In many of the countries where we serve as MSSP missionaries, we encounter striking social contrasts. We often speak about poverty, poor nutrition and the struggle to meet basic needs. What is harder to grasp is how these realities exist alongside extraordinary wealth.
During a visit to the Philippines, I was struck by Manila’s skyscrapers, vast shopping malls and shops filled with expensive brands. Yet just outside these places of abundance, people sleep on cardboard along the pavements. It is this closeness that stays with you. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus seems to unfold before your eyes.
Our MSSP members at the formation house in Quezon City live with this reality every day. Less than two hundred metres from the house, hundreds of people live in makeshift homes with zinc roofs and only the most basic services. Each Thursday, our house opens early for local volunteers who prepare food for around 200 people, including those without a home and those living in these precarious conditions.
Fr Stephen Mifsud MSSP, who has served in the Philippines for the past sixteen years, coordinates the programme. He explained that much of its funding comes from the Oħloq Tbissima marathon and other donors. Just as important is the commitment of local people, who organise the cooking and cleaning. They give their time and effort to make this work of charity possible.
Our mission also supports young people through education. One initiative is the Singapore Project, a scholarship scheme for students from families facing poverty. Fr Stephen coordinates it with Catherine Diesta. At its heart are Tony and Yvonne Yeo, a couple from Singapore who travel to Manila each year to meet the students they support.
Their involvement goes beyond financial help. They speak with the students, encourage them and explore possible paths for further study or work. On this visit, they also met the students’ families. Afterwards, everyone gathered for a Mass of thanksgiving and a meal together. It was a particularly meaningful visit for Tony and Yvonne, who celebrated fifty years of marriage this year.
We support similar scholarship initiatives in other countries, including Pakistan. Education can give a person a real chance to move beyond poverty. As a Missionary Society, we believe the Gospel takes flesh when we stand alongside people and help them realise their potential. The meals prepared each Thursday and the opportunities opened through a scholarship are different responses to the same call: to see the person before us and refuse to walk past.