Helping Haiti for 25 Years

For the past 25 years, our parish has supported the church in Haiti, specifically two parishes located on the south coast of the island. With grant funding, special donations and periodic “door collections,” our four churches have helped the Haitian groups to undertake large and small projects: the Meyer rectory was built in 2001, the Sacre-Coeur de Meyer Church was rebuilt after the 2010 earthquake, and the Parish Center of Cyvadier was built in 2014. It has been important to provide emergency aid after hurricanes, flooding and during droughts. A third program receiving our help has been the Parish Center in Meyer where four Sisters have provided assistance, training and spiritual guidance.
 
At the present time, Father Bertrand Dieuveille, pastor of Sacre-Coeur de Meyer, oversees a parish located on the busy main route along the south coast of the island nation. Our parish supports Meyer with regular transfer of funds on a quarterly schedule each year. The Meyer parish can then help needy families with food, medicine and schooling for the children, It also welcomes people to participate in joyful processions, musical performances, and liturgical services.
 
In the same community, a neighborhood called Cyvadier, four Sisters offer education and support programs: feeding children, training adults in cooking, good nutrition, health and spiritual values. The Sisters are assigned from neighboring Dominican Republic. They maintain contact with families throughout the parish, offer meeting space for different groups and support for liturgical activity at the church.
 
The third group we support is the rural parish of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus, in the town of Maribal. We maintain contact with Father Phanel Chery & support the feeding program of 200 students.
 
With the steadfast commitment of the donations from our parishioners over the years, we have been able to provide basic support and to respond to crises. In monitoring the effectiveness of support, POTHE’s Commission on Social Justice & Peace has taken certain actions: regular communication with the pastors and Sisters; estimates from construction firms in building projects; bills from suppliers of equipment, and follow-up reports on effectiveness of the projects. Our collaboration with the Haitian churches has also involved visits to Haiti and return visits by Haitian priests. It is our effort to help strengthen the Catholic Church in a country which is faced with difficulties — a 14% inflation rate and a struggling government. We have recognized a need and we have tried to make a difference.
 
Recently we were informed that the political situation in Haiti has worsened. There are serious demonstrations & disorder: car burnings, blockades and vandalism. The Haitian Bishops canceled its national meeting last week because of security concerns. Recently a Sister in Haiti sent a brief email which included the following:

“I ask for a special prayer for this beloved land of Haiti. We have had four days of a national strikes and more demonstrations are expected this week. There are blockades which paralyze most of the country.  This has serious consequences and causes greater poverty and  losses. We need to pray for a return to peace.”
 
Please join us in praying for peace in Haiti. Thank you for your door donations and all the support we as a parish offer the Church in Haiti.
—Mimi Rice, POTHE Social Justice & Peace Commission