Fr John Anandan OFM Cap and the team working hard to clean up hikers’ favourite picnic spot.
By Herald Malaysia
Mar 20 2023
PENANG – Friends of Creation Ministry of the Church of the Divine Mercy – organised a hike near the parish to clear the hiking trail of unsightly litter on February 28. A group of 24 faithful gathered just after sunrise at the foot of a gently ascending trail.
Sportingly joining in was parish priest, Fr Michael Raymond OFM Cap, visiting priest Fr John Anandan OFM Cap, and two young Capuchin brothers.
After a prayer by Fr Michael, the group headed along the trail for a satisfying, traditional Malaysian breakfast some 50 minutes away before diving into clearing as much litter they could reach, armed with litter-picking sticks, gloves, and trash bags.
It was extremely sad to see the beautiful natural surroundings, with tall, majestic trees and a gurgling river dotted with mini waterfalls marred by ugly litter.
After a few hours, the group accumulated a substantial pile of trash bags, and it was left at the start of the trail for MBPP to pick up. Trash thrown down steep slopes leading to the river was almost impossible to reach, and risky to try.
While the Friends of Creation Ministry takes caring for Mother Nature seriously, a lot more needs to be done to educate people on the importance of keeping the environment clean.
As Pope Francis once said, “Let us be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and the environment.” St Francis of Assisi before him left the world with this famous quote: “Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible”. – Herald Malaysia
