Friday, April 9, 2010

Thursday after Mass in Leogann where once a parish church stood we traveled across the mountains to Jacmel on Haiti’s Southeast coast. The city is known for its art and was a popular tourist destination for Haitians from Port-au-Prince.

The city’s cathedral was built in the 1840′s and part of the cultural patrimony of the nation did not collapse. However it sustained sufficient damage to render it unusable.

Other parishes in the Jacmel area were completely demolished. At the school run by Christian brothers since the 1880′s makeshift classrooms set up in the school courtyard now serve four different schools through a multiple shift schedule.

Returning to Port-au-Prince late afternoon we visited the grave of Archbishop Miyot which is next door to the provisional seminary erected in tents on land owned by the Haitian Bishops Conference.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wednesday’s trip to Gressier on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince also included visits to Petit Goave, Grand Goave and Leogann. All towns have lost their parish churches as well as their outlying chapels (which serve the rural areas of the parishes). All but one have also lost rectories with priests now living in pup tents outside the ruins of their parishes. Schools have likewise been affected. Sessions are to resume next week for the first time since the earthquake. Classes will take place under tarps or in other make do structures

Despite the almost total destruction of infrastructure, the work of the Church continues. Priests celebrate Mass in front of the ruins of their parish churches. Dispensaries are operated under trees or from tents.

In the encampments like the one I celebrated Mass in last night people are living in Spartan conditions but still respond enthusiastically in song and prayer. Catholic Relief Services is a supportive presence – providing latrines in some areas and emergency food aid in others.

Today after an early Mass in Leogann to be celebrated on the spot where the church once stood we travel to Jacmel on Haiti’s Southeast coast. The cathedral and several of its parishes were similarly affected by the earthquake.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Tuesday we began with the celebration of Mass with the Missionaries of Charity at their convent. Then we visited the slum area of Site Soley and the works in education and health care of the Daughters of Charity. Later we visited a clinic staffed by doctors from Cuba. Accompanying me are three structural engineers so the rest of the day was occupied looking at damaged church buildings to see what may be reparable and studying what type of new construction is needed to enable the Church to continue to provide pastoral, educational and health services.

On Monday we visited Sacred Heart parish and St Francis de Sales; on Tuesday the Cathedral, St. Therese and St. Louis parishes. Next to St .Therese we visited an encampment of several thousand people where we met with a congressional delegation from the United States

Today we head out to Gressier near the epicenter of earthquake and on return to the capital I will celebrate Mass at Club Petionville, one of largest camps of people left homeless after the earthquake.

Evenings have been taken up with some “formal” dinners with church dignitaries and other officials.

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.”

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