Monthly Archives: January 2013

On Monday, January 28, our Felician friend, Yvon Kernizan, picked up Mark Schafale, Chief Administrative Financial Officer of the Felician Sisters of North American, and Mike Edgar, Director of Properties of the Sisters of North America, at the airport in Port au Prince.  He drove them to Jacmel to visit our home. The purpose of the visit was to discuss legal and financial matters of the development the Felician mission here in Jacmel, Haiti.

Mark and Mike were welcomed by Bishop Launay Saturne and other members of the Diocese.  We had prepared a busy schedule for them, but found some time to show them the beauty of the Caribbean Sea. They got a full Haiti experience with a flat tire, an unexpected flood in the kitchen and a day without running water.

We are grateful to Yvon who purchased for us some needed items for our Haitian kitchen. He showed us how to make juice from chadek (grapefruit). Yvon showed us the trees by our house which have the kind of leaves that can be used for a tea that is good to prevent high blood pressure and to alleviate colds. He also prepared a delicious Haitian breakfast for us which we all enjoyed.

On Sunday, January 27, we left our house at 5:30 a.m. to travel with Bishop Launay Saturne to Seguin where he visited the parish community of Our Lady of Grace. Seguin is way up in the mountains. The road is very difficult to travel. You have to hold on to your seat because you bounce all around and, if you are not careful, you can bump your head.

Before we entered the village, about five miles before our arrival, a delegation of men on motorcycles greeted us with simple handmade signs welcoming the Bishop. When we entered the village, all the priests of the parish and the people who had gathered were singing a welcome song as they led us to the rectory. In the rectory we had breakfast with all the priests who had traveled miles to join the celebration. It is so beautiful to see the fraternal love the priests have for their Bishop. This is very common that the priests in the diocese do this for one another.

The Celebration of the Eucharist was at 9:30 a.m. The church was packed, people were hanging through the windows to see their Shepherd. It was like the story in the Gospel where the crowds gathered to see Jesus and blocked the doors and windows. The singing was beautiful as it accompanied the long entrance procession of ministers and priests. During the offertory procession, the people dancfifty up the aisle and presented about fifty baskets full of fruits and vegetables. We, too, received some carrots, potatoes, and grapefruit!

After the celebration, there was a festive meal for everyone! It was a blessed day and real feast in Seguin.

Our new home has three rooms, but now we have made it into four. In the center of our home is the chapel. At this time it has two chairs, and a tiny table with a crucifix, an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and a small statue of Blessed Mary Angela. In another room we have the kitchen and dining room all in one. We have borrowed a table and six chairs from the Diocesan Pastoral Center and a refrigerator and gas stove top that is on loan. The other large room was divided in two that are dormitories, one for Sisters and the other for volunteers. We have a bathroom with a newly built shower. All are welcome!

On Monday, January 21, the Missionaries of Charity dedicated their new home that was built three years after the earthquake that destroyed their house. All the Missionaries of Charity in Haiti, (over 40 of them) and their Brothers, were present for the Mass and blessing. Mass was celebrated by Bishop Launay Saturne, and priests who serve the sisters concelebrated. After the Mass and blessing, the children whom they serve danced and told a Haitian story. The sisters had a reception for all the guests. We met two women from Philadelphia and Coraopolis, PA, who work with the Missionaries of Charity. Both of these women know Felician Sisters. We were very happy to have dinner with the Sisters because we were also moving into our new home on this day and had no time and food to cook. God is good.

Today, January 21, the feast of St. Agnes, martyr, we moved into our new home in Jacmel. We live on the second floor, in a three floor building owned by the diocese, called St. Judes. This place was offered to us by Bishop Launay Saturne, until the time we will build a Felician house of our own.

Wherever we go we meet volunteers, young and old, wanting to serve and share, as Pope Benedict XVI says: “God’s first love, the poor.” Many of these volunteers look for accommodations, a place to live for a week or longer. They need a place to pray, faith-share their experiences and have
fellowship. This kind of hospitality is needed here.

Below is a picture of a group we met from Blessed Sacrament Parish in Illinois.

Today we met with Fr. Gaston, the pastor of St. Yves parish. It is the youngest and poorest parish in the Diocese of Jacmel. We surprised Fr. Gaston with two gifts, a chasuble and stole that was given in memory of a mother by her family, and a box of hosts. St. Yves has four missions in the mountains. You may remember one of our past blogs that we spoke about St. Yves and how the community worships in a tent. We hope to continue our relationship with Fr. Gaston and St. Yves and support them in any way we can.