Author Archives: Felician Mission: Haiti

As Franciscans, we know the story of what perfect joy is for St. Francis.

If we would be able to give everyone a place to live and make it so that no one would be hungry in Jacmel, this is not perfect joy.

If we would have the gift to perform a miracle so that every single mother has the support of a loving husband, this is not perfect joy.

If we could change the education system so that every child would have the opportunity and freedom to go to school in order to get a good education and that all teachers would be certified, this would not be perfect joy.

If we were able to preach the Gospel in such a way that all the hearts of the people who come to our door and who we meet on the streets would experience a conversion of heart and fall in love with Jesus Christ, this would not be perfect joy.

But if we have very hot weather and high humidity; and suddenly we find we have no water for washing dishes, taking a shower or using the toilet; and then we have no electricity from the city to charge the inverter we use for electricity, which means we do not have lights, fans, use of the refrigerator, or charge for cell phones; and no one besides us feels responsible for finding a solution for the above problems…if, in this situation, we go to bed in the dark, dirty from being sweaty, with no fans to offer a slight breeze, and our cell phone dies; if we DON’T COMPLAIN, this is PERFECT JOY!

Well, we failed at perfect joy today…St. Francis, pray for us!

Schnieder, Michelin, and Yolandez are 6, 4 and 2 years old respectively. They live across the street from us in a banana tree garden in a little one-room hut. They have one bed, without a mattress; it is just cardboard on top of the box springs. They have a few dishes and clothes stuffed in a basket. There is no father. They all had a bad cold and respiratory infections. We asked our clinic physician, Doctor Wanitha, to take a look at them. Each of them needed medication. Schnieder, the oldest, has a hernia and needs an operation. We are praying and hoping to help him.

Fr. Lesley, the pastor of St. Ann’s in Kap Wouj, has four chapels that he serves in the area. He has asked us to bring Klinik Manman Angela to these places. Because each day we go to a different place and Wednesdays are reserved for Kap Wouj, we will visit each of these chapels on a Wednesday.

Last Wednesday, we went to St. Rock Chapel. Not many cars are in this area and only foot paths have been made. It is a very poor area, and the road to get there is difficult. Thirty-eight patients were waiting for us. Sister Giovanni from Livonia, MI, is with us for a few weeks and is helping us work in the clinic.

Our young Felician Artists in Haiti are now trying to sell their artwork of placemats, napkin holders, coasters and server trays. The other day, we took them to the Cyvadier Hotel in Jacmel, and they did their first sales pitch! And guess what? The hotel wants their work! They will use all these items in their restaurant and hotel. To say the least, our young artists were ecstatic! After the meeting, we bought soda and juice to celebrate!

Now that school is in session, our kids use our newly-prepared room for study and homework. This is so helpful for them since most of them do not have electricity in their homes.

Keeping our environment clean and our area beautiful is important in the Franciscan tradition. We try to share these values with our young people. Our kids know that this is very important. The other day, it was a community effort to make a space for our garbage. As always in Haiti, when there is work going on, some do the work and others watch.

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We want you to get to know the children and young people with whom we work in our community in Jacmel. Today, we introduce to you Fabiola and Jelemson. They are sister and brother. Fabiola is 11 years old and repeating the 3rd grade. Her brother, Jelemson, is 7 years old and is repeating the first grade. Linda, their mother, is a single mom; their father does not keep in touch with them and does not support them. This same man has fathered two other children with another woman in our neighborhood. Linda tries to find work by cleaning and washing clothes wherever she can to make a few dollars to feed her children.

Linda came to us a few months ago in great need. She could not pay the rent for the small space in which she lives. This family would have had nothing and no place to go. Linda borrowed the money and worked very hard to pay it back so she could keep the one small space for them to live. In the same way she works very hard to pay for them to go to school. We helped by buying their books for school. Every day Fabiola and Jelemson come to our Manman Angela Kitchen for dinner. After eating, they do their homework with one of our older teens who is helping them. We created a space for study since most of our kids do not have electricity every day.

Linda is Catholic and wants her children to be baptized. Fabiola is being prepared in our catechesis program for Baptism.

Today we visited Linda in her home because she was sick and needed some medication. We learned that six people live in her small space. Linda, her three brothers, and her two children share one large bed and one small bed. This shows us that Linda works hard not only for her children but for her brothers as well. Sadly, this is not an unusual situation.

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Once a month, the Mother Angela Mobile Clinic team gathers together for Mass and breakfast. We believe it is important for us to share the Word of God and the Eucharist together. Fr. Elicien shared a beautiful homily on mission and being about the work of the Lord in the spirit of the Gospel and Blessed Mary Angela.

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