The Missionaries of the Poor and The Maronites

It is a good facility. The whole surroundings are dotted with greeneries. And, it is clean almost sterile to a point. I would say it is better than some Government Facilities. Most importantly, the patients both adults and children are well looked after by the medical staff and personnel. The resident management is the Missionaries of the Poor.

The Missionaries of the Poor are based in Jamaica. And the missionaries come from different parts of the globe.

Last January, they had help from a twenty-people-team from Sydney, Australia: The Maronites. They stayed for a two-week-mission.

I interviewed the leader of the team, George Nasr. He told me about their noble cause. The Charity Mission was founded in 2012 by eight people and it more than doubled as of the present. The volunteers are estimated to be about five hundred people.  It is a privately funded pursuit and a non-profit organization.

They have missions in Lebanon, Iraq, India, The Philippines, and in their home country, Australia. They have varied projects for each country for instance in Iraq they constructed a playground.

In the City of Naga, they focused on five major aspects in their extensive and intensive mission. They conducted medical, dental, constructions, food packs, and logistical supplies. At the Nazareth Preparatory School being managed by the Missionaries of the Poor, they helped with a multi-sensory therapeutic facility for children with disabilities.

When I observed the mission, the volunteers were busy feeding the children. They also helped the apostolate of Occupational Therapists who assist full-time the children and adults with disabilities.

Mister Nasr was proud to report that one of their success stories is the patient Bernardo (not his real name), a nine-year-old boy at the start of the therapy who was caged due to being out of control. After patient, loving, and intensive medical support by way of medicines and chemicals and therapy, Nasr shared that he is now free to roam around with supervision. 

I wanted to see Bernardo to check up on him. I approached and was assisted by a lady volunteer. She helped me locate Bernardo. She told me now he is twelve years old. I saw Bernardo with a male volunteer. He seems perfectly happy to me. I mean to qualify it I saw no need for him to be in solitary confinement anymore. He may be playful and uttering indistinguishable sounds but it is okay. I even gave him a pat on the head. But of course he needs supervision still and looking at it from a practical viewpoint that is much better than being in a cage.

I saw a glimmer of hope and happiness in his eyes. I am impressed. Indeed, he is a success story.

Talking about logistic supplies the mission provided extra mattresses among other things.

The Maronites are determined with their noble cause and conviction. They do not have any plans of stopping rather they want to expand and do more. They want to continue spreading love around the world. Nasr further explained how much gratitude most of the volunteers feel after seeing the people they helped. They appreciate their blessings all the more and the little things that are taken for granted like water and electricity are seen in a new light with humility and significance. Their value is priceless.

On the home front, in Queensland, Brisbane, and other places in Australia: they also helped the needy. True enough Charity begins at home.

To be able to raise funds to finance their programs they sell tickets for a charity dinner for around seven hundred guests annually. It has auctions and raffles to further increase monetary support. They love doing charity. Nasr shared that it changes the lives of the volunteers for the good and the impact that they have in their projects are heavenly.

Nasr added that there are also anonymous donations to help their Charity Organization. He emphasized that what they are doing are not just for the needy but the worthwhile time and efforts by the volunteers help them grow spiritually and drive their loving hearts closer to their purpose which is to help change the world.

It was a team effort from different nations; Bangladesh, Australia, and Jamaica to name a few, and together with the Filipino hosts, observers, and volunteers.

Heartwarming, touching, and inspiring, I am lost for words though I should not, wordsmith that I am it made me realize the commonalities that we do have as human beings. Working together in harmony instead of focusing on the differences that only make the whole world polarized.

Hope, Faith, and Love; these virtues I felt working actively as the two Charity Missions work shoulder to shoulder to give, to teach, to build, to help, to feed, to educate, to make one place a little better in The City of Naga.

Their world-wide missions are worthy of high respect and recognition when amidst the hardships, pains, and, sufferings in the world today, there are people who talk the talk and walk the walk. They are not only dreamers but doers.

To ask you a question now, were you aware that The Missionaries of the Poor and The Maronites even exist?

To be honest, I only see the van and the truck of the Missionaries of the Poor. I was able to converse with an African Missionary at the grounds of the Basilica. Other than that I know nothing more.

The Maronites? I did not know about them at all. Now that I do know that they exist I am glad and grateful because I see the Altruism in the world working its goodness silently but forcefully. Aren’t you glad and feel the same way?

If only Charity Organizations like these would multiply and flourish, perhaps the world would be a more wonderful world.

May you be inspired by the Holy Spirit and God Bless!

-bob