Program Search Results

Goal of Program

A Simple House missionaries live radically Christian lives in voluntary poverty and in service to the poor. Our missionaries go out in pairs to the poorest neighborhoods of our cities to meet the poor in their own homes and homeless camps. Friendship evangelization is the method we use to spread the Gospel. Our missionaries bring the Good News to the poor in new and creative ways. We help the poor carry their burdens and accompany them in their efforts to improve their lives and grow closer to Christ. Missionaries manage a monthly budget of a few thousand dollars and decide how the money will be used to serve the poor. The core of the ministry is love and friendship. A Simple House is a place to respond to the biblical call to give to the poor and follow Jesus. Our missionaries are given the special opportunity to radically dedicate themselves to spiritual growth while living in community with others trying to do the same.

Type of Placement

Our missionaries do not just feed the poor. They eat with the poor. Missionaries do not just visit poor neighborhoods. They live in poor neighborhoods and visit the poor in their own living rooms and homeless camps. Each person is met, listened to, and loved. We strive to meet the spiritual and material needs of the lonely and outcast of the inner-city in the context of a unique friendship. Missionaries live a simple lifestyle in community without Wi-Fi, television, or air-conditioning. In 2024, we are instituting a phone detox by providing flip-phones. Other forms of distraction are limited to allow missionaries to concentrate on prayer, Scripture, and fellowship. Silence is observed in the houses until 9:20 am to allow for personal prayer. Missionaries attend daily Mass and pray morning and evening prayer from Liturgy of the Hours. Missionaries are challenged to grow in holiness and continue to pursue a deeper personal faith.

Service Area

Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO.

Service Length

Missionaries make an initial commitment of 10 months (Mid-August through May 31). Approximately half of our missionaries stay for a second year or more.

Program Size

Missionaries live in communities of 4-8 per location.

Requirements

Missionaries must be practicing Catholics who have a sincere desire to minister to the poor through the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

Financial Arrangements

Missionaries are not required to fundraise a salary. Room and board, monthly stipend, loan assistance, and community vehicles are provided.

Living Arrangements

Missionaries live in community houses in Washington, DC and Kansas City, MO (male and female missionaries have separate living quarters). Our homes are in poor neighborhoods near the people we serve.

Training

Two weeks of introductory training in August followed by weekly strategy meetings with local director. In February, all missionaries convene for a silent retreat at a monastery.

Application Deadline

We accept applications on a rolling basis.

Start Date

Mid-August