By Father Alex Ulpindo, CICM

Fr. Alex Ulpindo entered Missionhurst- CICM in 1963 and was ordained in 1969. He was sent to Dominican Republic in 1972. He was served as a Provincial Superior from 1981-1988. He is now Director of the Novitiate in the Dominican Republic.

My first assignment was the Dominican Republic in Herrera, a parish in the city. With another confrere I lived in the heart of the slum area of the parish. Two days a week we helped our neighbors contract their houses. Twice a week, at night, we would have a prayer group in our small house. At first about 15 to 20 people came-men and women. Within three years we had establish 45 small Christian communities where we would gather to reflect on the reality of the society and pray to discover God’s will in it all. It was a liberating experience. We would see the poor learn to take responsibility.