God's Treasury
by Bob Wilhelm

The Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) is a Catholic order of priests and brothers founded in 1981 by Fr. Richard HoLung, formerly a Jesuit priest and professor of theology at Boston College. They have a two-fold mission spending much time in prayer and worship with an active ministry to the outcasts of society, the poorest of the poor. They have missions in Jamaica, India, Uganda, the Philippines, and Haiti, where the governments have little or nothing in the way of programs for these people.

These castoffs of society are often left on the brothers’ doorsteps to be taken in by them. One of the brothers recently found a 2-year-old abandoned girl wandering in Haiti. After looking for the parents or guardian, the brothers took her into the center where she now has a family and will likely grow up there. Few of the children get adopted. The brothers describe their lives as, “joyful service with Christ on the cross.”

Roxanne and I have been involved with MOP for over a year. Roxanne has been to Jamaica twice and I’ve been once. I recently went on a special trip to the Haitian mission to help do a carpentry job, shoring up the center’s failing roof.

The poverty is so overwhelming it is hard to imagine. The streets in the poor part of Cap Haitien have trenches that run with sewage and filth. The people there always seem to be out moving about in the street doing whatever they can to find a meal. There is some danger because the government now fluctuates from unstable to non-existent. Less than a year ago rebels came to Cap Haitien looting everywhere and threatened the brothers, saying they would return and kill them all. The brothers were given the chance to flee but could not go because of their duty to those in their care. They ran completely out of food for a time.

We can all help by collecting food, drugs, and other basic supplies for the mission. The brothers recently sent us a list of critical needs such as medical supplies and drugs. One of the four brothers in Haiti contracted malaria and was not responding to medication so Roxanne found a doctor where she works who prescribed a new drug for him. Hopefully, the brother will respond and improve as his good health is critical to the center’s ability to care for others.

Haiti is a beautiful country but the poverty is so extreme that it is hard to believe it is happening in our modern world. The presence of the brothers brings a tremendous sense of hope for these forgotten people. For more information about the missions, visit the following website:
www.missionariesofthepoor.org

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