– Robaird O’Cearbhaill
Hong Kong Correspondent
Lovelyn Padernal is an inspiring Catholic. God is her “first priority” and “in the center” in all her decisions, second is her family: “important to me that I could be on my family’s side every time they need me.” She also gives part of her salary to her siblings.
And her other acts of kindness speak louder than words. By reaching out to the disadvantaged, she shows her warm-hearted enthusiasm to help. Palermo volunteers for a charity for the poor on her days off from her hard-working job. This generosity goes as far doing the same on vacation travel.
Her favorite holiday travel was spent preparing her food program to feed her local community in the Philippines and giving soap to those who can’t afford to buy it. She also enjoys “empowering under-resourced children in HK by helping them out in a program that offered free English learning.”
Her advice to others is: “Stay true to yourself. Always put God in the center of your life. The brush God handed us, the so-called “choice” and as believers in Christ, we are called to paint from the palette of God’s truth, with the colours of LOVE, FAITH, and HOPE which are sure to brighten our darkest days.”
Tell us about your family and what they do for the Church
My family is my second priority next to God. I was born and raised Catholic. I graduated from a Catholic school. All my nieces and nephews are currently studying at Catholic schools as well. If not for the COVID19 this would be the fourth year my younger brother would have portrayed Gestas in the play Passion of Christ which is a long-standing tradition in our town and marks its 45 years this year. My eldest nephew is also serving as an altar boy at our National Shrine of Our Lady of the Candle Cathedral in Iloilo, Philippines.
At the age of three, we (could) pray the rosary and other prayers in Latin. My grandparents are Catholic devotees and so is my mother. I was serving in the church here in HK in the Apostleship of Prayers and Legion of Mary for four years before I decided to do a volunteers’ outreach program. I value my family very much, which is why I stay in HK, ignoring opportunities in Europe, Canada or the US. It’s very important to be on my family’s side every time they need me. My late maternal grandmother instilled in us the importance of God as the center of our family, empathy, humility, and giving. Always put yourself in someone else’s shoes. It’s better to give than to receive. These are the few maxims that our elders would always remind us to carry within ourselves. They remind us to be better persons than we are now.
Is being a Catholic for you a privilege or honor?
Yes being a Catholic is both a privilege and an honor. My Catholic upbringing shapes me to be empathetic to others. My Faith is my guide. In every decision, I put God always in the center. Being religious is crucial to education at home. Good education begins at home. Saying grace and being grateful for all the blessings that we receive every day of our life must be instilled in the minds of our younger generations.
Do you get satisfaction and joy from your work?
God has big dreams for us. He wants us to believe big for what he desires to do in our life. He designed us to be visionaries and then told us in the Bible that he can do more than we could imagine. God knows that when we dream big and put our faith in the enormity of who He is, He gets all the glory and we get blessed. Each of us has been given a measure of creativity that plays a part in painting our days and destinies. For me, it’s the joy of volunteering. The feeling that you make an impact on someone’s life is a huge joy.
What were the most engaging travel experiences you had either on tourist holidays work or family get togethers?
Last summer, I went back home for a three-week-long holiday. My family and I organized a feeding program for our community as a thanksgiving celebration. We cooked the food ourselves and at home. Aside from the food, we gave away recycled bars of soaps from Soap Cycling where I volunteer in the Board of Advisers and as a Volunteer Leader for their public sessions.
How do you feel about living in HK?
Hong Kong is a place that I’ve grown to love, it’s like a home away from home for me. I was only 21, a fresh graduate from college when I decided to join my parents here in Hong Kong to help them support my siblings back in the Philippines. Before that my dream was to travel around the world and see what’s in store for me. I was lucky to work alongside my parents with one employer. Our employer gives me a chance to fulfil that dream. They brought me every time they travelled with my ward. Even though it’s part of my work, I enjoyed it. Given a chance I prefer to travel more around Asia compared to any part of the world. For me, there is beauty in Asia that has drawn me in that’s hard to comprehend.
What have been your most agreeable and welcome success or successes in life?
My definition of success does not rely on material or superficial aspects. So far, there are three things I consider an accomplishment. First is empowering my fellow domestic helpers to be part of my community service team. Second is empowering under-resourced children in HK by helping them out in a program that offered free English learning. And third is materializing my passion into action.
Tell me where you were brought up and how different is life for you now?
I was born and brought up in a middle-class family in Iloilo City, Philippines. My parents were farmers and fishermen, not privileged, with their fair share of hardships. When my parents decided to be OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers), they left the children with my grandparents. Being the eldest of seven I took care of and educated my (three) younger siblings. That’s how my upbringing shaped how I am today.
What advice do you have for Catholics and other Christians and all the others who are not?
My advice is stay true to yourself. Always put God in the centre of your life.
What gives you most satisfaction in life?
To see my family happy and healthy. Also by helping others to the best of my ability.
What do you feel about the Covid pandemic? How are you helping people?
As a domestic helper, I asked myself, what else could I do aside from practicing proper hygiene and wearing a mask? I am lucky to have a very supportive employer who supports me through and through in my advocacy. Since I am already volunteering, I just need to continue to be one of the charity’s support systems. Due to the pandemic, and new protocols are being imposed by the government, social distancing is a must and meetings with no more than four in a group. All our volunteer sessions have been cancelled. During this time we are short of manpower. So, I decided to continue conducting volunteer sessions on weekends with fewer people. During these forty days of Lent, I decided to conduct a volunteering marathon with the help of other domestic helpers in my team, packing hygiene kits for street workers, the elderly, people with disability and the homeless.
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