400 slum kids baptized in rites led by Cardinal Tagle

NOT BY GIFTS ALONE Cardinal Tagle reminds parents and godparents of their duty to nurture children’s spiritual growth, during a mass baptism at Manila Cathedral on Saturday. —LYN RILLON

At 8 years old, Vialyn Mundido knows how to pray to God. But only on Saturday did she formally become a member of the Catholic Church.

Mundido was among the 400 children from the slums—some infants, others already reaching puberty—who were baptized at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, with no less than Manila Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle leading the rites.

Vialyn’s grandmother, Milagros Risco, 59, said she was unable to have her granddaughter baptized at a younger age because the family could hardly make both ends meet, let alone afford having such church rites and the feast that is expected. She said she only makes P200 a day from a part-time job.

“But we learned that baptism was actually free and the Tulay ng Kabataan (TNK) Foundation was organizing a mass baptism. I decided to have my granddaughter baptized so she would be closer to God,” said Risco.

The 400 children, with ages ranging from 2 months to 13 years old, were TNK Foundation beneficiaries from shantytowns in Tondo, Manila, and in the Navotas City fish port, the latter razed by a big fire on Jan. 10.

Gloria Recio, TNK assistant executive director, said that while poverty mainly discourages such families from undergoing the rites for the children’s sake, “others simply did not have anyone to guide them’’ on this important spiritual initiation.

“For them, survival comes first; they needed to have food on the table every day,” he said.

Saturday’s rites marked the fifth time since 2002 that the TNK Foundation partnered with the Catholic Church to conduct a mass baptism. It was also the largest in terms of the number of children and infants baptized.

The children and their families were also treated to a packed lunch in their communities and received sacks of rice.

Other TNK Foundation projects for poor children include health assistance, nutrition and feeding programs, and preschool education.

In his homily, Tagle reminded the parents and godparents of their duty to help the children grow with a strong faith in God. “That is part of caring and raising a child. Introduce Jesus Christ, how He obeyed God, how He cared for others, how He accepted His fellow man, especially those unloved by society,” the cardinal said.

This duty is not just about giving presents or cash gifts during Christmas and other special occasions, he said. “We are celebrating not commerce or gifts but the spiritual growth of a child. We are celebrating the Son of God who is loving especially towards children.”/rga