Bewilderment and compassion are my two dominant feelings when dealing with the realities of our children here in Mother Mary Parish in the southeastern part of Pakistan. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount best suited them but deep inside I have deep protestation about their dire situation’s root cause which I don’t think pleases God.
In May 2024, Pope Francis convened the children representing more than 100 countries for the first World Children’s Day in Rome. The Pope emphasized our vital role in guiding our children in their faith journey, especially in the context of the world that they need to understand and encounter today. At the parish level, it is of great importance that there is a child-friendly environment that allows children to find joy and a sense of belonging in the church’s sacramental and liturgical life as well as crafting activities that may foster their involvement in the community.
For the young Parkari Kohli community, journeying with and helping children with faith formation is very crucial because they live in a country that has a very strong influence of Islam and Hinduism in social relations and consciousness among others. Some of these influences are life-giving, like being family-oriented, but others are dehumanizing like religious discrimination among many other social issues. Due to poverty, many of our children have forgotten how to smile, and I feel sad to see this happen. To bring in some fun moments, with the parish team, we bring some coloring materials for the children based on Sunday’s Gospel reading in the villages that we visit. Here in Pakistan, color, especially bright colors, are a creative expression of life, beauty and freedom. A child who holds a crayon in his or her hand for the first time would burst into excitement to do the coloring with the color he or she likes the most.
My childhood had similar challenging conditions which is why I can see myself in them. I must thank my father who taught me many valuable things including to dream big, to believe, to persevere and to have the ability to imagine despite many challenges. Unfortunately for the children of our village, they are lacking that sort of influence at home. To shepherd them takes a long way, and it is a “road-tough and less traveled,” yet it is full of opportunities and a room for creativity. Everything is possible when the entire community works and learns from each other to shepherd and guard our children with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the one who animates us.
Columban Fr. Jerry Lohera lives and works in Pakistan.