“For I Was in Prison…”

Photo shows Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Cuison, parish priest of SFAP Maa, ACPW Chairman Manuel Z. Escuadro, Mrs. Yen Magnaye, PSA Parish Coordinator, and Mrs. Dolly Presbitero, Parish Social Action Ministry Coordinator.

Oct. 14, 2018. St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Maa turned over today its donation of medical and dental supplies to the Archdiocesan Commission on Prison Welfare (ACPW) to help the latter sustain its prison ministry in Davao City Jail and in the jails of Digos City, Panabo City, IGACOS, Tagum City, DAPECOL, Montevista, and Mati City. ACPW conducts dental clinics to prisoners at least once or twice every week. On every clinic day ACPW is able to serve 80-100 inmates, each inmate having 2-4 teeth extracted. Tooth decay and other dental problems are common in the jails. Inmates suffer these in addition to the hardship of being incarcerated. Aside from serving prisoners, ACPW also conducts dental outreach, in partnership with the Missionaries of Charity, to the indigent people in the slums and in remote areas not served by dentists. Also turned over to ACPW were dental supplies donated by Fraternal Order of Eagles, Maa Davao Eagles Club through the parish PSA coordinator Mrs. Yen A. Magnaye. Yesterday the parish distributed toiletries (shampoo, soaps, toothbrush, toothpaste) to the 702 sick and/or elderly inmates of Davao City Jail Annex after the fiesta mass celebrated by Rev. Msgr. Paul A. Cuison.

ACPW hopes the spirit of caring for our prisoners imbibed by St. Francis of Assisi Parish will also spread to other parishes in the archdiocese and in neighboring dioceses. Caring for prisoners is a Christian duty and blessing. As what the ACPW motto says, “Kung daghan ang motabang daghan pud ang matabangan ug mas daghan ang mabulahan.” (Marian Raquel)