Friends in the Field - Zoë Rowmanowsky

Feeding the Hungry
in Body and Soul
Three dynamic apostolates shine the light of Christ in a darkened world.

Food for the Poor

Then (the King) will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me you cursed, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison, and you did not visit me' " (Matt. 25:41-43).

According to Ferdinand Mahfood, founder of Food For The Poor, Catholics in this country give about one percent of their annual income to charity, and Protestants give two percent. Alarming, considering our Lord's exhortation. But since 1982, Mahfood has been begging first world Christians to do more for the poorest of the poor. His nonprofit, ecumenical Christian relief and development ministry, Food For The Poor (FFP), exists to bridge the rich-poor gap and serve the destitute in the Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Mahfood's dramatic conversion to Christ in 1976 was the impetus for FFP. While on a business flight, he was reading a book on the Holy Spirit when he was suddenly overcome by the power of God and experienced a call to surrender himself to the Lord in service.

After visiting a missionary friend in Jamaica and witnessing many sick people in deplorable conditions, successful merchant Mahfood made a decision. He formed an organization and used his business skills to assist missionaries in the Caribbean. The ministry keeps expanding and the need is always great. FFP works through existing networks of priests, pastors, and church-based social programs, providing them with what they need to care for their people. When there is no Christian presence in an area, FFP helps anyway. They start clinics, bring food, dig wells — whatever is needed to serve Christ in the poor. Ranked as one of the most efficient charities in America, FFP has shipped more than $370 million worth of food, medical supplies, educational supplies, building materials and self-help tools to the 14 countries they serve: Haiti, Nicaragua, Guatemala, St. Lucia, Dominica, and El Salvador, to name a few.

They buy goods in bulk and accept quality gifts, relying on donations and benefactors to keep their work going. There are 110 employees headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, and other offices are located in Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana. Food For The Poor tries to get Christians in North America to pay more attention to the Lord's Presence in the poor. "We go to church, we sing, we go home, drink beer, watch football, ski in Aspen — everybody thinks they're going to heaven on a rocket. But three quarters of the world lives in destitution and poverty, and we need to ask ourselves, 'What am I doing? Do I take God seriously?' " To evangelize the affluent, FFP offers short pilgrimages for benefactors to see firsthand what their money and prayers are doing. Mahfood says most visitors are shocked and overcome by what they see, and are usually inspired to become more involved in charitable works.

Food For The Poor is a living example of what the Holy Spirit can do with one man's "yes." Mahfood, a Catholic, prays that more churches in North America, particularly the Catholic Church, will encourage and support Christians to take their skills as doctors, dentists, farmers, builders, teachers, etc. into poor countries. "The Lord told us in His own words to care for the less fortunate, and after 2000 years, many of us are not doing as He commanded," says Mahfood. "All I know is God doesn't want his children to live like rats and animals. He is a loving, merciful, just God, and He waits patiently for His followers to become a loving, forgiving and charitable people."



Contact Food for the Poor at 550 SW 12th Avenue, Deerfield Beach, FL 33442, 954-427-2222, fax: 954-570-7654, e-mail: www.foodforthepoor.com.



Saint Joseph Communications

When Terry Barber heard Archbishop Fulton Sheen's "Life Is Worth Living" series of talks on the Catholic Faith from his turntable in 1979, he thought to himself, "Today's Catholics should hear this stuff." But since no one was listening to records anymore, he sought permission to put Sheen's series on audio cassettes and received a thumbs up from Rome's Society for the Propagation of the Faith. That was the beginning of St. Joseph Communi-cations, a California-based media apostolate, and now a leading source for Catholic audio and video tapes.

Barber, a husband and father of four, didn't know St. Joseph Communications would become the booming apostolate it is today. "When this started, I was living in an apartment I built off my parents' garage, helping care for my sick father, and working in real estate," he recalls. He bought duplicating equipment and sold tapes through Youth Mission of the Immaculata, an offshoot of the Knights of the Immaculata. Barber eventually quit the real estate business to do his audio recording full-time.

One evening in late 1989, Barber was faced with the choice of recording one of five different Catholic events. He chose the one that most piqued his curiosity: "Protestant Minister Becomes Catholic" was the title of a Catholic Answers seminar scheduled to be given by an unknown guest speaker named Scott Hahn at St. Francis de Sales parish in Riverside, California. In front of an audience that consisted of several Catholic Answers staff members, Fr. Louis Marx (the pastor of the parish) and about 35 attendees, the speaker delivered a rousing conversion testimony that made quite an impression. Nearly 10 years have passed since that historic Catholic Answers seminar, and a quarter of a million copies of the audio cassette of that talk have been sold and are still selling strong.

In the interim, St. Joseph has released over 350 additional Catholic tapes and videos by various Catholic speakers, including Jim Stenson, Tim Staples, Fr. Thomas Dubay, and Fr. Benedict Groeschel. "We want to get solid, practical Catholic teaching into the hands of as many people as possible," says Barber. With a staff of 32, as well as a number of volunteers, the apostolate is doing just that. It records and sponsors conferences across North America and sells about 50,000 tapes each month.

It has recently expanded its efforts under a new local enterprise, the Catholic Resource Center. The Center, located along busy Interstate 10 in West Covina, California, houses a book and media store and a lecture hall for regular evening classes.

Another new program consists of a team of lay evangelists, including Tim Staples, who give talks on the Catholic Faith. Talks are advertised in secular papers, and the teams go into parishes, engage in formal debates and speak at any public forum they can.

The Resource Center also produces radio programs that play on Catholic stations throughout the country. The apostolate plans to do more evangelization on the airwaves. Many Catholics don't know the Faith, and radio is a great way to reach them.

What evolved from a "Ma and Pa" enterprise in the back of a garage is now making a dent in the American Church — thanks to the energy and zeal of the St. Joseph staff and, of course, the grace of the Holy Spirit.



Contact St. Joseph Communications at P.O. Box 720, West Covina, CA 91793, 800-526-2151, Internet: www.saintjoe.com.



John Paul II Bible School

There's a fire burning in a little Canadian town called Roadway, Alberta, and no one's rushing to put it out. Armed with a program that unites study with evangelization, community living, prayer and mutual service, the John Paul II Catholic Bible School is igniting the faith of Catholics from Canada and around the world.

Founded in 1984 by leaders in the charismatic renewal under the authority of former Bishop of St. Paul, Alberta, Raymond Roy, the Bible School draws people from every age, vocation and walk of life. "We want to see Catholics come alive in the fullness of their Faith. That's what we're about," says John Connelly, former graduate, and now an associate director of the school. "Back in the '70s and '80s, many Catholics were being drawn to Protestant Bible schools, which often led them to leave the Catholic Church, so the founders were inspired to start a Bible school that would meet this need and be fully Catholic."

Currently under the direction of Ernie Chaveaux and associate directors Gordon Foss and Connelly, word about the school continues to spread. Each September, about 32 students enroll in the school's eight-month program, which consists of five different sessions: growing in relationship with Christ; prayer and worship; integrating the Word of God into one's life; seeing the Catholic vision (apologetics, evangelization, Church history, sacraments, the documents of Vatican II, and the Catechism); and discovering one's own gifts and vocation. Sessions are taught by the school's staff, as well as by visiting professors — bishops, priests, religious sisters and lay people. At the end of the program, students spend five weeks in the field, putting their knowledge and skills into practice. June brings graduation and a certificate for those who complete the program. There's an opportunity for some students to return for a second year to receive further formation in leadership and counseling skills, evangelization and apologetics.

Connelly says the fruits of the program are obvious when you visit. "One of the greatest strengths of our program is how it demonstrates the power of Christian community," he says. "We're a relatively small group, it's a small town, and it's a great challenge for students to live out what they're learning with one another."

Students live in dorms and married couples find housing off campus. The school's 15 staff members operate from a former convent, which was given to them by the local diocese. Tuition fees are low. Including room and board, it's $5000 Canadian dollars (about $3500 in U.S. funds), which actually covers only 50 percent of the actual cost per person. The school must rely on donations and financial gifts for the rest. The Good News Messenger, the school's quarterly magazine, helps to inform readers and benefactors about the progress and needs of the apostolate. Many requests have come from people in different parts of the world who want to start similar programs in their areas.

"I can see the day when every diocese could have a school like this," says Connelly. "It's not the major commitment of a university degree, and it's a great springboard for further education or ministry."



Contact the John Paul II Bible School at Box 99, Radway, Alberta, Canada, TOA 2VO, 403-736-3833, fax: 403-736-2143.