'Candles in the Dark' - Chronicling the life of the 'Reggae Priest'
Published:Sunday | September 8, 2013 | 12:00 AM
- Title: Candles in the Dark: The AuthoriSed Biography of Fr Richard Ho Lung and the Missionaries of the Poor
- Author: Joseph Pearce
- Reviewer: Keisha Hill
Candles in the Dark: The Authorized Biography of Fr Richard Ho Lung and the Missionaries of the Poor, Joseph Pearce, the pre-eminent Catholic biographer, introduces the world to Fr Richard Ho Lung and the more than 500 brothers who make up the Missionaries of the Poor (MOP).
Father Richard Ho Lung, poet, teacher, mystic, and musician, is the founder of the Missionaries of the Poor, one of the fastest-growing religious orders in the world. Father Richard Ho Lung was associate pastor of St Thomas Aquinas Church in Papine, Jamaica, when he ventured into the depressed community of Mona Commons and listened and shared the struggles of the people.
Father Ho Lung then encountered a fundamental problem: the absence or lack of family life and a sense of community. Thus, when the 'Brothers of the Poor' was founded in 1981, one of the main objectives was to build family and community among the poor and disadvantaged.
Pearce takes us from Father Ho Lung's childhood in Jamaica, the son of impoverished Chinese immigrants, then on to his education and ordination as a Jesuit priest. Father Ho Lung was born to Chinese parents on September 17, 1939 in Richmond, St Mary. His father and mother were born in Hong Kong, but came over to Jamaica as immigrants. His family was so poor that, as a child, he remembers one small cup of rice being passed around for dinner to be shared by him, his parents and his two sisters and brother.
His family had no electricity, a lack of food and even water, however, he was brought up to love nature, to respect it, and to understand how precious creation is.
Pearce shows us the glamour of Fr Ho Lung's life as a celebrity musician, and the dangers of missionary work in Kingston ghettos. He tells the story of one who has ascended the heights of worldly success, descended into the depths of suffering and discovered a joy there that none can take away.
As a young man, Fr Ho Lung was known as the reggae priest. His hit single rocketed to the top of the Jamaican charts and his live musical performances won rave reviews. He and his group, Father Ho Lung and Friends, toured the world and, in his spare time, he taught literature at the University of the West Indies.
Dedication to the poor
Yet in the midst of these successes and accomplishments, Fr Ho Lung felt a persistent call to something more and, in 1980, he embraced a new life of radical poverty, and to give himself unconditionally to the destitute and downtrodden as the founder of the Missionaries of the Poor.
The objectives included building a community of men - religious brothers and priests - who would live in a community, share all things in common, follow a common spirituality with a common ministry of service to the least in society, and bringing together the poor (especially the destitute homeless) as a family, and forging community relationships with the wider society.
The Bishop of Kingston approved the Brothers of the Poor, and the name changed to the 'Missionaries of the Poor'. The brothers began their work in a government-run house for the homeless, destitute and aged, where they succeeded in opening the consciousness of the public to the needs and struggles of the poor.
Hayden Augustine, Gregory Ramkissoon, and Brian Kerr were the first to join Fr Ho Lung, sharing his vision of dedicating their lives to the poor. Together, they set about the task of sharing and relying only on God's love. At that time, they were busily engaged in apostolic works. They reached out to the very poor in the slums, in the ghettos of Kingston, serving the most forgotten and abandoned of peoples. They continued their work with prisoners, where they helped to bring to light the need for rehabilitation among prisoners, not mere isolation.
Greatest Hits
On the heels of this book also comes the musical that combines elements of reggae, dancehall, mento, and opera. Father Ho Lung and friends have once again produced a biblical work of art titled, 'Greatest Hits: Candles in the Dark'. This year marks the 42nd year since Father Ho Lung and company have been singing and dancing their way into churches, schools, homes and the hearts of many across the island.
The play will be held at the National Arena on September 25-29 and October 10-13, and tickets start from $800 for adults and $500 for children. On Saturdays, show times are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and on Sundays, show times are 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
For more information about the show please call: 948-0280/585 2263 or email mopmusicministry@yahoo.com or visit their website www.missionariesofthepoor.org.
Photos by Jermaine Barnaby/Photographer