Felician Sisters of North America Mission: Haiti

On this holy feast of Christmas, our fourth time celebrating here in Jacmel, we celebrate with great joy the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Today is born our Savior! What we have come to learn is that with the poor there is not much celebration or gift giving, so we decided to always celebrate the birth of Jesus with our kids with great festivity. Over 100 children were here to celebrate; some we did not know. We began with Mass at 12 noon with Father Vallery carrying Baby Jesus and placing Him in the manger. The children sang beautifully. At the end of Mass, everyone came to adore Baby Jesus. The celebration continued with a delicious dinner that our ladies had been preparing the past few days.

      
  Then the long awaited time came for everyone to receive their gifts. Everyone received a Taylor Swift bag full of surprises and needed items. We thank Sr. Johnice from Buffalo, NY, for the donation of bags, and we thank everyone who helped us fill the bags. The beautiful gym uniforms that you see our kids wearing are a donation from our dear friends, Dorothy and Joe Mastropaolo, from JDM Associates.

  
On this holy night as we await the celebration of our Savior and Lord, we remember you in our thoughts and prayers.

Thank you for your love and support of the Felician Mission in Haiti!

On Sunday, December 13, Sister Inga Borko and Sister Marilyn Minter participated in the Opening of the Year of Mercy in the Diocese of Jacmel Haiti. The celebration was during the 6th Annual Charismatic Conference for the diocese that gathered thousands of people. We sent 16 of our youth people participate in the weekend Congress. This meant we needed to purchase entrance fees that included a bracelet, t-shirt, meals and transportation. This is a big Catholic event in the Diocese of Jacmel. On Saturday evening our young people shared with us a healing that took place during the Adoration of the Holy Eucharist. A woman in a wheel chair started to walk, before everyone. We pray this event will strengthen the faith and open all to God’s mercy.
  
  
   
   

On Thursday, December 10, the new nursing lab at Notre Dame University was blessed and dedicated. Sister Victoria Indyk, our Felician Sister and a professor at Madonna University, had much to do with the materials and items in the lab. The Felician Sisters also gave a donation to help make the lab a  learning facility for students.

Sister Janet Lehmen, a Sister of Christian Charity who lived with us for a year before she found her own home, is the director of the the Nursing Program. The lab was dedicated to the Sisters of Charity who paid for the construction of the room. We rejoice with Sr. Janet for this accomplishment and the future of well prepared nurses for Haiti.

Our young kids have been getting some extra help from our teens as they  prepare for their “compose” exams. The teens that come to us, asking us to help them pay for school, are given the opportunity to “pay it forward” by helping a child or two with their studies. Soon the semester will be finished and vacation will begin. They will not return to school until January 7, 2016.

Every night at 5 p.m., those who want to do so, join us for a 15-minute Advent break at the end of the day to listen to the Gospel of the day. This is our little way with our kids to prepare the way for the Lord. We process from  downstairs into the stillness of our chapel and gather around our Advent wreath. Everyday we sing a popular Advent song in Creole that translates: “We are waiting for you, Lord, for your light to appear to us. Others say to us we are crazy, but we respond: we are waiting!”

After our family of 🐝🐝🐝🐝left the room that we have for kids to eat in, we were able to serve meals again. We have more kids coming to eat; now we think the number is up to 70. Thank you so much for helping us keep these faces smiling 🤗.

When we returned to Jacmel, we were welcomed by a swarm of bees 🐝that had made their home in our kids’ dining room. After a week of wondering what we should do, we finally found out that Daniel, the gardener and worker for the Bishop, was a trained Beekeeper. We asked if he could come and  take care of the swarm of bees.

On Friday, November 27, Daniel came in the morning, ready to do his work. He had learned how to be a beekeeper from a Canadian. He put on his beekeeper suit and started to work. He took down the wall since the beehive was inside it. When he found the honey comb, he placed them into a large white box. For 24 hours, he left the box on the side of our grounds so all the bees would come into the box and leave our area. On Saturday evening, Daniel returned for the bee box. He told us that this box would be put in the Bishop’s garden where he has plenty of beehives that produce honey. We never thought here in Haiti we would have been making  our own honey.

So we thank God that these bees have moved to a new home, and now we can reopen the Mother Angela Kitchen where kids can safely eat and also study. Maybe we should call it the 🐝 room? 🐝🐝🐝

After all our meetings, our doctor visits and surgeries, we are ready to return to Jacmel– home! Alleluia!
We thank our doctors for helping us to see again 👀 and to stay well that we might return to the mission. 😎

We have been extraordinarily blest by all those who have donated to our mission in many different ways. There are so many people who have shared from their abundance, out of the generosity of their hearts. We are overwhelmed and stand humbly before God with gratitude as they accompany us with God’s poor.

To all of you we say: Thank you! May God bless you and all your loved ones. 🙏🏽

On Sunday, October 18, we were invited to celebrate World Mission Sunday in the Diocese of Metuchen. All took place at St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen, NJ. We were asked to give witness to the Felician Haiti Mission. Youth were invited throughout the diocese to participate in a mission walk-a-thon, walking about a mile and praying the rosary. Then we gathered for the World Mission Sunday Mass Celebration. After communion, students and schools were recognized for their missionary activity and efforts in supporting the missions. Our Sr. Mary Charles, principal of St. Helena’s, Edison, NJ, was awarded for the efforts of her school. A special Missionary Childhood Recognition for the Annual Christmas Artwork Award went to Alyssa Sierra, Grade 8, from Perth Amboy Catholic School, Perth Amboy, NJ, where our Felician Sisters Rebecca and Dorothy are missioned.

Proclaim the Good News of Christ at home and everywhere!