Beyond the Meal: How the Newly Formed Montagne Street Ministry Is Empowering People Experiencing Homelessness in Port Moresby
- maristbrothers
- 10 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Less than a year after it began, the Montagne Street Ministry in Port Moresby has grown from a small feeding program into a broader network of support for people experiencing homelessness.
Named after the dying young boy whose encounter with Marcellin Champagnat left a lasting impression on the young priest, the ministry was initiated by Br Mark Kenatsi and members of the Marist family as part of the re-establishment of the Marist Brothers community in Port Moresby.
Its initial aim was simple - to provide a meal each week to people living on the streets.
The program began with 100 food packages, prepared and distributed by the Brothers and members of the Marist family. Today, the ministry reaches around 220 people every second Sunday evening across three public locations in Port Moresby, including Boroko and 3-Mile.
This growth has been made possible through the generous involvement of the professed members of the Port Moresby community, together with the five aspirants who live alongside the Brothers.
Brothers Cyril Benora and Bumas Tukana have played a significant role in the ministry alongside their other commitments, while the five young aspirants spend much of their Sundays preparing and distributing the food. Their regular presence on the streets has also enabled them to build strong relationships with the young people they meet.
But regular contact with people on the streets has led the ministry beyond simply providing a meal.
Helping with employment
Through conversations with the people they meet, the Brothers and their lay supporters recognised that while food provides immediate relief, many of those they serve also need longer-term opportunities to rebuild their lives.
Employment, education and skills training have therefore become an increasingly important part of the ministry’s work.
Through relationships with local businesses, training providers, health professionals and other lay partners, the Brothers have begun identifying people who are ready to take up employment and connecting them with opportunities.
Last month, a local construction company approached the Brothers about employing young people looking for a fresh start. The ministry selected four men, who have since secured full-time employment with the company.
The four men have now received their first paycheques and are taking the next important step towards rebuilding their lives, looking for rental accommodation and moving off the streets.
Impressed by their work ethic and commitment, the company’s manager has offered to employ a further 15 people through the ministry - creating even more opportunities for people to move towards stable employment and greater independence.
Education and skills training are also opening new possibilities. The Brothers got three young people experiencing homelessness to enrol in short courses at Don Bosco Technical School, while another 15 participants recently completed a week-long sewing workshop designed to develop skills that could lead to employment or self-employment.
Teaching employable skills
Held from 27 to 31 July at the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands (CBCPNGSI), the sewing workshop was organised by the CBCPNGSI in collaboration with the Marist Brothers and the National Family Life Commission.
The program was designed to provide practical skills to the people on the margin, or those experiencing homelessness and strengthen their employment opportunities.
Noel Langu, Family Life Projects Officer, said the Commission partnered with the Marist Brothers because of their direct involvement with families through their various ministries.
Fifteen people took part in the training, eight of whom were experiencing homelessness.
The workshop was facilitated by Sr Maria Goretti Leison OLSH, who has 26 years of teaching experience and previously managed the Limana Vocational Centre in Korobosea, Papua New Guinea.
The week concluded on 31 July with a gathering at the CBC headquarters, where participants received sewing machines so they could continue developing their skills and potentially begin generating an income.
The Brothers also joined the participants for the closing celebration, bringing a cake to mark the completion of the training.
From 17 to 21 August, a follow-up sewing workshop will be held for the same 15 participants. Following the completion of the first workshop, it was recognised that an additional week of training would help participants further develop their skills and build the confidence needed to start small businesses of their own.
For Br Mark, initiatives such as the sewing program are an important part of the ministry’s future direction.
While education remains central to the Marist mission, he recognises that conventional educational pathways are not always accessible to people living on the streets. The Street Ministry is therefore exploring practical alternatives that can help people develop skills, find employment and build greater independence.
Responding to urgent health needs
The ministry’s regular presence on the streets has also enabled the Brothers and their volunteers to identify health problems that might otherwise go untreated.
During one recent feeding program, Br Tim from Aotearoa New Zealand, who was visiting Port Moresby, and Br Mark’s team noticed a young man with a large, infected ulcer on his leg. He was struggling to walk and was being carried by other young people living on the streets.
When Br Tim, Br Mark and the team took him for medical attention, they discovered that four other boys were also suffering from serious ulcers on their legs.
These boys had been trying to clean their wounds with water from an open drain beside the market where they were living.
Getting them medical attention immediately became a priority.
Through Junior Kolam, one of Br Mark’s lay partners, the team contacted a doctor who agreed to meet them in the hospital car park. The doctor examined the young men and provided prescriptions, helping them avoid what could otherwise have been a lengthy wait in an overcrowded Emergency Department.
The team then visited several pharmacies in search of the prescribed antibiotics. Eventually, they found a pharmacy with the medication in stock.
After learning about the Montagne Street Ministry and its work with people experiencing homelessness, the pharmacist offered to provide a 50 per cent discount on future medication for people supported by the ministry.
The experience highlighted another important dimension of the Street Ministry's work. Its regular presence on the streets allows the Brothers to identify problems early and bring together people and organisations that can provide practical assistance.
Building a network of support
The Brothers and the Marist family are now in negotiations to lease a standalone house in Boroko as a base for the Street Ministry. Located 10 to 15 minutes’ walk from the three locations where the ministry currently operates, the house would provide a safe space where people can shower, rest and access support for other urgent needs, including education, medical care and counselling.
Its focus is increasingly on identifying opportunities for education and training, connecting people with employers, responding to urgent health needs and building relationships with organisations willing to provide support.
The ministry is now seeking more businesses, companies, churches and other organisations willing to partner with it through employment, training, health services and other forms of assistance.
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