Cultivating community
Now in their 15th year of serving the poor in Monroe, the Missionaries of the Poor have cultivated a community of joyful service. Pictured above are the brothers with Our Lady of Lourdes pastor Father Benjamin Roberts at the annual Mass for Consecrated Life at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in January. (Troy Hull | Catholic News Herald)MONROE — A chance meeting at a New York airport has delivered countless blessings for the faithful and the poor in Union County.
Father Richard Ho Lung of Jamaica had traveled to the big city in 2008 in hopes of establishing a mission in the U.S., but unsuccessful, he was headed back home when he ran into Bishop Peter Jugis as both prepared to board flights.
Father Ho Lung introduced himself as the founder and superior of the Missionaries of the Poor, based in Jamacia with missions established around the world.
The two men “spoke for a while,” says former Brother Augusto Silot, “and Bishop Jugis invited Father Ho Lung to visit Charlotte.”
The moment led the religious community to establish its only U.S. mission in Union County – where Bishop Jugis once served as pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish.
Today, the ministry is thriving as the Missionaries of the Poor prepares to celebrate 15 years of cultivating community among friends, volunteers and parishioners of the church – who week after week reach out to the most vulnerable among us.
“The Missionaries of the Poor are truly worthy of their name,” said Father Benjamin Roberts, current pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes. “They do extraordinary work for the poor and immigrant communities and are in communion with us. We have been blessed by the presence of the brothers and their community.”
Although only four brothers serve in the mission, their community of local missionaries offer worship, prayers, catechesis and activities for the poor and growing immigrant community. They regularly host community meals and deliver food packages, and they visit the sick and homebound.
Establishing a Mission
The Missionaries of the Poor were moved by the people they met and poverty they saw in Union County. After conversations and exploring the territory, Bishop Jugis invited the brothers to settle in Monroe and begin their work.
Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner Rosa Elba Gutierrez remembered the early days after the brothers’ arrival in 2009.
“They came to the parish and our pastor at the time, Father James Cassidy, let them stay in the parish rectory for as long as they needed,” Gutierrez recalled. “I drove them in my car through the streets of Monroe, looking for a piece of land or a house for their mission.”
Thanks to generous donors, just six months later, the brothers were able to find a house and land on Griffith Road in Monroe, where they still reside today.
The brothers repaired the house and transformed the rugged, wooded lot into a vast garden where they now grow vegetables and raise chickens as part of their ministry. They also built a chapel on the property to minister to the growing Hispanic community.
“We are blessed to have the Missionaries of the Poor in our diocese, giving joyful service to the poor out of love for Christ,” said Bishop Jugis. “Since their mission opened in Monroe, they have given effective witness as vowed religious to the mercy of the crucified and risen Christ, and have helped the poor whom they serve to grow in faith and Christian holiness. An enthusiastic love for Christ our Lord is evident in all the work they do.”
Spiritual Poverty
Brother Martin Bukenya, who now oversees the mission, quickly understood that poverty in the United States was very different from poverty in other parts of the world.
“In other countries, poverty is everywhere and we have houses where we can bring people, and take care of the poor. Here in the United States, because of the laws and permit issues, we can’t house them ourselves,” Brother Martin said. “But over the years I’ve learned that the ‘poverty’ in this country is most sharply expressed in the spiritual life. And that is the focus of our work.”
The brothers host weekly Bible studies and Eucharistic Adoration, and arrange for priests to celebrate Mass at their chapel on Mondays. They also join with the community to pray the Rosary, and distribute food for the poor, making home deliveries of essential goods for those who can’t get out.
They welcome visitors to their mission, inviting the community to help bake goods and harvest fresh food for those in need. The brothers eat what’s left from their giveaways. They also visit nursing homes and hospitals, and make weekly home visits to parishioners.
Brothers are family
Our Lady of Lourdes parishioner Adelaida García is joyful for finding a deep friendship with the brothers and the whole community.
“It gives us a lot of peace to be here,” she said. “They make us feel very happy and welcome to share as one community in prayer and service.”
Rosa Colín, who has been attending the mission for nine years, said she feels like part of a family.
“They’re always there for us. When my husband had severe health problems, they came to our house almost daily to check on him and minister to him,” Colín said. “It was very beautiful for us because, as immigrants, we don’t have any family close to us here. The brothers have become our family.”
— César Hurtado
Learn more
The work of the Missionaries of the Poor is possible because the help of volunteers and supporters from across the diocese. To volunteer or make a donation, visit their website at www.missionariesofthepoor.org or call Brother Martin Bukenya at 704-320-7414.