Agape’s began

Words of our founder Father Flavian Mucci, O.F.M
“ In the year of 1977 I was stationed in the parish of the Holy Trinity, which today is the Cathedral of Sonsonate. I worked there for more 17 years, along with another Franciscan priest. It was a super parish! We had at least 20 various parish oriented organizations and each of these held weekly meetings. Beside these, I had founded the Children’s Village which kept me very busy. On Sundays, we had 6 masses, dozens of Baptisms, conferences and other sessions which kept us active all day long and well into the night. During the Christmas season, the work doubled and what I didn’t like was the fact that, after all this work was done, we had to celebrate Christmas alone. I certainly received many invitations, but did not want to choose just one of the many families kind enough to invite me to share their Christmas table.

Something had to be done, for I really wanted to celebrate this beautiful day with many people. I decided to change things around and invited all the beggars and abandoned people of the town to accompany me and share a Christmas meal with me.

What an idea! It was the most beautiful day of my life. Over 300 people attended and I never felt so happy. I finally discovered what I had been seeking for a long time – true happiness. I discovered that it was in giving and not in receiving that happiness is obtained. St. Francis told us the same thing many years ago in his peace prayer when he said: " because it is giving that we received ". I asked myself why didn’t think of that myself, and immediately the answer came to me – perhaps I was too busy thinking of myself.

I decided then and there that if I discovered the way to happiness, then this happiness had to be mine of my life. I just didn’t want to loose it and wanted it to be a part of my life. It was too precious to loose, so I immediately began the first “Soup Kitchen” in El Salvador, where all the poor and abandoned people of Sonsonate receive three meals a day every day of the year. As time went on, I decided to give even more of my time and energy to those who most needed it and the more I gave the happier I became. What I discovery!

After living in El Salvador for 37 years and 26 years with AGAPE , I am certainly convinced that the only way to happiness is giving without conditions, without a reward. I have proven that this is the only way. The more I gave, the happier I became, the more friends I made, the more donations I received to maintain the 45 projects we currently have in Agape of El Salvador.

Certainly, God works in strange ways. I looked for one day of happiness that Christmas many years ago, and He gave me 26 years.
He made every day a Merry Christmas for me. I took the first step and He not only showed me the road, but led the way which I followed.
This is how AGAPE began in El Salvador. Many years ago at Christmas time, I discovered the formula for happiness. Since then, Christmas comes 365 days a year.