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Fr Isaac will be visiting us once again this year. He will be here
the weekend of July 10-11. Pray for a safe journey for him as he makes his way to us. Remember to pray for Haiti. Hurricane
season is upon us!
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Here
are pictures of a buliding we helped Fr Isaac to build. The government of Haiti and his own Parishioners helped with the cost
of the building.
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These are pictures of our school children in our Sister Parish in
Haiti. We are educating and feeding these youngsters.
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The business section of Port-au-Prince and the rest of Haiti is functioning
fairly well. As of yet, there is no shortage of food, fuel or other basic items. The black market is being prevented by the
government. The problem now centers on the people who have escaped death and did so with what they had on, leaving behind
all of their belongings. Whatever they need can be found in Haiti and can be purchased. Therefore, what is needed at this
time is money to clothe, lodge and feed the many thousands in Port-au-Prince and in the cities where they migrate.
We will continue to support our Sister Parish as usual. Please continue
to be as generous as you can. Thanks to all who gave to send emergency funds to CRS for Haiti. We collected over $12,000 which
has been forwarded to CRS.
Deacon Jim
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E-mail from Deacon R. Mortel:
The Catholic Church in Haiti has suffered extensive losses. In addition
to the death of the Archbishop and his Vicar general, many priests have died and numerous seminarians are dead with the collapse
of the grand seminary which housed the theology students. At least six parishes in the city have lost their churches. It is
extremely difficult to find a standing Catholic church in Port-au-Prince.
The Diocese of Gonaives did not lose any priests or seminarians
but a number of them were injured. The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph de Cluny (which is in charge of Les Bons
Samaritains school) lost all four of their elementary schools in Port-au-Prince. There is no loss of life but three nuns,
including the first principal of our school, were so severely injured that they had to be air-lifted to Guadeloupe. The Sisters
novitiate building collapsed and their chapel lost its roof.
The Christian Brothers lost two brothers, their elementary school
and main administration building in the city. The Clercs of St. Viateur (potential administrators of our college in construction)
lost Villa Manrese, their headquarters and a prominent retreat center. This is where most priests, religious and missionaries
stay when passing through Port-au-Prince. Our group stayed there when we were in Haiti this past December.
The collapse is almost everywhere. Most buildings that are still
standing have visible cracks. There are about 150 of us staying at Catholic Relief Services and we are safe. Fuel is available.
In Port-au-Prince the food prices are still okay. The government has taken steps to avoid "black market" price gouging.
It has been confirmed that in other cities patient care and the
availability of supplies in a number of hospitals requires attention. Efforts are in the process to supply adequate distribution
of support. Medical teams from all over the world are here in Port-au-Prince. Most institutions like Partners In Health, Albert
Schweitzer Hospital and others are saturated with doctors while teams in other cities are lacking. Efforts are underway to
address this need.
Enough for today. More about my new activity tomorrow. Please continue
to pray for Haiti.
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E-mail from Deacon Mortel:
Yesterday 1/20 there were traffic jams all over the city, a sign that
there is fuel. All schools in the country are closed with no official word as to for how long. Around noon yesterday there
were two strong tremors and another one this morning. The emotional and psychological impact of the tremors and the previous
earthquakes is evident on both affected and unaffected individuals. All those I have met are very fearful. They sleep outside
even though their homes are still standing.
I am leaving now for the hospital. No phone communication today. Will
write again soon. God bless you all.
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This is an e-mail from Deacon Mortel who is a Haitian and a doctor
who has returned to help with the earthquake.
Yesterday, I worked in the hospital St Francois de Sales which is
a catholic hospital in Port au Prince. Although severely damaged by the earthquake, it was the only hospital with a functional
operating room the day after. Three buildings of the hospital collapsed and buried and estimated 100 children and adults.
CRS with a surgical group from Belgium managed to open 2 more operating rooms. All patients are housed in the courtyard. Debris
are yet to be removed and the stench is of high intensity. No radiology or laboratory services but we do have antibiotics,
analgesics, and other medical supplies to function. I head a team composed of an intern, a second year medical student, and
3 nurses and we care for patients with whatever condition. It is a bit chaotic but the team members are very cooperative.
The Belgian group will leave on Monday and I understand that a trauma team from the University of Maryland will be coming.
Any physician of other speciality who wants to come may want to contact the Maryland group. I have seen first hand the leveled
city and the people in the streets and in camps. It is heartbreaking. That's all for now. It is time to go to the hospital.
Continue to pray for the Haitian people. A bientot.
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If you wish to help Haiti in this time of devastation, I recommend
you give to the Parish Collection for Haiti on 1/23-24/2010. This is safe. The proceeds of this collection will go to Catholic
Relief Services which already has an infrastructure in Haiti and is familiar with the ins and outs of the culture. There are
already many scams popping up. Please be very careful where you send money or who you supply your credit card information
to. I advise using the tried and true!
Peace and All Good! Deacon Jim
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Today we recieved an e-mail from Fr. Issac. They are safe but very
saddened and life is harder still. They have so much to deal with and now this. Here is a translation of his e-mail.
Good evening,
I greet you sincerely in Christ. And I have to let you know that
the parishioners are doing OK up until now. Personally, I have 2 cousins who died in Port au Prince. Faced with this difficult
situation, the entire country is starving. Indeed, all the institutions: governement, private and faith-based are buried by
the earthquake. The city of Port au Prince is starting to smell badly due to the many decomposing bodies spread everywhere.
The death estimates on the web are not accurate because the vast majority of the corpses are still buried in the rubble.
I ask you to please pray for the Haitian people who is mourning
by this devastating and deadly catastrophy. May God bless you and all the parishioners of St Francis.
Thank you. Fr. Isaac
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Our Haitian collection on January 23-24, 2010 will be forwarded to
Catholic Relief Services and will help them to help all thise in need. This is the best way to help at this time. Please be
as generous as you can and remember to pray for our sisters and brothers.
Peace and All Good! Deacon Jim
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Unfortunately, there is not much to report on Mary Our Queen, our
sister parish in Haiti. Communication from Haiti has been sparse. The entire country is mourning and the spirit of the people
is nearly broken. I have had some correspondence from some parishes that are south of Mary Our Queen. All but one report no
damages or harm to any person. One has had slight damage to buildings only. As Mary Our Queen is to the north of these parishes
and Port Au Prince, I am assuming that there is little or no damage to our brothers and sisters. I have written to Fr. Isaac,
but he must be unable to reply as I have not heard directly from him. I do have some concern for some of the outlying missions
as they are situated on the shoreline west of L’Estere and may have been affected by the earthquake. As soon as additional
information becomes available, I will post it here. In the meantime, I ask you to keep all of Haiti, especially our sister
parish, in your prayers.
The collection for Haiti scheduled for January 23rd/24th will be sent
to Catholic Relief Services which is helping the people most affected by the earthquake. Please be as generous as you can.
Peace and All Good,
Deacon Jim
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