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Rebuild Good Shepherd Home

Tax deductible
Hello everyone! I am raising funds to help rebuild Good Shepherd Home for the Missionaries of the Poor, a Catholic community of religious brothers and sisters founded by Fr. Richard Ho Lung in 1981. The Missionaries of the Poor are established in nine different missions around the world, with Kingston, Jamaica as their home base. The brothers in Jamaica have five homes, which include a home for men, a home for women, two children’s homes, and a retreat center. During the night on August 27th, a nearby shack caught fire and spread to Good Shepherd Home, where 70 male residents lived. The home burned to the ground that night. The MOPs said that all residents survived, but there are still a few in critical condition. These
residents have nowhere else to go, so the brothers have brought them into Faith Center, another one of their homes. 

The homes are very small and the men are sleeping side-by-side on the floor while sharing very few toilets and showers, as well as food and water. Despite this extremely difficult time, the brothers say that the residents are still joyful and have come together to help one another through this trial. I have worked with both the brothers and sisters in Kingston twice over the past few years and both times I have been struck by the power of their mission to change not only the lives of the poor, but of the volunteers who serve with them. They treat each resident as if he or she were Christ himself, striving to love and care for them as Christ does, despite their lack of money and supplies. The MOPs believe that they are called to serve God’s people around the world, and they do so with a beautiful joy. Their motto sums up their mission quite simply: “Joyful service to the poor with Christ on the Cross.”  Although the MOPs and the residents may be materially poor, they are spiritually rich, and trust in the Lord and His goodness for all their needs. One of my greatest memories from one of my trips was witnessing the joy of a resident after receiving the Eucharist. This girl was physically and mentally handicapped, and in the eyes of the world, appeared to have very little. However, when the priest brought the Eucharist over to her, she lit up with such fervent joy. After receiving, she bowed her head, and sat in silence with the most peaceful smile on her face. I will never forget that moment, because I could tell that she truly understood that it was Christ who she received in the Eucharist with a depth that many of us may never be able to fully experience. Her material and physical poverty allowed her to experience a wealth of spiritual union with Christ.

I am humbled and honored to have worked with such an incredible group of religious men and women. The Missionaries of the Poor are beginning to collect funds to slowly rebuild Good Shepherd Home. I ask you to please pray for the Missionaries of the Poor and their residents, and I thank you in advance for any contribution you generously choose to give. God bless you!

The pictures attached were posted by the Missionaries of the Poor to show the extent of the fire. The last photo is an image of the brothers thanking God after they rescued the residents from the fire.  

The video was made by one of my friends after one of our trips with the Missionaries of the Poor.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGe9w0Witc

Donations 

    Organizer

    Eily Clossick
    Organizer
    Peacedale, RI
    Missionaries of the Poor USA, Inc
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