Author Archives: Felician Mission: Haiti

On Friday, May 25, 11 Madonna University Nursing students arrived at the Felician Haiti Mission. All are excited to participate in their learning experience of sharing their nursing skills here with us. As always, through the leadership of Sr. Victoria, they came with bags of medications that are not easy to find here–infant clothes, toys and formula, as well as sweets and toys for the kids. We are indeed blessed with their presence among us. Everyone is adjusting to conserving water and electricity!

We are God’s distributed bodies today. Our belief of the Trinity teaches that God wants to share His nature with us. When we live and love as the Gospel teaches, we reveal ourselves to be points of overlap between the heavenly and earthly realms. Staying close to the Gospel is no easy task; it will take most of us a lifetime of conversion and hope. The result, however, is that through us, others may hear God’s invitation to share the divine nature. Like the great saints, we will become bearers of the glory of God. May the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always.

The ministry of presence here in Haiti comes in many ways as we share our gifts and talents with one another. Sisters Nancy and Desirè spent the week sharing themselves, using their giftedness in various ways. 😃😃

Angelica came to us a week ago. She is over a month old, and she is feeling more and more at home with us.

We welcome Sisters Nancy and Desirè to our community here in Jacmel. They will be sharing their ministry of presence with our people while Sister Inga is in Rome, Italy, for the Felician Sisters’ General Chapter. 🙏🏾🕊😀

A blessed and holy Pentecost.

The Spirit that Christians receive is not a one-time inspiration, but a permanent indwelling of the Father’s presence. The divine intimacy that Jesus shared was now open to every Christian. “Everything the Father has is mine,” Jesus tells His disciples, and they will know how to continue the Son’s mission because the Spirit “will take from what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn 16:15).

This guidance continues today. God’s Spirit flows through every heart; and, at times, God stirs the Spirit in each person to advance the mission of the Son. These moments are exhilarating and disorienting; in them many feel a desire to live differently and finally discover themselves.

We see it alive here everyday!

Jesus is sending you, too, just as the Father sent Him. He is breathing His Spirit into you, just as He did for His disciples. Embrace your mission today on this great feast of Pentecost. Embrace the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord be praised…the Word is being fulfilled here…

Our first passion fruit…

Our first beans…

On Friday, May 4, at the Felician Sisters Provincial House in Beaver Falls, Sr. Marilyn shared the new Felician Haiti Mission complex with the sisters and staff.

On Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6, Sr. Marilyn did a mission appeal at St. Cecilia’s Parish in nearby Rochester. We are so grateful to Sisters Jessica and Alicia who accompanied Sr. Marilyn and helped with the collection.

In the afternoon of May 6, Sr. Marilyn was at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Central Convent, where she shared the story of growth and blessings of the Felician Haiti Mission and gave an update on the new mission complex for the sisters and associates who had gathered in Founders Hall.

On Monday, May 7, Sr. Marilyn shared the Ministry of Presence at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School in Coraopolis, speaking to the Freshmen and Sophomore religion classes.

It has been a blessed journey, sharing the mission. But now it is time to go home to Jacmel, Haiti.

“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” John 14:11-14

These words from the Gospel of John are truly being fulfilled in our hearing. During the weekend April 27-29, we were blessed to be in Troy and Shelby Township, MI, to visit with some friends and with the faith community of St. Therese of Lisieux Parish. This was the second time we have shared our story of the Felician Haiti Mission with this parish. We are so grateful that they accompany us on this journey with our Haitian brothers and sisters.