Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers

The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers are sent by the Catholic Church in the United States to share the Gospel worldwide through service to the poor and powerless.

Why do we exist?

Established in 1911 by the U.S. Catholic Bishops to represent the Church in the U.S., in   foreign mission work, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America became popularly known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Its purpose is to serve the needy and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with peoples of all nations.

Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers work and live side by side with the poorest of the poor in their daily struggles for justice, peace and equality. By living the Gospel among those they serve and offering spiritual and material support, Maryknollers witness to the God-given dignity of each person among marginalized peoples everywhere.

Along with their sacramental ministries, Maryknollers are involved with the creation of clinics and hospitals, agricultural and vocational training programs, lay leadership and community development programs, AIDS ministry and education, and health, hygiene and nutrition programs.  It is the mission of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers to bring hope and healing in the name of Jesus to those they serve.

What have you accomplished?

The effects of the mission witness of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers in their service to the poor in 27 countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America are too numerous to itemize here.  However, the following example will illustrate our response to the needs we see.

In our AIDS ministry, with the increased need for services for AIDS orphans as well as desperately poor individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their dependent children, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers have responded in a variety of ways.

Through our Seedling of Hope project in Cambodia, we have served more than 1800 individuals during a recent nine month reporting period. In addition to adult clients, we also assisted nearly 500 of their dependent children, a population not being served by any other non-governmental organization (NGO). As Christ touched those ostracized at his time, we carry on that mission of healing. 

Seedling of Hope provides, among other services, ongoing patient care, counseling support and AIDS awareness education.  At the request of the Cambodian government, we maintain care services at our hospice for the dying and chronically ill and at four additional public hospitals for those desperately poor suffering with the twin infections of HIV/AIDS and TB.  We also provide food, rent, and transportation support. As Christ fed the hungry and consoled the sorrowful, we carry on that mission of compassion.

Although proper nutrition is an absolutely essential component for successful ARV therapy, too often parents will choose to feed their starving children instead of themselves.  Providing this desperately needed food support to both parents and their children ensures that many more of these parents will have a better chance of survival and thus their children will not become orphans.  As Jesus Christ knew the benefit of loving parents, we work to offer that same benefit to these children.

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