Today, February 14, we celebrated Mass for those who had birthdays in February. The chapel was not big enough for all those who attended the Mass. At the end of Mass, Sr. Inga, Melinda and Gabriel received a blessing.
After the celebration, everyone enjoyed some ice cream.
On Wednesday, February 11, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, we celebrated World Day of the Sick in Kap Wouj. We, together with the Manman Angela Klinik team, were asked by Caritas to prepare a Mass and feast for the day in order to join the world in this day of healing. Preparation for the celebration meant purchasing rice and beans, chicken, juice and the spices needed for the feast to follow the Mass. We also needed to provide the paper products.
On the day itself, we arrived to see ladies from the parish busy preparing the food, as well as people waiting for the clinic and for Mass. After the Celebration of the Eucharist, the clinic team opened the clinic and served 75 patients. It seems we had many elderly people who had suffered strokes and infections.
When the food was ready, all enjoyed a hot meal.
Indeed, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Lord revealed Himself and made Himself known as all experienced His grace. “I was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame.” Job 29:15
With the help of our friends from St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish, Upper Saddle River, NJ, we received three pallets of new school shoes, with school supplies included in a sack. The shoes were distributed to the poor children in Monchil, where Fr. Gaston has three chapels, and Kap Wouj, where Fr. Lesley has four chapels. There is a great need for school shoes in each of these places. We thank the parish community of St. Gabriel’s for their help and support, and all the kids say: Mesi anpil! Bondye beni ou!
On Saturday, February 7, we welcomed four new members into the Catholic Church. It was a beautiful service. We thank our friends who helped us provide the white garment, candles, and crosses. Our kids sang beautifully. After Mass, we served cupcakes, soda and popcorn! May the Lord be praised and the Holy Spirit continue to call his children.
On Thursday, February 5, Mark and Mike met us at Bishop Saturne’s residence for a meeting with the bishop and the members of PROCHE, an organization that has been helping to rebuild Catholic churches and schools in Haiti. PROCHE has been involved in our plans for building the new convent. It was the day for finalizing the purchase of the land from the Diocese of Jacmel. As you know, we have been living on the second floor of a diocesan-owned building, sharing space with priests from the Order of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as the diocesan radio station and the Catholic Schools Office.
It was a full, intense day of meetings and seeing the land. It was a short visit by Mark and Mike, but much was accomplished.
From January 16-30, we had the opportunity to make two mission appeals. The parish of St. Bartholomew, Scotch Plains, NJ, welcomed us the weekend of January 17-18. God was so good to give us good weather to travel before an ice storm hit New Jersey. The parish community was so welcoming. There were two special moments: when a little girl approached us with a donation in thanksgiving for her pet cat that had been sick and was now better; and two little boys who shared their “Acts of Kindness” box, which consisted of things they had made to give to our little kids and also their mission money. We thank Sisters Janet and Maria for helping us that weekend.
We then went to Coraopolis, PA, for a meeting related to our Haiti Mission.
The weekend of January 24-25, the weather was once again in our favor, with a few travel changes, to make a mission appeal at St. Therese Lisieux Parish, Shelby Township, MI. The faith community welcomed us with open arms and supported the Felician Mission in Haiti. We thank Sister Francis for sharing the weekend mission appeal with us, and Sister Andrew who joined us for the last Mass on Sunday when she came with her family ….and “the Lord gave us sisters.”
After the snow storm in New Jersey, that was not a blizzard which had been predicted, we visited Sr. Esther at St. Gabriel’s Parish in Saddle River, NJ, on January 28. The parish had just sent us three pallets of new shoes. They also offered to sell some of our Felician Haiti art among their faith community.
The last day of our visit we were very happy to share the Haiti mission with the community at Immaculate Conception High School, Lodi, NJ. Our teens had made bracelets to sell to the girls.
We thank all of our friends and new friends who join us in the art of accompaniment here in Haiti to live the Gospel of Joy together.
Today we left Jacmel at 7:00 a.m. to return to the States for two weeks. Our flight from Port au Prince was scheduled to depart at 1:00 p.m. for Miami, FL; then we were to depart at 6:30 p.m. from Miami to Newark, NJ.
After settling some business in Port au Prince, we were by the gate at 11:00 a.m. Everything was on time. We rejoiced because the last time we left Port au Prince we had been delayed six hours, because a flock of birds had hit the engine. We already started to plan what we would get to eat at the Mexican Restaurant in the airport. We boarded the plane at 12:20 p.m., and then it was announced that there was engine problem so we had to de-board. We were delayed four hours this time, but we knew that we would not make our connecting flight again. We finally left at 4:50 p.m. and arrived in Miami at 7:00 p.m. Here we go again…We need to get a flight back to NJ. We were scheduled for the 9:00 p.m. flight to Newark. We were happy to get flight, but we did not get a voucher to get something to eat. The 9:00 p.m. flight was on time. We boarded the plane, ready to go, as we were eating some Greek yogurt. And then came an announcement. There was no flight crew. We needed to wait for a new crew that was coming from La Guardia, which meant we had to de-plane again and wait another hour. Looks like we will not get back until after 1:00 a.m.
We hope this is the end of the story…😴
“Fanm Dlo,” translated means “Water Woman.” A “Water Woman” is responsible to share clean filtered water with people in her neighborhood, at least three families. We realize how difficult it is for these women to even get a bucket of dirty water. They need to walk two miles to the river or buy a bucket of dirty water from someone’s cistern for 5 cents. Can you imagine? Even for a bucket of dirty water, the poor have to pay. We see more and more what a blessing it is for them to have the water filters from “Water with Blessing.”
Every Time we go to visit our neighborhood, we learn something new about their situations. We learned that Francine, in her one-room shack, has more young people living with her. She went to see her family in the mountains and brought back two more of her children–a 15-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son. She has one more child in the mountains, living with her other family members. The daughter is sleeping in a neighbor’s house, and the three boys are sleeping on the floor in Francine’s shack.
We visited a new area where we were told a very young father of three children had died before Christmas. He was only 30 years old. There were children everywhere, as well as elders. There was one teenage girl not feeling well, so we got her to see our Dr. Juanita in the Manman Angela clinic.
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On January 13, our first group of women, who had participated in our “Water with Blessing” programs, signed their covenants and committed to be “Water Women,” agreeing to share filtered clean water with their neighbors.
Our first group of women seem to be be very serious about their mission. Let us pray that they may be faithful to their covenant.
Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti 