QMHR SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

In 1992, Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legaspi of Caceres invited the Missionaries of the Poor to officially establish their second overseas mission in Naga City, Philippines. A year later, the Missionaries of the Poor, pioneered by Fr. Brian Kerr, M.O.P. and Brother Maximo Medina, M.O.P., arrived in Manila, Philippines on September 28, 1993.

They proceeded to Naga City and began their ministry among the poorest in the Bicol region. Their preliminary works among the poor consisted of:

– Visiting the indigent and poor families in San Rafael squatter and relocation site, bringing them food, clothing, medicines and companionship and pastoral care.

– Visiting and catechising the shut-ins and scavengers at the City Dump Site in Balatas and providing them both the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.
– Hospital visitations and hands-on work among the sick patients at Bicol Medical Center and the mentally-ill inmates at the Regional Mental Hospital in Cadlan, Pili.

From this humble beginning, this MOP mission in Naga City – named Heart of Mercy Mission and dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord Jesus Christ – has grown tremendously and has given birth to other missions in Cebu in 2004 and in Manila in 2012.

Apostolate

The apostolate of the MOP includes shelter and care for homeless, abandoned and the unwanted children, disabled and elderly, and to provide social and pastoral assistance to the indigent and needy.

1. Shelter and residential care for homeless/abandoned children, disabled and elderly:

The Divine Mercy Apostolate Center of the Missionaries of the Poor in San Rafael, Cararayan, Naga City is a home to approx 150 residents. It caters for children, teenagers, young adults and the elderly. It caters for those who have disabilities or a mentally-ill and for those who have been abandoned and for those whose families are too poor to give them the special care they deserve. While most of these residents come from the Bicol region, there are some who are from other parts of the country. At this Center, they find and form a family with other residents and the MOP Brothers and lay volunteers. Activities at the Center include daily prayer, physical exercise and physiotherapy, garden and house-chores, and recreation. A good percentage of our population at the Center receives regular medication for mental illness and other illnesses such as diabetes, epilepsy, hypertension, etc.

2. Nazareth Center for Children

Besides caring for special children, we also have an extensive outreach for the welfare and development of poor and indigent children. The Nazareth Center for Children run by the MOP caters to the physical, social, intellectual and spiritual development of these children through the following programs and services.