Cross Catholic Outreach

Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor

Español
Delivering food, shelter and hope to the poorest of the poor.
  • Donate
  • Our Impact
  • Ways to Give
    • Give by Program
      • Greatest Needs
      • Food
      • Education
      • Water
      • Medical
      • Homes
      • Vulnerable Children
      • Elderly Care
      • Microenterprise
      • Disaster Relief
    • Give by Region
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Caribbean
      • Latin America
      • South America
    • Monthly Giving
    • Greatest Needs
    • Major Gifts
      • Water For Life Kenya
      • Kobonal Mission
      • Transform Santa Rosa
      • Help Children Blossom
    • Planned Giving
    • Foundations and Other Grantmakers
  • Get Involved
    • Box of Joy®
    • Lent
    • Advent
    • Invite a Priest
    • Food Packing Events
    • Clergy & Diocese
    • Mission & Vision Trips
  • Church & School
  • Projects Catalog
    • Programs
      • Greatest Needs
      • Food
      • Education
      • Water
      • Medical
      • Homes
      • Vulnerable Children
      • Elderly Care
      • Microenterprise
      • Disaster Relief
    • Regions
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Caribbean
      • Latin America
      • South America
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Board and Leadership
    • Financials
    • What We Do
      • Food
      • Education
      • Housing
      • Disaster Relief
      • Vulnerable Children
      • Water
    • Where We Work
      • Ethiopia
      • Guatemala
      • Haiti
      • Honduras
      • Kenya
      • Malawi
      • Mozambique
      • Nicaragua
    • Stories and Updates
    • Careers
    • News Center
    • God in Our Office
    • Contact Us

St. Maarten: Poverty in Paradise

February 24, 2011 by Cross Catholic Blog

For those of us who work in the office here at Cross International Catholic Outreach, it’s a treat when one of our partners from across the globe pays us a visit. We were pleasantly surprised when Father Bob Johnson stopped by on the way back to St. Maarten. He led our morning staff prayer and devotion time, and shared some firsthand insights from the field.

Fr. Bob Johnson ministers to the marginalized in St. Maarten.

Fr. Bob said he’s often asked, “How’d you get this gig in St. Maarten—did you win the lottery?” It’s an innocent but mistaken assumption that he works in paradise. It’s a favorite tourist destination with breathtaking beaches, and ritzy resorts, nightclubs and casinos.

Outside the tourist district, however, is stark poverty. That’s where Fr. Bob lives and works. But it’s not just material poverty that’s a problem in St. Maarten and other Caribbean countries. “Poverty has more of a face than just the physical,” he explained. “Part of the essence of the Caribbean people is spiritual. When you are of a people who has been enslaved for 300 years, being told you are not a person, it takes twice that time to purge it from the people’s psyche.”

With the global economy affecting tourism, unemployment in St. Maarten is at an all-time high, and it’s made the problems of drugs, crime, and hunger worse than ever. Yet resources to help the suffering are few and far between. “We’re reaching out to those who are marginalized and falling through the cracks,” Fr. Bob said. Since 2007 Cross Catholic has been helping Fr. Bob and St. Martin of Tours Parish provide food supplies to nearly 300 needy families.  Click here to learn more.

Filed Under: charity, field report, poverty

Project Catalog

  • Greatest Needs
  • Food
  • Education
  • Water
  • Medical
  • Housing
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children
  • Elderly Care
  • Microenterprise
  • Disaster Relief

Project Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Caribbean
  • Latin America
  • South America

Cross Catholic Outreach
2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 300
PO Box 273908
Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908
800-914-2420
Cross Catholic Outreach is a 501(c)(3)
EIN 65-1156061

Audited Financial for Fiscal Year 2019

© 2020 Cross Catholic Outreach. All rights reserved.

 
Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Disclosure Statement

Copyright © 2021 · Enterprise Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in