MONTEGO BAY, St James — In a bid to assist the less fortunate in St James, Bishop Burchell McPherson and his team at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Montego Bay have transformed the grounds of the church to host several initiatives geared at giving back.

The Jamaica Observer West news team was met with an open door when it contacted Bishop McPherson earlier this week, as he proudly explained the daily happenings on the grounds.

“We are a part of several initiatives,” he stressed.

“We have our medical clinic here and that is opened Monday to Friday; we have the Food for the Poor programme, a food distribution programme, where we assist families with food packages once a month; and we also have a soup kitchen that’s geared towards people living on the street.”

The medical clinic, he further explained, is being run by the Good Shepherd Foundation and provides a wide range of medical services at heavily discounted rates.

Under the Food for the Poor programme, meals are distributed daily to different organisations and churches in Montego Bay free of cost.

The food distribution programme, which sees many families receiving food packages monthly, is one of the biggest initiatives being undertaken by the church. These packages include rice, flour, cornmeal, oats, tin mackerel as well as non-perishable items.

The Love in Action soup kitchen, as it is dubbed by Bishop McPherson, provides the needy with quick meals and is opened three days a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The current novel coronavirus pandemic has not discouraged the God-fearing team at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, as they strongly believe this is the time to be giving back and assisting people, wherever and whenever they can.

“We believe in the Gospel and what the Gospel tells us, so we try to feed them, clothe them and bring them the good news, and this is how best we know to do it. People are hungry and they are looking for something to eat, so we try our best to protect ourselves and help them out,” said Bishop McPherson.

“We catered to 1,700 persons in the Christmas holiday and we are aiming to assist 700 more this month,” he noted.

Bishop McPherson, who is the third Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Montego Bay in its 53-year-history, vowed that these initiatives will forever be a part of his church’s monthly activities, adding that the church will continue to share their blessings with those in need.