The Lay Camillian Family of Davao turned six last September 15, 2009.  Guilly Apigo, LCF president, explained that this year’s celebration focused on the care of children needing special attention, particularly cancer-stricken children.

To celebrate our foundation day, we LCF members with our invited friends gathered together at a Mass presided over by Fr. Tex Buntol, MI.  The following day, we headed to Mati with Australia-based Fr. Jojo Eloja, MI, who was visiting Davao as part of his home vacation.  With Fr. Jojo, we visited a center for abandoned and abused children with whom we shared kitchen wares, beddings, clothes, and other goods for their daily needs.  We have been visiting this institution as part of our anniversary celebration for the past four years.

On that same day, we also joined the birthday celebrant, Fr. Bong Pamintuan, MI, in visiting the children in a Special Education School in Mati.  The following day, still with Fr. Jojo’s company, we drove to Waniban Island—an unspoiled island across Masao, Mati. There we ‘forgot’ for a while our busy daily schedules and took time enjoying the beauty of nature and the refreshing waters of a white sand beach.

The main activity of our anniversary celebration was the sponsorship of the “Sing for Hope” mini-concert on September 26.  The event featured the St. Joseph Chorale Ensemble and the Davao Boys Choir who performed “pro bono”. The beneficiaries of the mini concert are the children with cancer confined at the Pediatrics Oncology ward in Davao Medical Center (DMC).

The daily visitation of the children in DMC has also been part of our anniversary celebrations.  The children are very special to us. For every tear they shed, they show us that they are carrying burdens of pain far beyond what many of us can endure.  For every precious bit of laughter they share, they make us realize that we can always smile through our tears. For every anguished look of pain and desperation they reveal, they present to us the stark realities of life and the value of suffering as a means of uniting ourselves to Jesus Christ who knew suffering best. For every sigh of relief they heave, they encourage us to face life with a renewed sense of vigor and hope. For every valiant effort they make just to live for another moment, they remind us that there is more to life than living. Indeed, these little ones are gentle reminders to the world that life is a gift to be nourished and nurtured and ultimately to be used to bring greater glory to God.