Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti

You may remember a story in a past blog about a man from Michigan who has a mission to send the Divine Mercy image to places in the world which are poor. We have joined him in this mission by getting the images in the churches in the Diocese of Jacmel.

On Monday, January 21, we were able to help place the image of Divine Mercy in our Cathedral Church. Jean Philip was awesome, as he knew exactly how to hang the large image perfectly.

Of course, we finished after dark so it got very tricky to see. So, on Sunday, we will take a photo again!

For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Jesus, I trust in you!

We have our own cotton trees! So many new things to learn!

“In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him. All were amazed….”

As we continue to live each day in the mess of the repairs, it is so easy to get discouraged; and the feeling of being destroyed can get overwhelming. I thank God for the gift and grace of the Word of God and the Blessed Sacrament in our midst. Since our convent is in repairs and the chapel covered in plastic, we made a small chapel in the rooms of the Volunteer House. Here we can have our meditation and prayers and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. It is here that we can put all of this disruption into perspective.

The devil is always trying to get the best of us, but the power of Jesus Christ is greater and victorious. Discouragement and frustration is a great tactic of satan. Today we choose Christ who lives with us and among us. Jesus lives in us here and is stronger than satan.

The work continues…

In the midst of all this work in the convent, our little community takes time to make ji maniok, a juice made from the root of a yam, milk, sugar and cinnamon.

This is what it feels like…demolition time. With cracks coming from the ceiling and around the windows, construction people are repairing walls in every building. They started with the convent on Friday, January 11. Little did we know about what it meant to repair walls and all the dust it entails. Thank God this is all in a year warranty of construction!

When everything is repaired, it will need to be re-painted. This is just the first of five buildings. All our activities are at a standstill due to do the process.

The day finally arrived, the Nativity of our Lord, the birthday of Jesus. Our kids have been preparing all month for this special occasion of our salvation. First, it was preparing the food and decorations, then practice for the plays and the choir.

The choir and Christmas pageant was ready and, as the children gathered, the excitement filled the air.

The story of Birth of Jesus was told, and the children listened intently.

The kids prepared the story of the Good Samaritan and a modern-day version of welcoming the stranger and caring for one another.

After, there was some singing and dancing…

Then it was time for Christmas dinner, Christmas cookies, and soda.

All were so anxious for the moment when St. Nick would arrive with his gifts for all.

We are so grateful to the many people who helped us make this day a glorious celebration…our benefactors, Sisters, and friends. Thank you, Sr. Victoria, for sharing this Christmas with us here in Haiti. Thanks to Eric and his girls, Abby and Kaitlyn, for being with us to celebrate the real meaning of Christmas. And thanks to our teens, our youth group here in the Felician Mission, who gave of themselves the whole day in service.

After the kids left, the teens had their Christmas dinner and helped to clean up a bit. We ended this glorious day with the Celebration of the Eucharist with Fr. Dickenson our newly-ordained priest.

For days in advance, we prepared the traditional foods and anxiously awaited the moment when the first star, that appears in the eastern sky on Christmas Eve. For that was when the feast to commemorate the birth of the Christ Child began. Our little community gathered around the table.

There is always a thin layer of hay under the white tablecloth in memory of the Godchild in the manger. Before sitting down at the table, everyone broke the traditional wafer, or Oplatek and exchanged good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the New Year. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. The wafer is known as the bread of love…

The dinner itself differs from other evening meals in that the number of courses is fixed at seven, nine or eleven. A lighted candle in the windows symbolizes the hope that the Godchild, in the form of a stranger, may come to share the Wigilia and an extra place is set at the table for the unexpected guest. This belief stems from the ancient Polish adage, “A guest in the home is God in the home.”

The Wigilia is a meatless meal, no doubt the result of a long-time Church mandate that a strict fast and abstinence be observed on this day before Christmas. Although the Church laws have been revised and permit meat to be eaten on this day, the traditional meal remains meatless. Our traditional Wigilia menu included mushroom soup, boiled fried fish, pierogi, barszcz with little dumplings, dried fruit compote, poppyseed cake and pirnik , platek, and fruit salad.

After the meal gifts were shared with our guests.

As we ponder this holy scene of the crib and the cross, we place you before the saving grace and forgiveness of God with us in His presence.

Christmas and the cross together make grace complete and available to those who will embrace the Lord and His radical message of love and forgiveness. When really and truly embraced, it is totally life-changing and leaves no one the same as it found them. We see that here day after day. Grace forgives, sets you free, destroys addictions, removes performance as a means of approval and acceptance, and allows each and every disciple to be truly themselves. It also offers to every believer the opportunity to become involved in changing the world through personal relationship as we “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10) which was Jesus’ reason for being born and why He had to be “full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14).

May you see God’s presence from the crib to the cross in your life and find new meaning that nothing is impossible with God, who is with us! Thank you for your support and prayers and know that you are remembered here daily in our prayers.

Merry Christmas to all, and have a holy, happy, and healthy 2019!