Where the Poor Get More Than Enough

By Richelle Verdeprado

God’s ways in how He connects people with each other never fail to amaze me. Every time I discover links and relationships among mankind, I find myself so convinced that we are living in an interconnected world. That amazement and sense of being convinced is the same feeling I experienced when Father Seán Coyle asked me to interview Father Brian Gore to know more about Sister Felicitas B. de Lima DSA who was among the ten people the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE) awarded at St Paul College, Quezon City, on 5 October.

Father Gore knows Sister Felicitas, or Sister ‘Etat’, very well. Sister Etat, the 74-year-old founder of the Daughters of St Augustine, got to know the Columbans sometime in 1990 when Father Gore was doing vocation work in the Bicol Region. Sister Etat had been assigned in Negros before, where the priest has spent many years.

Since then, Columbans have been visiting the Fatima Center for Human Development which was cited by the COSE in recognition of Sister Etat, often using it as a base for vocations work in the area. The Foundation of Our Lady of Fatima for Human and Development Inc, or Fatima Center, is a charitable institution which Sister Etat co-founded after she completed her studies in social work. Sister Etat still runs the center. It is situated at San Agustin Village, Iriga City, Camarines Sur, part of the Bicol region.

Since 1974, Fatima Center has been able to implement various programs and services for the improvement in the living conditions of orphans, street children, victims of violence, abandoned children, persons with disabilities, single parents, cultural minorities and disadvantaged children and the general welfare of the poor. Fatima Center provides the basics of life such as food, shelter, education and a loving and safe environment. It has an orphanage for 150 poor children, and a public elementary and high school for the local community, as well as a shelter and services for battered women and indigenous Aeta people. It also has an experimental farm and piggery and, according to Father Gore, the center has nice fish ponds and lots of coconuts.

‘We like going there. They have a very nice atmosphere and well-disciplined kids,’ said Father Gore.

The center teaches the children the value of work because their requests are only granted after they availed of their ‘passports,’ signifying they have fulfilled their tasks. As a second year social work student, I am always reminded of the heart of the profession which makes it a noble vocation as well: to help people help themselves by not just a mere dole out system but by motivating them to maximize their potentials. Our goal is to enhance the social functioning of those who due to unfavorable and disturbing circumstances are impaired. Fatima Center is a home where people can get back their dignity, learn some skills, increase their self esteem and be guided to become productive members of society. Because of Sister Felicitas’s ideas and efforts, many lives have been given hope. She came from a wealthy family but chose a simple lifestyle and dedicated it for the good of others. She has spent her earthly treasures in the pursuit of living the heart of being a real social worker.

Urban Poor Associates, an NGO advocating housing and other rights of squatters, nominated Sister Etat for the COSE award. She expressed embarrassment at receiving the award. For her, 54 years of service as a Religious have brought her ‘more than enough’ in return, citing lessons she learned from people she has served. Yet, Sister Etat’s 54 years of service have taught the people she has served lessons which are worth living for. The Columbans who know her have seen realized in her life the essence of education and compassion.

In the irony of all the ironies, even though Sister Etat and I don’t really have that concrete connection, I am still amazed at how God connects one person to another. I am convinced that God Himself has already put that link between us. Hence, I’ve learned from her the exact example of true service to the people, to the nation and to God. I have learned from her the deeper meaning of my university course.