Although the health care reform bill has been the main news maker in the United States over the past several weeks, we need not to forget about what the Church is doing in Haiti in response to the devastating earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. Today, the USCCB Media Blog updated us on what the church in the United States is doing in the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from Catholics across the U.S. in response to the needs of earthquake survivors in Haiti. So far, the special collection from U.S. dioceses raised over $55 million for emergency help, and other contributions have brought in an additional $50 million. The USCCB Subcommittee for the Church in Latin America is partnering with CRS in the response. CRS is focusing now on rebuilding efforts—such as moving people from makeshift camps to temporary housing as the rainy station draws near—while the Bishops’ Advisory Group for Haiti of the Church in Latin America Committee will help rebuild the Church’s fabric and infrastructure in the Caribbean nation. This video shows how CRS put those donations to action in the days immediately following the quake.

Over the last few hours, the news of the massive, devastating earthquake in Haiti has had precedence on all of our thoughts and minds here at the seminary. The Church in Florida is so uniquely diverse that we have seminarians at St. John Vianney from 17 countries of birth and whom speak five first languages. Included in this group are three seminarians of Haitian descent, which makes the tragedy in Haiti hit close to home.

All morning, we have been watching the television and browsing the internet for any good news emerging from the region affected by the earthquake. However, the bad news continues to pour out of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. In regards to the Catholic Church in Haiti, the latest news has been even more devastating. The Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince has maintained extensive losses to churches, schools, formation houses, etc. The most devastating and heart wrenching loss of churches, however, has to be that of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-Prince , which received extensive damage. [In fact, when I saw these before and after pictures, I was completely dumbfounded.] The Port-au-Prince seminary also fell victim to the earthquake, collapsing with seminarians inside the building. The seminarians are still trapped beneath the rubble; they will especially be in my thoughts and prayers today.

Among the greatest loss to the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince is the Archbishop, Msgr. Joseph Serge Miot. The Archbishop’s body was located beneath the rubble of his collapsed residence.

As Catholics, it is important for us to remember the people of Haiti and their families located throughout the world in prayer today and throughout the upcoming weeks, months, and years. It is going to take a long time to overcome such a devastating disaster. If you would like to offer financial assistance to help the people of Haiti recover, here are some links that will take you to sites that will accept monetary donations.

• Catholic Relief Services
• The American Red Cross: You can also text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross charged to your phone bill.

The three Haitian seminarians we have at St. John Vianney have taught me one thing about the Haitian people–they will overcome this disaster, singing praises to God. In fact, the one thing that stood out the most to me while watching all the news reports  this morning was an observation from a reporter, Christine Webb, from one of Orlando’s news stations who happened to be in Haiti for a mission trip. She reported that “you could hear people singing through the night, praising God.”