Working with the Poorest of the Poor

Fr. Joe Maier, C.Ss.R., works with the poorest of the poor in Bangkok’s “slaughterhouse” slum through his Mercy Centre schools, hospice and orphanages. He is a Redemptorists priest, from what is now the RedemptoristsDenver Province, who was assigned to Thailand upon completion of his seminary studies. He co-founded the Human Development Foundation (HDF-Mercy Centre) with Sister Maria Chantavarodom in 1972.

Greg Barrett, author of The Gospel of Father Joe, an account of Fr. Joe’s work at Mercy Centre, says of Fr. Joe’s deep spirituality: “…beyond the palm trees, rain trees, and indoor plumbing that made his Mercy Centre schools, hospice, and orphanages a shaded utopia in the middle of desperate poverty, there was something else. A palpable, powerful something else ran through the small campus, breathed a sense of joy into children dying. Although I couldn’t fully capture and define it, I felt it. That ineffable it.”

WATCH VIDEO OF FR. JOE AND MERCY CENTRE

The Communications Office of the Redemptorists of Australia and New Zealand produced this short video, “An Honour Beyond Belief,” about Fr. Joe Maier. Please explore this and other videos and stories about Mercy Centre on their website.