GOD IS CALLING YOU TO SERVE.

HOW WILL YOU ANSWER?

Overview: PASSPORT TO HOPE – A JOURNEY OF MERCY
The Passport to Hope is a child sponsorship program aimed at assisting needy children and their families when they need it most. Through the generosity of sponsors children take a journey of hope by receiving material and spiritual assistance.

The Passport to Hope program is an international program and we are currently working with children in Africa and the United States. How it works:

Taking the First Step: EDUCATION AND EVALUATION OF PROJECT:

Whether our ministry is in Manassas, Virginia or else where in the world, the process always begins by learning about the problems of poverty in the specific areas we serve. For some areas it may be the need for medicine and clean water, while in other areas shoes for children and food from our food pantry are the highest priority. Whatever the need, the Missionaries of Our Lady of Divine Mercy strive to provide these necessities by performing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Step Two: IDENTIFIYING MISSIONARY VOLUNTEERS

Our programs would not be possible without the sacrificial donation of time offered by our volunteers. Some of our volunteers are poor themselves, but see this as an opportunity to give back to an organization that is help them. For others, the call is more spiritual in nature and volunteering is a way for them to develop virtue by serving the poor. Whatever the reason, their value cannot be measured.

We seek volunteers with a variety of skills to help form the Body of Christ in our works of mercy. Some volunteers are administrative, others are clergy, some are simply with us to sort clothes are to walk the streets with the poor. “The harvest is plenty and the laborers are few…”. Volunteers are like rain from the sky, we cannot produce fruitful works of mercy without the generosity of these souls.

Step Three: NETWORKING WITH LOCAL AND INTERATIONAL AGENCIES

Organizations such as Catholic Charities along with other international relief agencies assist the Missionaries of Our Lady of Divine Mercy in providing the critical services by sharing resources and knowledge so that each child has the chance of leading a healthy life. 

Step Four: ENROLLMENT OF CHILDREN IN PASSPORT TO HOPE

This step is an opportunity for our Missionary staff and volunteers to get to personally know the children, their family and community and work together for a solution to the problems that are affecting them the most. Each child’s family is personally interviewed to determine the nature of need. In the United States, need is based on income and, community, physical disabilities. In Africa, we not only look at income, but access to resources, physical disability and governmental relief services. We target areas that are known to be the hardest hit by poverty.

Step 5: SPONSORS AND CHILDREN – MAKING THE CONNECTION

Sponsors are the life blood of our program. Many people have probably heard the phrase, “Become a Sponsor and Make a Difference in the Life of a Child”. This is not just a phrase, but a message but a plea for mercy. We rely soley on the generosity of others and receive no grants or government funding. Each time a child receives aid it is because someone somewhere in the world sacrificed for that child. It is mercy in its highest form.

Step 6: FORMING FAMILIES TO SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORS

The goal of the Passport to Hope program is not only to relieve the suffering of children, but to inspire families (both sponsors and needy) to become the visible image of Christ to their neighbors and community. We encourage this through simple acts of kindness in the home, workplace or school. Our Motto: Mercy is a Verb – Let us act now.

CHILDREN ARE HUNGRY FOR MERCY.

WE ARE CALLED TO BRING HOPE TO THE HOPELESS.

YOU ARE AN INSTRUMENT OF CHRIST TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.