Missionaries of the Poor Manila is an international mission that started was in October 2011 by the Religious Institute of Brothers of Pontifical Right.
It was founded by Fr. Richard Ho Lung, a former Jesuit priest, in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica in 1931. In the Philippines, they have three mission areas–Manila, Naga City (September 1994), and Cebu City (February 2004).
The Manila Mission is composed of the Divine Mercy Monastery where the Brothers live, and the Divine Mercy Apostolate Center in Manila, which is home to homeless elderly men and special-needs children.
They do corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, caring for street children and the sick, including HIV/AIDS and leprosy patients, and visiting prisoners.
Every Sunday, Sabrina Artadi of Sabrina’s Kitchen hosts a healthy feeding program for the poor in the area with her Super Caldo and fruits.
Our friend Tina Vitas of Easy Cures invited us to join one Sunday, which was also very timely for our son Raphael’s 7th Birthday celebration.
Here’s our experience visiting the Missionaries of the Poor and how you can also help…
MISSIONARIES OF THE POOR
DIVINE MERCY MONASTERY & APOSTOLATE CENTER
1766 Estrada St., San Andres, Bukid, 1017 Manila
P.O. Box 1822, 1000 Manila
Telephone: +632 354-3449, 994-4521
Mobile: +63 921-637-4900, +63 908 626-1356
Email: mopmanila@gmail.com
The Divine Mercy Apostolate Center is located at the center of the slum area in San Andres, Bukid, beside the Sagrada Familia Church.
The outreach starts with a free haircut for the elderly and special needs children from the generous people of Hairworks Salon (+63 917 822-4247 & +632 888-4817).
Brother Anthony gave us a tour of the apostolate, starting with the home of the elderly…
…and the communal eating area.
The second floor is home to children with Hydrocephalus and special needs.
We had a chance to talk with the lovely kids, who were very happy to engage with the visitors.
On Sundays, about 100 kids visit the center from the poor neighborhood to play and be nourished with a healthy meal.
The feeding starts with group singing and a prayer.
Sabrina’s prepares a healthy Super Caldo for every kid to enjoy, with banana and dalandan for dessert.
We had to ask if the kids were hungry or not before serving them so that the food wouldn’t go to waste.
It was actually fun talking with the kids. We’re glad to be able to make a difference in their lives, even for a while. Their smiles are enough reward for us.
It was nice of the kids to sing and perform for the guests. But the program was immediately stopped when they got too rowdy.
Thank you to Baskin & Robbins for the free ice cream cups that we all enjoyed!
Thank you to Sabrina, Tina, and Brother Anthony for this memorable Sunday encounter.
You can help out by providing financial aid or donating basic supplies they need for their Mission like food, medicines, toiletries, and school supplies for the children. You can also volunteer your time or even celebrate your birthday with the Missionaries of the Poor.
For more information, you may get in touch with Brother Anthony at +63 921 637-4900.
MISSIONARIES OF THE POOR
DIVINE MERCY MONASTERY & APOSTOLATE CENTER
1766 Estrada St., San Andres, Bukid, 1017 Manila
P.O. Box 1822, 1000 Manila
Telephone: +632 354-3449, 994-4521
Mobile: +63 921-637-4900, +63 908 626-1356
Email: mopmanila@gmail.com
Live an Awesome Life,
Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Disclosure: I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
P.S. Another way to help is purchasing the P1,000 ticket to watch a beautiful Jamaican reggae musical on the life of The Messiah from March 8 to 19 at Star Theatre, Star City, CCP Complex. All proceeds will go to the Missionaries of the Poor. Watch the trailer below.
