TNK director Fr. Matthieu Dauchez baptized 14 children and babies from families from Montalban, Novaliches, Quezon city, among others, on June 25, 8:30 a.m. at the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, also known as EDSA Shrine. (Photo: Thierry D'Arcangues)
MANDALUYONG City, June 26, 2016 – Families living on the streets are not only exposed to danger and threats, they also go without the sacraments for long periods of time. A foundation is helping change that by offering baptism for street kids at least twice a year.
“They (the families) live on the street they have nothing except God. So we facilitate the encounter with Him,” said Thierry D’Arcangues, a French volunteer for Tulay ng Kabataan (TNK), a foundation that helps kids transition from a life on the streets to a home, formal education, and eventually, productive contribution to society.
“Those families, most of the time, they don’t go to the parish to ask for baptism because of [they have] no money to celebrate it [after],” explained D’Arcangues, who decided to leave his job in Paris to spend two years in Manila to work in TNK.
TNK director Fr. Matthieu Dauchez baptized 14 children and babies from families from Montalban, Novaliches, Quezon city, among others, on June 25, 8:30 a.m. at the Shrine of Mary, Queen of Peace, also known as EDSA Shrine.
The children’s parents, relatives, friends were present at the event as well as other French volunteers like TNK communications manager Elise Cruse; TNK human resources manager Charles Cruse; and John Paul Mercado, over-all head of TNK’s 6 street educators’ teams fielded throughout NCR.
It can be remembered that Pope Francis paid TNK an unannounced visit on Jan . 16, 2015 during his pastoral and state visit to the Philippines last year.
For more information on how to help the foundation, interested parties may contact (+63 2) 435 59 12 or email info@tnkfoundation.org (Nirva’ana Ella Delacruz / CBCPNews)
