Priest Serves 'the Least of these' among Philippine Poor

Franciscan priest Pete Montallana (Photo by Martin Francisco)

We Xaverian Missionaries like to share the stories of missionaries and their missions. Fr. Pete Montallana, a Filipino Franciscan is featured in this post as a missionary of courage and great desire to work for justice alongside the poor. 

On Sunday mornings, Franciscan Priest Pete Montallana says Mass before a crowd of bedraggled residents in an open space amid ramshackle homes.

Montallana is no outsider; he himself lives in a 1,500-peso-per-month room ($36) in the middle of this Quezon City slum. His bathroom is shared with dozens of others.

Welcome to Apolo West Riverside in San Francisco Del Monte district.

Montallana belongs to the Orders of Friar Minor whose charism is to live with the poor.

Since he studied theology in the 1970s, the 62-year-old said he has “inserted” himself into colonies of informal settlers a number of times.

“But not every priest is made for this kind of life. It’s a grace, a gift from God,” says Montallana in his room on the second level of a makeshift, three-story hut.  MORE…

View of slums in Quezon City, Philippines, near Manila.

For more information about the Xaverian Missionaries in the Philippines