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University students and elderly residents discover that love begins simply by being present…
On a winter afternoon before Christmas 2025, a group of university students stepped into a Catholic hospice — not simply to perform, but to accompany. Through a service-learning course at National Cheng Kung University, nine students from different disciplines visited the Lao Wu Lao Hospice in Tainan/Taiwan, operated by the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. They brought with them an adapted interactive performance of The Little Prince and a lantern-painting activity, inviting elderly residents to become the story’s “lamplighters.” In laughter, storytelling, and quiet companionship, generations met — and hearts were gently lit.
Reading as a Bridge Between Generations
The project grew out of NCKU Library’s service-learning course --- “Books around a city”, promoting reading and social care. While past efforts focused on rural schools, this time students turned their attention to another often-overlooked community: older adults in long-term care.
Over the semester, students visited the hospice, listened to the elderly’s stories, planned and rehearsed together, adapting Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince into an interactive drama performance. In this thoughtfully designed activity, reading was no longer a one-way act of teaching, but an invitation — to memory, reflection, and a renewed connection with life’s deeper meaning. The elderly participants were not passive listeners. When they began sharing their own stories — of work, love, regret, and resilience — they became storytellers once more. Their lives, shaped by time, revealed dignity, wisdom, and quiet strength. Through these gentle encounters, students came to realize that older adults need not only physical care, but also to be heard, valued, and truly seen.
Rethinking What It Means to “Serve”
One student reflected that he had initially seen himself as the one who came to give. That understanding changed after meeting a grandmother who, despite limited mobility, warmly initiated a conversation, taught him a few French phrases, and spoke with quiet grace about her years as a teacher. In that moment, he realized that service is not one-sided charity, but a meeting of equals. Older adults are not merely recipients of care — they remain teachers, witnesses, and bearers of rich life experience. When young people slow down and truly listen, they often receive far more than they give.
The Healing Power of Presence
The visit also revealed a deep but often unseen need: emotional companionship. Many elderly residents face loneliness and the quiet loss of familiar social roles. Students began to understand that true care is not about doing more, but about being willing to stay — sitting a little closer, holding a hand, and listening without rushing away.
It was in these simple shared moments that this truth came alive. As students and residents painted lanterns side by side, exchanged stories, and laughed together, the activity became more than a planned program, and the lanterns more than simple crafts; they became symbols of shared memory — small lights glowing softly in each heart.
Formed by Love
For the students, this was a kind of learning no classroom alone could offer. They came to see that social responsibility is not found only in large-scale projects or grand achievements, but in sincere, everyday acts of kindness. Through their partnership with Catholic charitable ministry, they witnessed the Church’s enduring mission: to remain beside the vulnerable with faithful, quiet love.
As the afternoon drew to a close, students offered small cups of pudding, and the residents responded with warm embraces. One student later recalled walking hand in hand with a grandmother as they slowly made their way through the exhibition of the semester’s work. When the elevator doors closed, she turned to him with a gentle smile — a silent blessing that stayed in his heart long after.
In today’s rapidly aging society, this journey reminds us that closeness between generations does not need to happen only in specially arranged events. It can begin wherever someone chooses to pause, to listen, and simply to stay.
“Gray hair is a crown of glory” (Proverbs 16:31). The lives of the elderly remain rich in dignity and wisdom. In this encounter, students glimpsed the Gospel lived quietly — in presence, tenderness, and love that does not turn away.
May these small acts become seeds of compassion, drawing universities, communities, and the Church ever closer together. And may every sincere act of companionship become a gentle echo of God’s love in daily life.
Here is a short video that captures moments from the day’s activities - https://youtu.be/A1JNBiO3fwc?si=ogbZtAXAh4TvB1vp
Author: Lin, Chieh-Han/Fu, Tzu-Fun
Photo: Zhuang, Ming-Xing
Video producer: Huang, Ruo-Ci
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