WHAT HAVE WE DONE?

WE HAVE DONE:

How did it begin?

At the first visit to Lesheng on a Sunday in autumn 1975, after celebrating the Eucharist, the following happened to Fr. Luis Gutheinz, S.J. : He entered the special place, called Yi-Yuan(joyful garden), he saw patients with two serious sicknesses: leprosy and mental disorder. All of a sudden, his whole body began to shake, overwhelmed by the formerly unseen situation of these patients. He went home immediately and knelt down in the chapel of the Theological Faculty, weeping and praying,"Lord Jesus, I do not agree: I am angry that human persons are suffering so much. Lord, leprosy and mental disorder together are too much... too much suffering!... Lord, I am lost, I don't know what to do...". After about half an hour a consoling voice or awareness welled up from the deepest center of his heart, as if the Lord would say:"Luis, go and do what you can do for my leprosy friends; I care for the rest; I am the Lord."

In the light of this clear call, on December 9, 2000, " China Leprosy Service"(CLS) was officially established as an NGO at Taipei, Taiwan and registered at the Ministry of the Interior of the ROC.