Our Missions
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF MOP
Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) was founded by Father Richard HoLung, a Catholic priest, in 1981, in Kingston, Jamaica. Father HoLung's involvement in the lives and struggles of the poor and social rejects began many years before he actually founded the MOP.
As more Brothers began to join the
initial core of four, and as the religious community began to take shape and
solidify, MOP opened their first apostolate: Faith Centre—a home for destitute
and homeless persons. Members of
the public in the surrounding inner-city community and beyond were made aware of
this situation and encouraged to join hands. Thus began a tedious but fruitful
ministry of building community with the homeless poor as the cornerstone.
While expanding their services
locally, the Missionaries of the Poor were not to be totally localised.
Responding to the needs of the suffering in other poor countries, and in
fidelity to their missionary character, MOP has reached out to
all corners of the world: India,
Haiti, The Philippines, Uganda & Kenya.
In
all the ministries of MOP in Jamaica and overseas, community building has been a
main objective. Pastoral and spiritual activities, worship and prayer,
music
and song are also an integral part of MOP services to the poor.
MOP take a vow of free-service to the
least:
a) none of the members receives salary, payment or stipend for his services;
b) the community does not charge for its services to the poor and needy
In March 1998,
history was made when the MOP became the first male Catholic religious institute
founded in the English-speaking Caribbean to be granted Vatican’s approval. Living a materially simple and austere life, they
own nothing personally, hold no personal bank accounts, do not watch TV or
listen to radio, and do not drink alcoholic beverages or smoke. They sleep on
bunk beds in dormitories, pray, eat, recreate, study, work and travel in
community. Their daily life revolves around a life of prayer beginning at 5:45
a.m. and ending with night prayer at 9:00 p.m. They live a partly monastic life
in cloister but graciously welcome
visitors to their monasteries and
ministries. With that deep and genuine joy that is so evident to anyone who
meets or visits them, they’re a living proof of the Beatitudes of Christ.
In combining their religious motifs with a true Jamaican spirit, the motto of the MOP is “Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross”.
Under the direction of Fr. Richard Ho Lung, a group of extremely talented Jamaican artists have come together as “Father Ho Lung and Friends”. Through drama, song, dance and music, they provide significant evangelization to thousands of men, women and children of all socio-economic levels through the performance of music written by Fr. Ho Lung. Expressing love of life, of God, and of the poor, the music is performed in theatres in Jamaica and abroad, and is used in liturgical services throughout the Missions. All the lyrics for the songs and the stories are original compositions of Father Ho Lung. Aside from drawing from biblical themes, Father Ho Lung has also written plays based on the struggles and joys of the poor.
