Missionaries

What Missionaries does

Missionaries of the Poor (M.O.P.) is an international monastic order founded in 1981 by Father Richard Ho Lung in Kingston, Jamaica. The order is composed of vowed Brothers and Priests who take formal Vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience, and Free Service, share all material resources in common, and operate missions serving the poorest of the poor in 12 countries: Jamaica, Haiti (Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince), India (Andhra Pradesh and Orissa), Kenya, the Philippines (Cebu, Manila, and Naga City), Uganda, the United States (Monroe, NC), and Indonesia (Ruteng). The order's stated mission is "Joyful Service with Christ on the Cross," with an operational focus on addressing homelessness, lack of family, and material deprivation among destitute populations in developing nations.

The organization runs a multi-channel fundraising operation centered on voluntary donations from individual supporters and a small e-commerce gift shop that sells religious media products. The donation platform accepts one-time and recurring gifts (tiers from $10 to $1,000+) via credit cards, PayPal, and ACH through dedicated intake entities in Jamaica (headquarters), the United States (Missionaries of the Poor USA, Inc., Georgia), and Canada (Maple, Ontario). The gift shop offers Books (8 titles), Videos (16 DVDs), Music (16 CDs from Fr. Ho Lung & Friends), and event Tickets at unit prices of $10–$25. Outreach spans a YouTube media channel, EWTN television appearances, newsletters, photo and video galleries, prayer request submissions, and live concert tours. There is no proprietary technology platform; the donation portal is powered by third-party infrastructure (Arreva), and there are no public APIs, AI/ML capabilities, or software products.

The business model is that of a faith-based 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit: revenue is dominated by donations with supplementary merchandise and ticket sales, and labor is supplied by vowed religious members and self-funded volunteers. There are no external shareholders, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no equity or debt funding rounds disclosed. The order's material needs are supplied entirely by supporter generosity.

Name

Missionaries

Legal name

Missionaries of the Poor USA, Inc.

Website

https://missionariesofthepoor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Missionaries of the Poor is an international Catholic monastic order founded in 1981 in Kingston, Jamaica, that operates missions serving destitute populations across 12 countries. It is funded primarily by individual donations, with supplementary revenue from religious media merchandise and event tickets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Charitable Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents) (BPAGAJAC), Faith-Based Humanitarian Aid & Relief Ministries (BPAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Charitable religious services
• Monastic order ministry
• Humanitarian aid missions
• Donation-based nonprofit
• Faith-based poverty relief

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston

HQ country

Jamaica

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization relies on voluntary donations from supporters who share their faith and mission to serve the poor. Brothers take Vows of Poverty and have no private possessions or bank accounts, with all material needs supplied by donor generosity. One-time and recurring gift options available online.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of religious media products including 16 music CDs, 16 DVDs, and 8 books. Products feature Fr. Richard Ho Lung & Friends musical productions and religious educational content.
3. Volunteer Participation: Volunteers visit missions and work alongside Brothers & Sisters in daily care of the poor, contributing their professional knowledge and expertise while covering their own travel costs.
4. Supply Donations: Acceptance of physical supplies (sheets, hygiene products, diapers, clothing, medical supplies) for use at missions worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Missionaries of the Poor is an international monastic order of Brothers and Sisters that provides direct charitable service to the poorest of the poor across missions in 12 countries. The order supports its work through voluntary donations from supporters and the sale of religious media products including books, DVDs, CDs, and event tickets via its online gift shop.

Product overview

Missionaries of the Poor operates a gift shop selling religious media products organized into four categories: Books (8 titles including spiritual books and biographies), Videos (16 DVD productions with biblical and spiritual content), Music (16 CD albums featuring gospel, reggae, and worship music from Fr. Ho Lung & Friends and the Brothers), and Tickets (3 event categories for concerts, retreats, and shows). These products support the organization's charitable mission to serve the poorest of the poor through the sale of faith-based media.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Books Collection of 8 religious and spiritual book titles published by the Missionaries of the Poor, including works such as Candles in the Dark, Diary of a Ghetto Priest, Jesus the Meaning of Life, Joy for All, Secrets of the Kingdom, and Silver Jubilee Book, available in hardcover and paperback formats and priced from $10 to $25.
• Videos (DVDs) Collection of 16 DVD productions featuring religious and biblical content including A Lenten Journey, An Advent Journey with Fr. Richard Ho Lung, Blessed, Building the Kingdom of God, Jesus 2000, King David, Moses, and biblical teaching series, priced between $15 and $20 per DVD.
• Music CDs Collection of 16 CD albums featuring gospel, reggae, and worship music productions from Fr. Ho Lung & Friends and the Brothers, including titles such as Acts of the Apostles, Amazing Grace, Isaiah, King David, Moses, and Jamaica Worship, priced at $15 per CD.
• Tickets Event tickets for concerts, shows, and retreats organized by the Missionaries of the Poor, including Fr. Ho Lung & Friends performances and MOP Laity Retreats.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Missionaries of Charity: Founded by Mother Teresa, this is a Catholic religious congregation of Brothers, Sisters, and Priests serving the 'poorest of the poor' across more than 130 countries. Shares the vow-of-poverty operating model, faith-based community service focus, and direct-to-donor fundraising model with Missionaries of the Poor.
• Little Sisters of the Poor: An international Roman Catholic religious congregation serving the elderly poor with homes in over 30 countries. Comparable as a Catholic religious order with vow-of-poverty community structure, donation-dependent revenue model, and mission-style residential service to vulnerable populations.
• Food For The Poor: A large Christian nonprofit serving the Caribbean and Latin America, including Haiti and Jamaica, with direct aid to the poorest. Shares the same service geographies (Jamaica, Haiti), faith-based donor base, and direct charitable service model targeting the destitute.
• Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers: Catholic missionary society of priests and brothers serving the poor in developing countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Comparable as a Catholic religious order with vow-of-poverty lifestyle, multi-country mission footprint, and donor-supported service operations.
• Salesians of Don Bosco: A Catholic religious congregation of Brothers, Sisters, and priests serving youth and the poor globally with operations in over 130 countries. Comparable as a Catholic missionary order with similar vow-based community structure, multi-country mission sites, and donation-driven support model.

Broad incumbents

• Catholic Relief Services: The official overseas humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States, operating in over 100 countries. Operates as a much larger institutional Catholic humanitarian organization with similar donor base and developing-country service focus, but with a professional staff model rather than monastic community.
• Caritas Internationalis: A global confederation of 162 Catholic aid agencies operating in over 200 countries. A much larger umbrella Catholic humanitarian organization with similar faith-based donor model and service to the poorest, but operates through a federated national-agency structure rather than a single monastic order.
• Jesuit Refugee Service: A Catholic Jesuit organization serving refugees and forcibly displaced people in over 50 countries. Comparable as a Catholic religious order serving vulnerable populations with similar vow-of-poverty ethos and donor-driven operations, but specializes in refugee advocacy rather than residential poverty service.
• Franciscan Friars: One of the largest Catholic religious orders with thousands of friars serving the poor globally. Shares the vow-of-poverty monastic tradition, faith-based community service, and donor-supported mission model, but operates at far greater scale with a broader portfolio of ministries including education and parishes.

Emerging players

• Brotherhood of Hope: A smaller Catholic brotherhood of consecrated men dedicated to evangelization and service to the poor. Comparable as a Catholic religious brotherhood with vows and community-based service, but is a more recent and smaller organization focused on campus ministry and retreats.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mopmediaproductions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/missionaries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Missionaries