It has been more than 20 years since the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception opened our doors to the sick and dying elders in Honduras. In that time, we have made sure God’s love and care is extended to those in true need in our community. 

I remember the beginning of the journey and am so grateful for all the help and support as we continue to serve those in need. When the Franciscan vow of obedience sent me to work in Olancho – the largest state in Honduras – I was assigned to the Cathedral parish of Juticalpa as Pastor. We used to have a parish council meeting every three months, and in most of those early meetings, I heard the same complaint: “Padrecito, tenemos que hacer algo para los ancianos” (Father, we have to do something for the elderly of the diocese).

I soon came to understand that in the entire state of Olancho, which has a population of more than half-a-million people, there was not a single home for the elderly. It took many years of hard thinking, reflection, and prayer to really do something about this urgent problem. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was when we found an 80-year-old man dead, wrapped in old rags, plastic, and cardboard in a doorway in Juticalpa. He had no family. 

We buried him and decided then and there that, as a Church, we had to urgently address this problem. Back in those days, when I was a Pastor at Santa Gertrudis in the same town of Juticalpa, the Bishop gave us a piece of land. An architect from the parish generously drew up the plans. The entire parish began to organize activities to raise funds. On my end, I began to write letters to all my friends, contacts, brothers and sisters, asking for help.

Saint Francis entered the scene in a very mysterious way. I once knew a girl named Marina who, in her early adult life, married a Canadian. One day, Marina turned up and told me that her husband, Frank, worked in the Canadian embassy in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. Marina offered to bring him over to see if he could help. A few days later, Frank, an important Canadian official from Ottawa, visited us for a first-hand look at the situation. Upon viewing what had been accomplished up to that time, he promised to help us complete the project. Ten days later, we were presented with a $300,000 check to construct a roof, courtesy of the Canadian embassy in Honduras. Yes, St. Francis surely works in mysterious ways. 

On Sunday, January 10, 2000, Bishop Muldoon, OFM, blessed the Hogar de Ancianos “Paz y Bien.” On the very same day, the home received its first five “ancianos” (seniors) – people who had literally been eating and sleeping on the streets of Juticalpa. Today, more than 20 years later, our home for the elderly is known all over the country. It’s even well known by the President of Honduras, who occasionally stops by unexpectedly to chat with the residents. 

Benefactors from Toronto, as well as many cities in the United States and Europe, help us maintain the place with their generous and constant donations, and people from all over Olancho chip in with donations of corn, beans and rice to provide food. We are very happy to be able to help our older brothers and sisters. One day, we too will be old. And who knows, maybe some of us will be looking for a bed at the hogar (home)!!! For now, the elderly of Olancho do not have to live and die on the streets anymore. The doors of our home are always open tothem.

In Honduras, Friars of the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception oversee several diverse missions such as the one in Olancho that is the subject of this article, as well as the Istituto San Francisco high school.