Father William B. Wasson

Born on December 21, 1923 in Phoenix, Arizona, Father William B. Wasson was always concerned with the needs of the poor. He received his MA in law and social sciences at San Luis Rey University, Santa Barbara, California. He then traveled to Mexico, where he was ordained a priest in 1953 by the VII Bishop of Cuernavaca. Father Wasson was assigned to the chapel in the Tepetates market district of Cuernavaca, and almost immediately instituted a daycare center for poor children. A year later he rescued a boy from a harsh prison sentence for stealing from the church poor box “because he was hungry.” Father Wasson won custody of the boy and eight others in the cell with him. Thus began Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos™ (NPH), which means “Our Little Brothers and Sisters.”

Father Wasson dedicated over 50 years of his life to serving as a father, provider and teacher to countless children. NPH now operates homes and programs in nine countries: Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru. He received international recognition for his work on behalf of children.

As a scripture scholar, Father Wasson wrote three books: Luke XV, Gospel in the Dust, and The Sermon on the Mount.

On August 16, 2006, surrounded by pequeños, the children of NPH he loved so dearly, Father Wasson died in Cottonwood, Arizona. His legacy lives on through the more than 18,000 orphaned, abandoned and poor children raised at the NPH homes he established, and the thousands of children and families currently being supported.