

This was too expensive. So finaly Mr. Fan was very discouraged and so were we. It was out last time to this place and we could not come again. I called the Skin clinic in charge of this village and suggested they make the arrangements to make the mold and teeth outside. They were happy to do this Mr. Fan was so happy to see his new looks after he got his new teeth because they made him look much younger and more attractive. He could also eat well now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philippine trip - workshop on "Social Enterprise"

Between 18^th to 21^st of July 2014, as like as the representative for the Casa Ricci social service Macau, the author of this article participated for the first time to the annual seminary “explore and develop social services in Asia” that was organized by the Society of Jesuit in Asia, topic of thel seminary for this year was "social enterprise."

 

 

The author of this article have great experience in social work relationships during these past years, so the question of "social enterprise" is not unfamiliar. But in this "trip to the Philippines", the biggest gain was to have the opportunity to know the different Jesuit communities of different countries and regions, and to understand their regional life, culture and working style.

 

Representatives participated in this annual seminary came from countries and regions as China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Spain, Australia and Philippines, Philippines was the organizer country and had accommodated adequately and effectively all the necessaries for the participated regions and countries,  topic of the seminary “social enterprise”  had been treated and discussed smoothly.

 

In conclusion, in the topic of "social enterprise", we could observe different ways that the regions and countries coming to develop, some of them preferred to make it more commercial and some chose to treat it as social service, the author of this article think that it would be necessary to analyze the different actituds of these countries and regions, on purpose for the future unification of Jusuit organizations in these countries, though it would be a hard mission, we still need to intend, to turn the "social enterprise" into really a social service for all.

"social enterprise” should be a service represents the Jesuits own image, service, mission and the principal philosophy.

 

                                                                                                      Pedro Leong

                                                                                          Macau Ricci Social Services
                                                                                                       2014/09/08

My First Visit to the Lepers

(Text written by a visiting Jesuit Fr. Federico)

Part of my visit to the Chinese province included a visit to two leprosaries in Mainland China: One in Anhui province, and the other in Shaanxi province. These two centers belong to the government. I went there with Fr. Fernando and one collaborator of Casa Ricci’s with a lot of experience in social services.

I had never visited a leprosary before, so this was a new experience for me, although serving sick people has been of my life as a Jesuit.

 

A nurse cleaning the wounds of a leper in Anhui

 I must confess that the first sensation I felt was disease: I was not afraid of the illness itself, I was told that it would not be a risk for me, but the sight of those big, open wounds refusing to heal even after years of treatment really impressed me. I wonder how they live it. I hope that the fact that they have jobs inside the leprosaries like working in the kitchen or in the fields helps them to maintain some dignity.

The service we provide to those people is “just” this: living among them and spending the mornings washing their wounds and medicating them, in sometimes very big institutions run by the Chinese government and by “we” I mean both Casa Ricci that manages our presence there, and the Sisters who actively work there.

 

In Shaanxi Province nurses sisters share their experiences

 
At first my western spirit was pretty critical towards a lot of things that need to be improved: hygiene, rules for the sake of the sick people, efficiency, etc. While there are in fact margins for improvements, I started to notice how much this smallness and imperfections are actually the signs of our presence in Mainland China.

I think this is even more valuable since it’s done under the supervision of the government, in a hidden but official presence. I hope this can contribute to kick off some prejudices towards the Catholic church, we are collaborating with the Chinese officials for the same good: the well being of the sick and marginalised people in China.