How much can one man do for a suffering child? My hometown diocesan paper, The Tablet, has this inspiring answer:

There is an extraordinary spirituality that shines throughout the story of Father Joseph Maier. His heroic struggles offering hope and promise to abandoned and homeless children in Bangkok, Thailand, are chronicled in a new book, “The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolution and Revelation in the Slums of Bangkok,” written by journalist Greg Barrett.

During a recent stopover in New York, Father Maier took time out to speak with The Tablet. “I hurt real bad as a kid,” he said. “I really wanted to help other kids so they wouldn’t hurt like I did.”

Father Maier is a product of a broken home. His father was an alcoholic who deserted his family. But he has transformed the suffering of his youth into a “miracle” known as the Mercy Centre.

“Here one can find 33 pre-schools teaching four thousand kids. In fact, many of the teachers here got their start in the same slum schools,” explained Father Maier. “Over the years, the numbers in our alumni have swelled to the tens of thousands.”

“The Mercy Centre is growing international scholars and injecting hope into impoverished neighborhoods that did not have either,” suggests author Barrett.

Besides a solid foundation in education, the Mercy Centre provides housing for homeless street kids who have often been rescued from oppressive exploitation and injustice of one sort or another. Many have been found orphaned by the AIDS crisis. There is also a hospice for adults with AIDS.

Father Maier points to the “safe haven houses” for the youngsters. “Very often, these children have been saved from the world of violence and abuse because of our presence here,” he explains. “These are the rescued wounded who are offered refuge and swiftly spirited from being throwaway kids to being part of a larger loving family.”

Many of these young folk are being sheltered from both predator and parent alike. “Very often the parent(s) fall on hard times and they are often inclined to sell their child to an abuser,” he explains. “The pedophile monsters likewise often offer money to aid the deep rooted addictions of the parents – all in exchange for these children

“We try to give a kid the chance to be human for a while. You want to show them perhaps for one bright shining moment of their lives that there was a Camelot called childhood.”

It’s a remarkable tale. Visit the Tablet link for the rest. You can also find out more about Fr. Joe and Greg Barrett’s book about him at this website or through the publisher.

Meantime, for further information on Mercy Centre, visit its website. Father Maier also has written a book of his own, “Welcome to The Bangkok Slaughterhouse”. Proceeds from the sale of his book are donated to the Mercy Centre.