Aspirants carry out Corporal Work of Mercy

TENOM – During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, Pope Francis encourages Catholics to practise the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Spiritual Works of Mercy as they are found in the teachings of Jesus.

The aspirants of batch 2016, under the spiritual guidance of Fr Wilfred Atin, answered the call by visiting the sick, an ex-aspirant of batch 2012, Victor Jinis, 34, who is now paralysed due to water in the brain (Hydrocephalus).

Fr Wilfred and 16 aspirants left  the aspirant formation house in Penampang on 21 Mar 2016, at 8:00 am for Kg Amboui 2, Tenom. Two and half hours later, the group arrived in Tenom and stopped by at one of the aspirant’s house, Wendell Wong, for an early lunch. They continued the journey to Victor’s house at about 12:30 pm, now accompanied by Wendell’s family.

Victor was an aspirant for only about three months in 2012. He had chicken pox but later was diagnosed to have Hydrocephalus and had been paralysed since then. The sickness also left him in a coma for 10 days in Queen Elizabeth Hospital II.

Although he could not recognise anyone due to vision problems, Victor was very happy to receive the visitors. The aspirants wrote their names on his palm so that he could read them better.

Victor said he is still loyal to his vocation as he still feels it strongly within him. He can remember Fr Atin and the teachers, Madam Clementina and Madam Beatrice even though he has poor memory now.

“I can serve others even though I am not a priest,” said Victor.

His father, Jinis Song and mother, Christina Janir, are sad to see Victor’s condition but they are still hoping that he will recover and gain back his health. They were thankful and grateful for the visit.

Before leaving for Kota Kinabalu, Fr Wilfred gave Victor the sacrament of the anointing of the sick and handed some gifts and fruit baskets to him. – Wendell Wong