Notre Dame Cathedral, Port-au-Prince | Credit: LA Times

On January 12, 2010, the people of Haiti experienced the most devastating natural disaster of their history, as a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the nation. As early reports emerged, the world began to recognize that the devastation did not just affect buildings and infrastructure; the loss of human life was the most significant, totaling more than 230,000.

Because of the lack of communication with the outside world, neighboring nations were unaware of the true extent of the damage. However, due to the economic status of Haiti, it was expected that the recovery efforts from this particular earthquake were going to be extensive and lengthy.

In the United States, government and non-profit relief began almost immediately. The U.S. military dispatched the Coast Guard, Navy and Marines to the region to assist in operations, which included repairing the infrastructure that was most vital to recovery.

The Catholic Church in the United States and from across the world, immediately pledged assistance to the struggling nation. Catholic Relief Services, Caritas, local dioceses, Catholic schools, seminaries, and a multitude of Catholic parishes all pitched in to support the relief efforts.

At this morning’s press conference in Miami (as mentioned in the previous post), Archbishop-designate Wenski gave the following remarks. Most of the remarks were also made in a video presentation that was posted on the website for the Diocese of Orlando earlier this morning.

This morning, upon the acceptance of Archbishop Favalora’s request to retire, Pope Benedict XVI appointed me as the fourth Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Miami.

Jesus once bid Peter “Duc in altum” (Put out into the deep). Now Peter’s successor has asked me to do the same in entrusting to me this new responsibility. I am being called back to this local Church where I was ordained a priest and where I served as a parish priest and auxiliary bishop. Humbled by the Holy Father’s confidence in me and aware of my own limitations and shortcomings, I once again ask the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church, that I may worthily fulfill my new duties as the fourth Archbishop of Miami upon my installation on June 1, 2010.

This week, Bishop Thomas Wenski, Bishop of the Diocese of Orlando, has been visiting Haiti on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to assess the recovery efforts that are currently underway in the earthquake stricken country. Throughout his visit, Bishop Wenski has been writing brief reflections about the progress that is being made as a result of the efforts of the Catholic Church. Below are the reflections as they appeared on the Diocese of Orlando website.

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.

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.

On Friday, February 5, 2010, St. John Vianney College Seminary hosted the 11th Annual Fides et Ratio Conference. The main speaker for this year’s conference was the United States Ambassador to the Holy See, Dr. Miguel H. Diaz. Ambassador Diaz studied as a Pre-Theology seminarian for the Archdiocese of Miami back in the day. It was nice to see how the Ambassador’s faith has been shaped by this remarkable, holy place. The purpose of Ambassador Diaz’s speech was to highlight the growing relationship between the United States and the Vatican, especially in the areas where the two countries are working together for the common good of all peoples.

To begin his first speech on U.S. soil, the ambassador spoke of his role in the United States government, which is to be a “bridge-builder of issues between the United States and the Vatican.” The ambassador noted two challenges that his office deals with: 1) global tensions that are the result of increasing pluralism, and 2) interests between the United States and the Vatican for the sake of the common good.

Ambassador Diaz mentioned that human identity is still a major issue as a result of the drastic changes in cultural dynamics in countries across the globe, which he attributed to “human migrations.” This struggle to define the human identity has made difference–whether those be based on culture, ethnicity, or gender–a threat to the world family. We have become increasingly fearful of the other before we have thought about becoming friends. However, we cannot allow this to continue because the “actualization of person” happens when we are in communion with others. Therefore, developing relationships with others is “not a choice” because we meet God in the other.