Brother DePaul, called "a Minneapolis echo of Mother Teresa" by a colleague in the faith, fed, sheltered and educated tens of thousands of homeless and poor for more than a half-century in the Twin Cities and Haiti.

Born Thomas Kondrak in northeast Minneapolis, he founded the House of Charity in 1952 on Nicollet Island. In 1974, he met Mother Teresa in Calcutta and asked if he could work with her, but she said he could better serve the poor in Haiti.

Within a few years, he had raised money to start the Mission of Mercy in Haiti, which built 10 schools and a shelter for older women, said his sister Lucille Kondrak, of Brooklyn Park. She said her brother, who took his name after St. Vincent de Paul, began serving the poor at 19 and never quit.

Brother DePaul, 81, died of Parkinson's disease Tuesday in Minneapolis.

"He never got a salary; he just lived from donations and ate the food the poor ate," his sister said. He continued to raise funds for his Haiti missions until near the end of his life. She said he traveled many times to Haiti to check on the schools and bring aid. January's earthquake demolished Haiti's Mission schools, but he was too weak to go help, she said: "He was heartbroken that he could not make the trip to be with those people. He loved those people over there and they loved him, too."

Brother DePaul "was a fantastic organizer and fundraiser," said another sister, Vonnie Strandberg, who helped raise money for his charities. She said he was touched as a youth by seeing destitute people on skid row in Minneapolis. In 1952 he opened a dining hall that seated about 400 on Nicollet Island. House of Charity now operates temporary housing and food centers in south Minneapolis.

Although he was kind-hearted, her brother also could be "kind of bossy ... that's how he got things done," Lucille Kondrak said. "He would have been a millionaire if he was in business."

He also walked in the Selma, Ala., civil rights march in 1965, and sent gift packages to Stillwater prison inmates.

Brother DePaul was a lay clergyman without official ties to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, said the Rev. Kevin McDonough of the archdiocese. But many Catholics supported his work, which was "to love people, especially those in need," McDonough said. "He saw the world the way God does, one human being at a time. His work was far more important than any formal organizational work that many of us do."

He said Brother DePaul's ministry was "a Minneapolis echo of Mother Teresa."

Brother DePaul was ecumenical before it became trendy, said lifelong friend Bob Gacek.

"He took in people of any race, any color, whatever. If they were hungry, he fed them. He had helpers, too," Gacek said. "He had a soup line for them every noon. People would line up on Hennepin Avenue over the bridge."

Gacek said Brother DePaul was "like a saint to us. He was part of our family. All our kids were inspired by his work."

In a 1968 Minneapolis Tribune Sunday Magazine story, Brother DePaul said he believed Jesus' work was "to touch people who need help."

In addition to sisters Lucille and Vonnie, Brother DePaul is survived by a third sister, Lillian Dzandzara, of Carlsbad, Calif., and two brothers, Ted of Minneapolis and Jerry of Coon Rapids.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Kozlak-Radulovich Chapel, 1918 University Av. NE. Services will be held at noon Monday at Church of the Holy Cross, 17th and University Avenues NE., Minneapolis, with visitation one hour beforehand.

Jim Adams • 612-673-7658