The Missionaries of the Poor ( la, Missionarii Pauperum) is a

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monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrat ...

of Brothers and Sisters dedicated to ''"Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross"'' to serve the poorest of the poor. Its members use the nominal letters MOP (which is the acronym of its Latin name) after their names to indicate membership in the congregation. It was started in 1981 by The Very Reverend Father Richard Ho Lung, M.O.P. in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inte ...

and has now grown to over 550 Brothers and Sisters from 13 countries.

Description

Their headquarters is in Kingston, Jamaica, where they maintain seven mission homes for destitute persons, including abandoned sick, disabled, or dying men, women, infants, and children. They also operate in India (

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and

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), the Philippines ( Naga City and

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and Manilla), Haiti (

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and

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

), Uganda (

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and R ...

), Kenya (

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), (

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), (

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), and the United States (

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). One of the most striking characteristics of the life and works of MOP is the award-winning Caribbean-style Christian music that they produce. Most songs are written by Father Ho Lung and performed by Father Ho Lung & Friends. The music generates revenue for the mission. The brothers and sisters, who give away all personal belongings, take vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and free service to the least of our brothers and sisters. Everything is done in community including praying, eating, sleeping, and traveling. All their daily activities revolve around prayer, service and worship. More than just giving aid with food, clothing and shelter, the Missionaries of the Poor are dedicated to building up the Church and spreading the Faith. Dedicated to the Holy Rosary, they wear the beads on their sashes, and it was on the feast of the

Holy Rosary Holy Rosary may refer to: * Rosary, a set of prayer beads used in a traditional Roman Catholic devotion * The Holy Rosary, a prayer based on the rosary See also * Holy Rosary Academy (disambiguation), one of several Roman Catholic schools with ...

in 1997 that the Holy See recognized them as a religious community. In November, 2014, the Vatican elevated the MOP to an Institute of Pontifical Right. Ho Lung stepped down as leader of MOP in 2014, with Brother Augusto Silot succeeding him. Succeeding Brother Augusto was Brother Anil Minj.

References

External links

Missionaries of the Poor website The Catholic Company
Catholic charities Christian organizations established in 1981 Catholic Church in Jamaica Catholic missionary orders Catholic religious institutes established in the 20th century Members of the Order of Jamaica Charities based in Jamaica {{Catholic-org-stub