I am nearly 86 years old! Jamaica! Jamaica!…The poor…Christ and Christianity, the brotherhood and our religious life, that’s all of my life. It’s all woven into one concern — the Kingdom of God.

The salvation of all of us, including all of us sinners, has driven me to find the meaning of life. Christ is the meaning of life, He has brought the call to building a kingdom of purpose, and the beauty and perfection of serving, living, and loving as we walk through this pilgrimage of life. I want to be what Jesus is, I want to do what Jesus did. I want to die and enter into eternal life and to be with Him and join hands with all those who are with Him in the Father’s kingdom.

I was taught about salvation and the meaning of life at St George’s College. As a boy I found such kindness at St George’s College — the teachers, the Jesuit priests show such kindness, generosity, and discipline in the students; “Love God, love the poor, love your island”. They also showed by their example of what it was to leave all things behind, to serve each other as brothers to one another and to pour out our lives in service of one another, worldly though we were. We students admired the Jesuits dressed in white religious habits who prayed together, worked together and set examples of what it was to be saints.

Now, I want my life to continue like unto the Jesuits. I want to live in service of my Missionaries of the Poor (MOP) community as the Jesuits did. But I also want to serve the poorest of the poor as Jesus did; the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the strangers and homeless. I want to live and die as Jesus did and build the kingdom which serves and sacrifices all things so that God’s love shines brightly for those who live in darkness. I think practically on the ground of Jamaica and my brothers who work and serve one another and the homeless and forgotten ones in my island.

God has given us such a beautiful island but there are so many poor and forgotten ones in my beautiful island. I have spent more than 44 years of my life building up and serving my religious brothers and the poor. I have shaped and formed my brothers to serve one another and to love one another. We have given our lives over to the poor and forgotten ones in Jamaica. I have also found a sisterhood in service of the poor and forgotten ones.

Aside from this, we have founded communities in Haiti, the poorest of the poor country in the western hemisphere. We also take care of the poor and forgotten ones in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, India north and south, The Philippines in Manila, Naga and Cebu. Our brothers are also in Indonesia, East Timor, and Paraguay. We are also in North Carolina, USA, working with poor minorities. Wherever we are, we are known as Jamaican brothers. Our sisters are also beginning to spread. We are known as a Jamaican community everywhere we are. And we are a pontifical international order of many nations blessed by Rome.

Though we have the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, we have two religious vows of poverty. Though we take no money from governments, though we live as mendicant missionaries, God has provided us with kind benefactors including many Christian denominations who love the poor and Christ and are most generous in helping us.

Moreover, there is the music that God has given to me. Our music and our productions have given us great joy as we evangelise with our lay associates and friends. It supports our life and the life of the poor. It feeds the brothers and the thousands of people that the brothers care for all over the world.

Spiritually, the music is so beautifully supported by our talented volunteers who give hundreds of hours and there are those who give cash and kind and services without whom our production would not be possible.

As my birthday is about to come, giving me fully 86 years, I ask you to come to this great evangelical programme at the National Arena where I promise
Jesus 2025 will reveal in theatre the magnificent life of Christ. Support our lives, enjoy this magnificent production, weep and cry, laugh and dance, and let us all be a community under Christ.

Please get your tickets from the following outlets:

1) Fontana, Waterloo Square, 12 West King’s House Road. Tel: 619-7479

2) Fontana, Barbican, 34 East King’s House Rd, Tel: 946-2630

3) Fontana, Portmore (Sovereign Village), 7 Braeton Parkway Square, Municipal Blvd

Tel: 740-0055

4) Liguanea Drug & Garden Centre/ General Foods Supermarket, 134 Old Hope Road Tel: 977-0066

5) Music Mart, 8 South Ave Tel: 960-7712

6) MegaMart Waterloo, 29 Waterloo Road

7) MegaMart Portmore, Lot A-E, Portmore Tel: 988-1172

8)Lees Food Fair Pharmacy, 86 Red Hills Road Tel: 931-1877

9)Royale Computers & Accessories, Shop 2 Tropical Plaza, Constant Spring Road Tel: 876-906-7810

10) Kingston Book Shop, 74 King Street, Kingstonbookshopjm.com Tel: 876-922-7016

11) Online at touchstonelink.com

— Father Richard Ho Lung is founder of Missionaries of the Poor.