Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti

Blessings this holy Easter Day! Every morning, as the sun rises, this is what we see outside our gate. In our hearts, we hear the risen Lord say: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Everyday we are promised new life in Christ and are sent to be about His mission.

New life requires new ways of living. One of the options for the second reading in the Easter readings shares this awareness. “Clean out the old yeast,” St. Paul tells the Corinthians. “Become a fresh batch of dough.”

Although God’s kingdom appeared quickly, awareness took time. Mark shows this in the amazement of the women, who needed time to understand what had happened. As the other optional Lectionary reading reveals, Christians took years to realize how much had changed. “Seek what is above,” St. Paul chides the Colossians decades later. Faith in the resurrection requires believers to let go of their attachments and take a step back to see the eternal life they have in Christ.

Finally, Mark shows that sometimes we have to move elsewhere to find Jesus. The young man at the tomb tells the women to assemble the rest of the disciples in Galilee. “There you will see him, as he told you.” This is not the case in the other Gospels, which have accounts of post-resurrection appearances in and around Jerusalem. Mark gets the disciples out of Jerusalem, which in his Gospel is a place of only agony and rejection. Mark knows that eyes not adapted to God’s kingdom will miss sight of the risen Lord, and that this awareness requires a complete shift in perspective.

Today’s feast reminds us that we still live in that time when heaven has drawn near to earth. Like the first Christians, we, too, need to see with new eyes. Lent gave us the opportunity to clear our vision. Starting today, our mission is to catch sight of the risen Christ. We must rummage through our hearts to remember those places Jesus told us to find Him, and then we must go there, seeking with new eyes the face of our beloved Lord, whose presence brings heaven to earth.

We see Jesus here everywhere. From our home in Haiti to your home, we wish you a blessed Easter and a holy living faith. Where will Jesus tell you to meet him?

The very liturgy of the Easter Vigil ushered us into the mystery of the new creation. A new fire was kindled, and a new Paschal candle was lit.

We, the Church, moved from darkness to light as we lit our individual candles from the one flame.

We listened to our story of salvation and faith proclaimed.

New holy water was blessed and, with it, new members were brought into the Church. Yes, Jesus is making all things new! Rosemarie, one of our young adults, was receive into the Catholic Church.

This newness extends to our lives. Jesus has re-created and He restored a world that was disordered by sin. And he re-creates each one of us. He who spoke the universe into existence now speaks healing and wholeness into our lives.

Let us sing the alleluias for Christ is Risen, He is truly Risen!

“I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.” (An ancient homily on Holy Saturday)

Fr. Valcin blesses our Easter food.

Every year on Good Friday in Jacmel, all Christians, led by the Catholic Church, gather together to walk and pray the Way of the Cross, Chemen Kwa! Babies, children, teenagers, and adults of all ages gather and walk together through the city of Jacmel. This year, Sr. Marilyn was privileged to read the Word of God at the ninth station.

Each day, we try to prepare the Mission for our people so they can feel this is a place of peace and holy ground. Today, Sr. Inga, together with some helpers, planted some vegetables and flowers. Meanwhile, Sr. Marilyn and Jean Philip put up a tent for the kids to have a place to do their homework in peace.

In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’ obedience is a matter of cosmic significance that represents a change in human nature. Faith in God’s promises gave Jesus the strength to overcome his own will, accept the cross and reveal the resurrection. Just so, Christians of every age, living with this new strength, can face the turmoil in their own lives with trust in God’s love. If today’s Gospel gives us any call to discipleship, it is to hold fast in prayer and to trust in God so that we can brave hostility and turmoil for the good of others. Through us, Jesus’ death can bring all to new life.

By Baptism we become members of the Church, the Body of Christ.

On Saturday, March 24, we were blessed to have a Baptism in our small convent chapel. Let us share a little bit of the reason it took place the 5th Saturday of Lent: Two mothers of some of our kids came to us about a year ago asking for their children to be baptized. Nadia has two children, ages 9 and 1, and Elviane has four children, ranging from 8 months to 12 years. None of these children has the same father. Nadia and Elviane, however, were very serious in making this commitment so that their children could be baptized and become members of the Catholic Church.

They first spent the year going to the Cathedral for faith formation. Because of their stories, it was best that they be baptized in our chapel, so that the two smallest children can be baptized as soon as possible. The other children, varying from ages 8-12, participate in our children’s faith formation program.

Nadia and Elviane will continue their faith formation and prepare for the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation.

Here in Haiti, it is not easy for the poor to enter the Church. They do not have money for their birth certificates, clothes, or shoes. It is their tradition that the women wear a white suit for their baptismal ceremony. Thank God for Madam Omanie, who was able to prepare their outfits from some white material we found in the container. They also needed to find godparents, which they did. They were able to bring their children for the Mass and ritual. Of course, a few more showed from their extended family, which is not an unusual thing here.

Fr. Pierre Samson, pastor of the Cathedral, presided at the Mass. Sr. Inga read and Sr. Marilyn led the music.

God uses the sacrament of water to give his divine life to those who believe in him…Cleanse her from sin in a new birth to innocence by water and the Spirit.

This blessed oil gives wisdom and strength to all who are anointed with it in preparation for baptism…may he strengthen you with his power…

Receive the light of Christ…these children have been enlightened by Christ. They are to walk always as children of the Light…

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The celebration continued with a delicious chicken dinner, prepared by our cook, Jeremine; and, of course, a baptismal cake was enjoyed by all.

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

On Tuesday, March 20, for the first time, we opened the new computer lab. Through the generosity of benefactors and with the laptops we received from JetBlue, we have been able to create a place for our kids to learn math, science, history, English, French, as well as to do research. We see how they never get exhausted with the variety of activities the laptop provides. Because of your generosity, we can provide educational fun for our children. May the Lord bless you!

It is a joy to see our kids back. Some of our teens who are in our Pay-it-Forward program prepared the tables and dishes. They even wrote a spiritual message on the blackboard. It is a joy to see them take ownership of their work among the kids.

Monday, March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, brought the children to us. It was our first time having the Mother Angela Kitchen in our new mission complex. When the kids entered, they were in awe and saw that God lives in this place. We also had some very poor women come to our door with a child, who was very hungry. All was gift through the intercession of St. Joseph, our protector and guide, in obedience to the Will of the Father.