Marie Le Tran Thuy Vi offers food to Doan Quang Ti in his wheelchair in Ho Chi Minh City on April 29. Photo: UCA News Marie Le Tran Thuy Vi and her friends are living their Faith through preparing, cooking and packing food at Phu Trung Church to hand out to the poor of Ho Chi Minh City.
Vi, 22, and her group with 10 youths hand out 150-175 servings within 45 minutes each night. Recipients include homeless people, lottery ticket sellers, guards, motorbike taxi drivers and street cleaners.
She said the pandemic is a good chance for Catholic youths to live out the spirit of love and charity with concrete work.
“We are very happy to serve free dinners to people in need and help them overcome the Covid-19 pandemic,” she said.
“We are grateful to them as God sends them to us so that we can do something helpful for them.”
Fr Martin Tran Dinh Khiem Ai, assistant priest of Phu Trung Parish said parents of catechism students volunteer to prepare dinners from 1pm to 6pm.
He added that young Catholics transport and offer meals to poor people in the city’s six districts, finishing their work at 10pm.
“The pandemic provides a good opportunity for local Catholics to work together and to serve the poor in the hard time,” he said.
Vi said the pandemic is a grave crisis, but has opened young people’s hearts by inducing them to return to core values and spend more time doing charitable work, serving the common good.
“I hope many young people will find value in life and commit themselves to building a better society,” she said.