Católica involves academic community in Christmas charity drive

At the headquarters of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, the 2024 Christmas Campaign, "The Joy of Giving", was marked by various corporate volunteering activities organised under the VIDA Project - Volunteering at Católica.

This initiative saw the participation of 51 volunteers, including staff, teachers and researchers, who put in a total of 229 hours of voluntary work for three social organisations: Apoio à Vida, CASA and Irmãs de São Vicente de Paulo.

Rita Paiva e Pona, the Rectorate's Advisor for Social Responsibility and coordinator of the Social Responsibility Office, who was responsible for the initiative, highlighted the importance of serving others, aligning the action with the values defended by the University. "Serving means taking care of the fragile in our families, our society, our people. (...) That's why service is never ideological, since we don't serve ideas, but people". (Fratelli tutti, n. 115),’ he recalled the words of Pope Francis.

At Apoio à Vida, the volunteers provided logistical support in collecting and organising donations, a fundamental task for the institution's ongoing support. At CASA, the Catholic team helped with the Christmas party for homeless people and preparing meals in the CASA kitchen. At the Irmãs de São Vicente de Paulo, the focus was on preparing meals at the Rosália Rendu Refectory, which welcomes the most needy on a daily basis, reflecting the spirit of giving and service to the most vulnerable.

The volunteers' testimonies reflect the impact of the experience. Isabel Mourato, Coordinator of the Quality System at Católica, shared about the experience at Irmãs de São Vicente de Paulo: "realising how much remains to be done, in “feeding the hungry”, makes our conscience uneasy and makes us want to return to that house more often!".

Joana Abreu, Coordinator of the CESOP-Local project, was also touched by the experience at CASA: "Being with people in situations of greater vulnerability allowed me to remember the real reason for my work and who it really matters to. It was a moment of human connection that reinforced the sense of impact we seek to achieve every day".

For Erica Nascimento, Dean's Office Development Advisor at CATÓLICA-LISBON, it was her first experience of volunteering. "I felt that, even for just one day, I could contribute to alleviating all the work they have to do. I'll definitely do it again".

Volunteering was also an opportunity for personal reflection for Carlos Barros, a lecturer at the Faculty of Human Sciences: "Volunteering with Irmãs de São Vicente de Paulo had a profound impact on the central idea of leaving one's comfort zone and dedicating time and energy to the Other. That moment, team and place reaffirmed the importance of ‘We’ and not just ‘I’ - and I was delighted to take part".

Volunteering reflects the Universidade Católica's ongoing commitment to solidarity, providing the academic community with the opportunity to make an active contribution to society and strengthening the bonds between them.