A Filipino priest’s rehabilitation initiative for Manila’s poor celebrated 10 years of existence and service on March 8, 2025.
Fr. Flavie L. Villanueva, a member of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), led the thanksgiving Mass for the 10th Anniversary of Arnold Janssen Catholic Mission Foundation, Inc., held at the Catholic Trade Building in Tayuman, Manila, last March 8, 2025, at 7:30 in the morning.
In 2015, Villanueva founded the Arnold Janssen Kalinga Center to provide hope.
It provides a second chance for the destitute, homeless, and marginalized people, who often fend for life in the streets without proper food, shelter, amenities, and a future.
The center is a venue to empower the homeless to turn their lives around, says Villanueva, a human rights activist.
The words 'Kain-Ligo-Nang-Ayos' form the center's name, 'Kalinga,' which signifies a daily hot meal and bath.' It provides a holistic, systemic, and dignified approach to helping its members turn their lives around.
The Kaling program is founded on its three triptych roles to “recreate the poor’s image, reclaim their self-respect, and restore their self-worth.. The program concretizes its mission to empower and recreate their lives.
Initially, the center provided food for at least a hundred homeless people daily on the streets of Manila. Currently, the number has grown to over 200, who can also benefit from a bed and shelter in the dozens of centers set up in the capital. Its core mission is to bring joy, solidarity, and warmth to those living on the streets without a home or family.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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