JAKARTA (UCAN) -- Street scavengers and orphans of several religions were among the marginalized people who experienced Christmas joy in celebrations held by a Catholic community here.

Almost 400 children, people who live off the street and elderly people attended a celebration in the compound of Catholic-run St. Tarsicius Elementary School in West Jakarta on Dec. 25, Christmas Day. The local community of Sant'Egidio, an international Catholic lay association, organized the event.

"I am happy that I can be here in this place together with other children. I am also happy that there are still people who care about us poor people," Rahul, a 14-year-old Muslim boy, told UCA News. He thanked "those who entertained me, gave me a package of stationery and offered me lunch."

Rahul studies at a junior high school but spends his spare time roaming the streets, singing for whatever money people give him. His father scavenges and his mother does laundry.

Julasmi, an 11-year-old Muslim girl, was "happy to celebrate Christmas together with my friends, and brothers and sisters of the community." The primary student has been attending the Sant'Egidio "School of Peace" since 2003 with her two older sisters. The project teaches children for free about peace and develops basic skills such as counting and singing. It operates on Mondays in a classroom of Catholic-run St. Luke Elementary School in North Jakarta.

Julasmi's mother also works as a laundry maid, and her father has died. Like Rahul, the girl received a package of stationery during the Christmas celebration.

Anwar, a 57-year-old street scavenger, also expressed his happiness to join in the celebration. The Muslim man told UCA News he attended a similar celebration last year and has no problem attending a Church-held function.

Anwar, who said he has scavenged for a living for 20 years, received a T-shirt this year.

Margaretha Setiani, a 72-year-old Catholic woman, commented, "This is what Christmas means: to show the spirit of sharing."

The four-hour celebration featured songs and a short play about a poor girl who celebrates Christmas with a simple dress and simple food. Fifteen "School of Peace" students performed the play. Fifty members of the Jakarta Sant'Egidio community took part in the celebration, held under a canvas tent.

The community organized another, similar celebration that day, also in West Jakarta, in the compound of Our Lady of Fatima Church. More than 50 poor children, scavengers and elderly people attended.

According to Eveline Winarko, coordinator of the Sant'Egidio community in Jakarta, it has organized the Christmas celebrations since 1996, usually at its center in West Jakarta. But in 2008, the community held two celebrations outside the center to deepen its solidarity with marginalized people. "Through these events, we want to unite them regardless of their religious and social backgrounds," she told UCA News.

Meanwhile, in Batu, East Java, about 200 Protestant orphans from three Protestant-run orphanages spent some of Christmas Day at an amusement park.

Speaking with UCA News during the event, Batu Mayor Eddy Rumpoko said the program aimed to give these less-fortunate children an opportunity to experience the joy of Christmas. Rumpoko, a Muslim, paid the 8,000-rupiah (US$0.72) entry ticket for each of the orphans.

One of the children, Yulita Dominggas Hamahua, enthused: "I am happy to be invited by the mayor to celebrate Christmas here. It is the first time for me to celebrate Christmas in an amusement park."