Missionaries of the Poor
INDIA MISSION: CHRIST THE KING
In 1990, Most Rev Thumma Bala, Bishop of Warangal, Diocese in Andhra Paradesh, India, invited Father Richard Ho Lung to start a mission of his own Institute in his diocese. The Missionaries of the Poor already counted among its numbers some young Brothers from India and more and more young men were desirous to join the Institute.
Father Richard had been visiting India for several years previously,
and so he felt the need to have a more permanent presence
in that subcontinent.
He was also deeply touched by the tremendous needs among the poor there. The
kindly bishop offered some land for this mission.
On February 8, 1992 Father Hayden Augustine, M.O.P. of Trinidad and Brother Philip Selvaraj, one of the first two from India to join the community, landed in Mumbai. Shortly thereafter they travelled by train for 18 hours south eastward to Warangal in Andhra Pradesh to begin the first overseas mission of their young, fledgling Institute. They were guests of Bishop Bala at the Bishop’s House for the first three months, and then took up residence at the Cathedral Parish Hall which was then still under construction for the next 8 months. Immediately they began recruiting vocations for their Institute. They visited not only schools and parishes in Andhra Pradesh, but in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. They also began erecting their Mission House at Fatimanagar.
From the very beginning, though they were only a small presence, their way of life and compassionate works of mercy among the poorest drew many curious visitors. Some of these were young men who were witnessing a radical way of living the gospel message and wanted to be part of that “new evangelisation.” Many others were simply people in great need—lepers, hungry children, destitute homeless, sick and dying. In this subcontinent where Christians are a mere 5% (?) minority, most of these beneficiaries were Hindus and Muslims. But this was no problem for the Missionaries of the Poor who saw in each person the suffering, crucified and risen Christ—waiting to be loved and served.
Over the past twelve years that the Missionaries of the Poor have been in India and at Warangal, they have attracted several vocations to the Institute. Not everyone who comes to experience the life perseveres. During the first year of Aspirancy and Postulancy, several do leave due to the strictness of the life and the demands of working among the destitute and homeless. But many do persevere as they discover the deep and lasting joy of serving the suffering and crucified Christ in the poor. These are sent to the Institute’s novitiate house in Jamaica for further formation. Presently, many of these vocations are serving in different capacities in the Institute’s houses in Jamaica, Haiti, the Philippines, and Uganda, and a number have returned to serve in the Indian Mission.
Since the beginning of the Mission in 1992, the Missionaries of the Poor have
run a daily breakfast programme for over 250 poor children and 30 adults,
kindergarten for 50 children; medical services, tuitions and educational
assistance for these 250 children; Sunday catechism and moral education classes;
a weekly feeding of 50 lepers who come to Fatimanagar for medicines and
treatment; frequent visitation of the homes in the surrounding slum communities,
evangelizing and bringing many to the Faith.
On September 26, 2000, Bishop Bala blessed the newly completed building that the Missionaries of the Poor constructed over the previous year. It is our apostolic centre for the already existing ministries of the Missionaries of the Poor at Fatimanagar, as well as a permanent new home for the destitute and homeless people of Warangal. Called “House of Joy,” it is a powerful witness of Christ’s love and compassion towards the least of our brothers and sisters.
Fr. Augustine, the only West Indian among the Brothers who are popularly called
“Jamaica Brothers” had been Superior of Christ the King mission until late June
in 2003. Since then he has been reassigned to the Institute’s first African
Mission in Uganda. Fr. Augustine had been a quiet, enabling presence among a group of
very young and energetic Indian missionaries. Though his knowledge and use of
Telugu was very limited, he had endeared himself to the local people. He
frequently celebrated Mass at the Cathedral, and was a regular confessor,
preacher, and giver of retreats and days of recollection to the many religious
communities in the diocese. Fr. Savio Francis, a native of Andhra Pradesh and
equally zealous Missionary of the Poor, took over the leadership of the Warangal
Mission from Fr. Augustine in early August of 2003. He has since then expanded
the occupancy at House of Joy, with over 100 homeless and destitute people
presently in residence. This number includes even AIDS patients and lepers.
It is the sincere desire of both the Missionaries of the Poor, and the Diocese of Warangal that the Christ the King Mission continue to give of their own charism, apostolic endeavours, and youthful zeal to the building up of the Church and the spread of God’s kingdom.