By Christopher Kushi
PENANG – A new chapter of compassion began in Butterworth when Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Bishop of Penang, formally decreed the Samaritan Missionaries of Hope as an official diocesan ministry.
On Sep 8, 2026, Cardinal Sebastian also blessed and officially opened the Samaritan Hope Centre in Jalan Kapal. The occasion was especially meaningful as it coincided with the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose life of faith, humility and loving service remains a model for every Christian.
The new ministry is rooted in the Gospel call of Matthew 25:35–36: “For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, a stranger and you welcomed Me, naked and you clothed Me, ill and you cared for Me, in prison and you visited Me.”
For its foundress, Sr Fatima Emmanuel Sinnapan, every person encountered — poor, homeless, abandoned or forgotten — bears the living face of Christ. Her mission is guided by Jesus’ words: “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Her conviction is simple yet demanding: Christians are called to be a missionary people who make Christ’s love visible through concrete acts of mercy.
Cardinal Sebastian described Sr Fatima’s vocation as “a call within a call”. Formerly with the Little Sisters of the Poor, she felt drawn to serve those living on the streets. Since 2018, she has led the Samaritan Hope outreach in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur, accompanying homeless and marginalised people with compassion while affirming their God-given dignity.
In blessing the Samaritan Hope Centre, Cardinal Sebastian prayed that it would become a haven of dignity, safety and renewed hope. Recalling that Jesus Christ Himself had nowhere to lay His head, he reminded those present that every person bears the image of God and possesses an infinite worth that no hardship can erase.
“May this home feed the hungry, may these walls keep out the cold, and may all who pass through this door find the warmth of Christ’s love,” he said.
The seeds of the Butterworth mission were planted in June 2023, when Sr Fatima began a preliminary outreach at the invitation of Fr Dominic Santhiyagu, parish priest of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Together with parish volunteers, she walked beneath flyovers, along shoplot corridors and into the oftenoverlooked corners of Butterworth. There, they encountered people rejected by their families, recently released from prison or simply left with nowhere to turn.
Their first offerings were modest — buns and bottles of water. Yet these became openings for conversation, trust and the sharing of lives marked by pain, resilience and hope. What began as the giving of food gradually became an encounter between persons: an assurance to those on the streets that they were seen, heard and not forgotten.
The four-day mission inspired several volunteers to continue the outreach each week. Their commitment, together with a period of discernment involving Cardinal Sebastian and Fr Dominic, eventually led to the decision to establish a soup kitchen and shelter — providing a stable and compassionate presence for homeless people in Butterworth.
“We feed the poor, but the food is only the means. The real mission is to show God’s love and help transform lives,” Sr Fatima reminds volunteers.
For her, the Church must become a family for those left by the roadside — a community that does not pass by, but stops, listens, tends wounds and helps people rediscover their dignity. It echoes the late Pope Francis’ vision of a Church that accompanies, heals and lifts up those in need.
During the launch, street volunteers wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Serving with Love and Compassion” welcomed guests, benefactors and well-wishers. Their joyful and humble presence embodied the spirit of the ministry: faith expressed not only through words, but through hands willing to serve and hearts ready to welcome.
The Samaritan Hope Centre stands as a reminder that hope often begins with something small: a meal, a conversation, an open door or someone willing to stop and listen. It is a story of faith, generosity and the courage to draw near to those whom society often overlooks.
This is not merely social work. It is the Gospel lived on the streets. It is the Church becoming a home for those who have none. It is God’s work, carried out through ordinary people who choose to serve with extraordinary love. – Herald Malaysia
