About Missionaries of the Poor
Fr. Richard Ho Lung, founder of the Missionaries of the Poor and the present Father General, is a Jamaican, born to Chinese parents on September 17, 1939 in Richmond, St Mary. His father and mother were born in Hong Kong, but came over to Jamaica as immigrants. His family was so poor that as a child he remembers one small cup of rice being passed around for dinner to be shared by him, his parents and his two sisters and brother.
He was educated by the Franciscan sisters in Kingston and then by the Jesuits at St George’s College. After completing his studies at St. George’s, on August 15, 1959, he joined the Society of Jesus, the most respected of religious orders and certainly the most intellectually acclaimed in the Roman Catholic Church. He was ordained to the priesthood on July 4, 1971 and diligently studied, earning Master’s degrees in Philosophy, English Literature and Theology, along with a Licentiate in Theology and a Doctorate in Humanities. He taught at St. George’s College, at the University of the West Indies and at Boston College in the USA.
It was during his tenure as assistant parish priest at the Aquinas Center (1972-1980) that spiritual awakening occurred . He recalls that time, saying, “I felt that everything that I had done up until that time had been somehow hypocritical. I was preaching the Word of God but not really living it.”. He felt the call to respond more radically to the Gospel challenge. Surrounded by desperate poverty in Kingston where the poor suffered greatly, he had a strong sense that God was calling him to respond to their cry and to be with them in their suffering. He was reluctant to take up the challenge but he knew he must obey God’s command. In 1980, Father Ho Lung made the difficult decision of leaving the Society of Jesus, which he loved, and founded a religious community of men who dedicated their lives to the service of the rejected and the destitute.
In July 19, 1981, Fr. Richard Ho Lung started the Brothers of the Poor (BOP). Hayden Augustine, Gregory Ramkissoon, and Brian Kerr were the first to join Fr. Ho Lung, sharing his vision of dedicating their lives for the poor. Together they set about the task of sharing and relying only on God’s love. At that time they were busily engaged in apostolic works. They reached out to the very poor in the slums in the ghettoes of Kingston, serving the neediest people, the most forgotten and abandoned of peoples. They provided Kingston with a voice of justice, a voice of peace, a voice for conversion within the Christian community in Jamaica.
On March 26, 1982, Fr. Ho Lung and the Brothers passed a letter to the Most Reverend Samuel E. Carter, formally requesting approval that the Brothers of the Poor be recognized as a Pious Union, and on April 20, 1982 this request was approved according to the Canon 708 of the then Code of Canon Law.
Two things were uppermost in Fr. Ho Lung’s mind. The need for men to continue and amplify this emerging dynamic work among the poor, and the need for more tangible and durable symbols of his solidarity with the poor. Fr. Richard Ho Lung and the brothers became seriously involved with the poor when a confrontation arose between them and a political giant, Tony Spaulding, over bulldozing of the shacks of the slum of Rema. Father Ho Lung mobilized the public and instructed the people to line up in the way of the bulldozers, forcing the government to turn back.
The Brothers of the Poor served the poor residents of Eventide Home, which was a public alms house in terrible condition. They provided, week after week, solace, comfort and hope to the 700 residents living there. Their work included wiping “messy” bottoms, binding wounds, and shaving, bathing and feeding many indigent and disadvantaged people. Father Ho Lung's fight for the poor continued as he opened the eyes of the public to the deplorable conditions of the residents of Eventide Home, where more rats than people lived. In the home, people were found living in their own feces and urine, dying of malnutrition, with some being eaten by rats on the floor. He published gut-wrenching photographs of the dehumanizing conditions of Eventide Home and was called a traitor to his country when he published details of the fire that later killed nearly 150 poor, helpless people at the home. His struggle for the destitute resulted in a new home being built for the aged poor, with the expert assistance of many prominent Jamaicans including the late Sammy Henriques and the late Sir John Golding. The Golden Age Home was opened in in 1985 at Vineyard Town.
In addition to their work at Eventide Home, Fr. Ho Lung and the Brothers worked for the men incarcerated at the South Camp Rehabilitation Center, popularly known as "the Gun Court". Here, those caught with guns or in the company of people with guns were strictly detained, often unjustly. Fr. Ho Lung entered the fray by starting a visiting program to the Gun Court. Soon, the Brothers of the Poor were in regular contact with the inmates through weekly visits. The Brothers started conducting classes and Fr. Ho Lung and others competent in the field began offering psychological workshops and counseling sessions for the rehabilitation of the prisoners. The Brothers built a library and a shed for the expansion of their educational and rehabilitation programs. They also began feeding the men with two delicious meals per week. Over time, Fr. Ho Lung played an important role in helping the men in prison receive a fair hearing, relentlessly opposing what was known as "the Gun Court Law". After a long battle with the government, by early 1984 the law was repealed and the prisoners were given commuted sentences. The men returned to society greatly improved by the ministry provided by the brothers.
The Brothers of the Poor continued to grow and expand both locally and overseas. Fr. Ho Lung had begun with a small band of four men drawn from Trinidad and Jamaica, but by mid-1980s Brothers were being added from other Caribbean countries such as St. Lucia, Belize, and Haiti. In 1986, the Brothers of the Poor developed a world-wide presence with the admission of Brothers from India. At that time, the First Novitiate was formed. All along the way, they received clear affirmations from God that He wanted this religious community of men totally dedicated to Him and His poor.
On October 20, 1992, the Brothers of the Poor adopted the new name of "The Missionaries of the Poor". In August 1993, Pope John Paul II visited Jamaica. During his visit, he unexpectedly met the Missionaries of the Poor and invited Fr. Richard Ho Lung to the altar of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The Holy Father walked hand-in-hand with Father Ho Lung at the conclusion of the Mass--giving the Missionaries of the Poor a most wonderful sign of support.
On October 7, 1997 the Congregation for the Institutes of Religious Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome granted consent for the elevation of the Missionaries of the Poor as a religious institute of diocesan right and approved their constitution. On March 25, 1998, Missionaries of the Poor became the first, and so far the only, religious community of men founded in the English speaking Caribbean to be formally elevated to a Religious Institute of Diocesan Right.
In March 2006, the Missionaries of the Poor celebrated their “Silver Jubilee”--25 years of Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross. The event was celebrated with a laity conference, the profession of vows of 20 new brothers, and the ordination of four brothers to the priesthood. Mass was celebrated with bishops visiting from other countries where MOP overseas missions were located. These included Bishop Thumma Bala from Warangal, India, Bishop Hubert Constant from Cap-Haitien, Haiti, Archbishop Leonardo Legaspi from Naga City, Philippines and Cardinal Emmanuel Wamala from Kampala, Uganda.
Today, there are well over 500 brothers, living and serving the poor in Jamaica, Haiti, India, Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia and the United States. The Missionaries, young brothers and priests, are truly a delight and a taste of heaven itself. They are young, yet they abandon themselves to Christ totally. Loyally, they live according to strict rules that protect them from the evil of the materialistic self-seeking world. They freely take vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, along with a fourth vow of free service to the least of our brothers and sisters. They promote their way of life with their exuberance as they embrace the full ambience of suffering which is experienced by the homeless and destitute. Their motto rightly describes their work:
Servitium Dulce cum Christo Crucifixo
Today, the Missionaries of the Poor occupy a number of well-used facilities. This was not always so. In November 1981, Archbishop Samuel E. Carter gave the brothers permission to use a house on 25 Munroe Road in Kingston. However, the brothers' first house was in a woman's home! Mrs. Muriel Crichton gave the brothers the use of one of the rooms of her home until, in November of 1981, they moved to the house at 25 Munroe Road where they lived for nine years.
The Brothers lived in dependence to God’s Providence through the kindness and generosity of friends. At the beginning they faced struggles with financial support because they had no money. Fr. Ho Lung got a little salary, but it was nothing compared to what was needed for their lives. One of their first benefactors was Ferdie Mahfood, who started Food for the Poor. Food for the Poor was started under the inspiration of Fr. Ho Lung because Fr. Ho Lung took Ferdie Mahfood to Eventide Home to introduce him to the poverty there. Ferdie Mahfood was so moved by the experience, that he decided to start Food for the Poor. They also began getting left-over food from a Chinese restaurant called Mee-Mee’s up the road from where they lived--that’s how simply they lived. The Lord continued, however, to raise up benefactors, as June Chin started coming, then Phyllis Chen and others.
In 1991, as the number of the Brothers of the Poor and their apostolic continued to increase, they thought of finding a more suitable house or headquarters, which would be close to the homes they had opened in downtown Kingston. A house was obtained at 3 North Street, downtown Kingston, to serve as their headquarters and chapel. It was named Corpus Christ Monastery. Since then, many new members have been added to the Brothers of the Poor from India, Central America, the USA, the Caribbean, the Philippines, Haiti and Uganda and Corpus Christi Monastery has served as the formation house for more than 70 novices.
In April 1999, the Missionaries of the Poor opened Prince of Peace Monastery, a juniorate home for the formation of the Brothers who joined the Institute. It has since become the seniorate house for over 30 perpetually professed Brothers.
Faith Center, the MOP's first Apostolate, opened in September1984, while the brothers had a connection with the Jamaica Self-Help Foundation. They were the primary source of funds for those early years. They also made friendships with some Catholic Canadians who came down and were living in Jamaica as volunteers. This was John and Rosemarie Ganley from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Other benefactors continue to build up over the years because people came to know about Brothers of the Poor, the works in the slums, in the ghetto, Faith Center, Jacob’s Well, the works in the prisons, Gun Court, Eventide Home. That had good will to it that gave them a lot of clout to ask for funds and people just came forward with donations.
In August 1987, Jacob’s Well was established at 74 Hanover Street as a place of shelter for 75 destitute adults and has now more than 80 old women, physically and mentally retarded residents.
In November 1990, an unused warehouse at 59-61 Tower Street, was acquired and converted into Good Shepherd, a night shelter for 40 street people. It became obvious then that the cries for “help” far exceeded the capacity of the Brothers, as the number of residents rose beyond 70 men, who were abandoned, elderly, mentally and physically disabled.
As poverty worsened and many more homeless asked to come in, the Institute opened The Lord’s Place in November 1994. Located at 34-36 Highholborn Street in Kingston, this facility cares for orphans, malnourished children, the elderly, retarded young women and those terminally ill with AIDS. Presently it hosts over 150 residents.
In September 2001, Bethlehem Home was opened and blessed for at-risk and disabled children at 34-36 Higholborn Street. Presently, the home houses over 60 of such children. Its capacity is up to 150 children.
In 2004, the Missionaries of the Poor were given 70 acres of land in Iron River, Golden Spring, St. Andrew for the building up of Mount Tabor Monastery and Retreat Center. This center is used to host and serve our lay-associates, benefactors, friends and volunteers locally and from overseas. On Mt. Tabor, the Beatitudes Home for physically and mentally disabled children was blessed and opened on July 2008, which now is home to 25 disabled children.
In July 2008, the Beatitudes Home for physically and mentally disabled children was blessed and opened. The home is located in Iron River, Golden Spring and at the present time serves as home to 25 disabled children.
On November 08, 2009 the Missionaries of the Poor blessed Mount Beatitudes Chapel at Mt. Tabor, Iron River, Golden Spring. It serves as place for worship and conducting Catechism class for the people in the area.
On September 11, 2010, Fr. Ho Lung and the Missionaries of the Poor broke ground for the Holy Innocents Crisis Center for 200 distressed mothers and their babies. This is the Missionaries of the Poor’s answer to the Lord’s call to protect life. This center will provide support and assistance during pregnancy, prayer and spiritual support, temporary financial assistance, job placement, day care and lodging, skills training, facilities for mother and newborn, counseling for crisis pregnancy and ante-natal/post-natal/follow-up care.
In addition to these facilities, the centers have the following community outreach programs:
“Father Ho Lung and Friends” provides 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 Caribbean. In Jamaica, eight successive musical productions have been awarded the Jamaica Music Industry Award, the highest award presented by the music industry, along with many other awards. The performing group has also been instrumental in obtaining funds used to assist the Missionaries of the Poor in their work.
OUR FOUNDER: FATHER RICHARD HO LUNG
EARLY MINISTRIES
"THE MISSIONARIES OF THE POOR"
Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross
MOP MONASTERIES
MOP CENTERS
FATHER HO LUNG & FRIENDS
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