Elvis Do Rosario
365 TESTIMONIES OF HOSPITALITY |
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Brother |
East Timor |
Elvis Do Rosario |
When the Brothers of Saint John of God came to East Timor and the remote mountain village of Laclubar they brought to this country a new form of Hospitality. That experience of John of God Hospitality has been very important and significant for the Timorese people. First, we saw how dedication to Hospitality united the first two Brothers who came and began to work in our country – Brothers Vitor and José Antonio. They started with simplicity and few resources. But they always applied themselves to continuing the healing mission of Jesus to the poor and sick in the manner of Saint John of God. In the visits they made to families and villages in the Laclubar region they discovered the real needs of the people. One urgent need to which they responded was to set up an in-patient service for people with tuberculosis. The Brothers also identified families with a member who had a mental illness. They visited, advised and helped those families. Eventually they built another center that provides residential care for mentally ill people when they require that as part of their treatment. I was attracted by the spirit and work of the Brothers and their co-workers so I decided to join the Order. When I did my novitiate in Brazil I saw that, even in a very different culture and tradition, Hospitality always has the same aim – to promote the dignity and value of every human person as a creature of God, made in His image and likeness.