A Community of Hope

Wedding at Bondeau --part of the Ste. Marie Madeleine celebration

Fr. Smith Milien, priest-in-charge of St. Paul et les Martyrs d’Haiti, Miami, wrote this report in French (below) of his visit to Bondeau, Haiti, in July. The English translation is by Michael Armstrong, associate provost at Florida Atlantic University, who is a member of St. Paul’s, Delray Beach, and an active participant in the South Florida Haiti Project.

For more on the ministry partnership at Bondeau, read Deacon Anita Thorstad's blog of her latest visit.

I had the opportunity of visiting the community of Bondeau during the weekend of July 23 to 25 with the aim of taking part in the celebration (of the feast day) of the church of St. Mary Magdalene. Bondeau is located approximately four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the city of Miragoane, in the south of Haiti, on the road that leads to Petit Trou de Nippes. St. Mary Magdalene is a congregation connected to the Parish of St. Paul in Petit Trou de Nippes.

It was for me a propitious opportunity to observe how, with few resources, the Episcopal Church is engaged in the promotion of a gradual renewal within a poor community in the region of southwest Haiti.

The Church of St. Mary Magdalene does not yet have a church building but on a clear, spacious ground a school is already built, as well as a dormitory which serves as the center of housing and operations (Friendship House/Maison d’Amitié), and three residential complexes where 12 families benefit from a pilot project to provide housing.

The celebration of the feast day had been planned for Sunday, July 25, 2010, but the sound equipment and amplification had already been installed under a sort of improvised canopy for a program of revivals (literally awakenings) during the two previous evenings. Saturday, the 24th, in the morning four couples among those residents of the previously mentioned housing project had their marriages blessed. Then 30 children were baptized. In the afternoon of the same day there was a graduation ceremony for around 143 students of a training program named Promotion Octave Lafontant in honor of the late priest. Octave Lafontant was the first priest in this region of Nippes and founded the Church of St. Mark at Jeanette, which is also near Miragoane. The graduates received their training in auto mechanics, electricity and tiling.

The great celebration of Sunday, July 25 shone especially by its solemn nature, with a sweeping procession: five priests, one deacon, 16 seminarians (among them, an American), and the acolytes of the local mission. Some lay missionaries from the United States had arrived well before at Bondeau with the aim of participating in the feast day. Worshipers from other parishes in the jurisdiction of Father Gracia, priest (rector) of the region, braved the difficulties of transportation to be present early in Bondeau, with the goal of assuring the brilliance of the celebration, in which the local church choir sang also with the choirs of the churches of St. Paul, Petit Trou de Nippes, and St. Marc, Jeanette.

All of this aroused in me a peculiar appreciation as to the missionary vision of our church, which continues to keep itself firmly in the heart of a Haiti which is still on its knees. The Episcopal Church witnesses in these moments, in the region of Nippes, its faithfulness before the liberating gospel of Christ and its involvement in the education of the people.
This is why it remains important for us to recognize the merit (worthiness) which the ministry of our church enjoys in Bondeau, and the necessity to provide the indispensable support for its development and its complete emancipation (independence).

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UNE COMMUNAUTE D’ESPERANCE

J’ai eu l’opportunité de visiter la communauté de Bondeau, au cours de la fin de semaine, allant du 23 au 25 de juillet dernier, dans le but de participer á la fête de l’église Sainte Marie Madeleine. Bondeau est situé á environ 4 Kilometres de la ville de Miragoane, au le sud d’Haiti, sur le chemin qui conduit á Petit Trou de Nippes. Sainte Marie Madeleine est une congrégation attachée á la Paroisse Saint Paul, Petit Trou de Nippes.

Ce fut pour moi une occasion propice d’observer comment avec peu de ressources, l’Eglise Episcopale, s’est engagé dans la promotion d’un renouvellement graduel au sein d’une communauté pauvre de la région du sud’ouest d’Haiti.

L’Eglise Sainte Marie Madeleine ne dispose pas encore d’un Temple, mais sur un propre terrain assez spacieux, une école est déjà construite; aussi bien: un dortoire, comme maison principale et centre d’opérations, et 3 complexes résidentielles ou 12 familles, se bénéficient d’un projet pilote de logements.

La célébration de la fête était prévue pour le dimanche 25 juillet 2010. Mais, des équipes de son, et d’ampliphication étaient déjá installées, sous une sorte de tente-tonnelle improvisée, pour la réalisation d’un programe de réveils, durant les deux soirées précédentes. Le samedi 24 dans la matinée, 4 couples, parmi lesquels des résidents du mentionné projet de logement, recurent la bénédiction de leurs mariages. Puis 30 enfants ont été baptisés. Dans l’après midi de ce même jour, c’était la cérémonie de la graduation d’environ 143 étudiants d’un programme de formation, dénnomée: Promotion Octave Lafontant, en hommage au feu RP. Octave Lafontant, le premier prêtre qui avait fait mission dans cette zone de Nippes, et fonda l’église Saint Marc de Jeanette, tout près de Miragoane aussi. Les gradués ont recu des formations en: mécanique auto, électricité et céramique.

La grande célébration du dimanche 25 juillet, brillait surtout par sa nature solennelle, avec une procession oú déferlent: 5 prêtres, 1 diacre, 16 séminaristes, (entr’eux, un américain), et des acolytes de la mission locale. Des missionaires laiques, provenant des Estats Unis étaient, bien auparavant, arrivés á Bondeau, dans le but de participer á la fête. Des fidèles provenant des autres Paroisses de la jurisdiction du Père Gracia, Curé de la zone, bravaient les difficultés de transport pour être présents de très tot á Bondeau, dans le but d’assurer l’éclat de la célébration, oú á part de la Chorale de l’église locale, chantaient aussi les Chorales des Eglises Saint Paul, Petit Trou de Nippes, et Saint Marc, Jeanette.

Tout ce contenu a provoqué en moi, une appréciation péculière, quant á la visión missionaire de notre Eglise, laquelle continue á se tenir ferme au sein d’une Haiti qui trote encore sur ses genoux. L’église Episcopale témoigne en ces moments, dans la zone des Nippes, sa fidélité, face á l’evangile libératrice du Christ et son engagement face á l’éducation des peuples.

C’est pourquoi, il demeure important pour nous, de reconnaitre le mérite dont jouit le ministère de notre église á Bondeau, et la nécessité d’en fournir tous les appuis indispensables á son developpement et sa complette émancipation.

A visit with Bishop Duracin in Haiti

Bishop Duracin welcomes Bishop Frade to the ruins of his home.

More photos from Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs of the June 3 visit to Haiti are here.

June 9, 2010

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I want to share with you the results of our visit with Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin on June 3 in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, two areas that suffered the worst damage from the January earthquake.

Archdeacon Fritz Bazin, Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs and I met for about eight hours with Bishop Duracin, traveling with him as he showed us some of the places where destruction was major and where our churches, rectories, schools, hospitals and other facilities are in immediate need of help.

One of our stops was at what used to be his home, which was connected to two apartment buildings that were also property of the Diocese of Haiti. Both his home and the apartments were completely destroyed; they still haven’t been able to recover the body of one of the nine people killed there.

Mercifully, the bishop had just stepped out of his home to receive a visitor when the earthquake happened. His daughters were able to run out in time, but his wife was trapped by an iron gate. As they dragged her out of the rubble, she received a deep cut in her leg that later became infected. After being treated at the hospital in Cange, she had to be flown first to the US Navy’s hospital ship and then to Tampa General Hospital for several operations. She is still in our neighboring Diocese of Southwest Florida, recovering and undergoing therapy.

As you probably know, Cathedrale Ste. Trinité--Trinity Cathedral--in Port-au-Prince was completely destroyed, as well as the adjacent school, where many students died. The diocese has built some temporary wooden classrooms so that the children can complete the school year.

While we visited the grounds where the cathedral used to stand we were able to see and hear the Haiti Symphonic Orchestra, which was rehearsing under a temporary shelter. It was startling to hear classical music coming from a run-down temporary shelter in the midst of the ruins of the cathedral.

The Eglise Episcopale d’Haiti has always taken justifiable pride in its involvement with and encouragement of the arts. Our church made it possible for Haitians gifted in music, the visual arts and other forms of expression to share their talents with the world, as well as with their own people. As a result of this support for the arts, Trinity Cathedral had the most beautiful murals of Bible stories on all of its walls. Fragments of these remain, and UNESCO is now interested in trying to rescue this patrimony of humanity that was so badly damaged in the earthquake.

It was also very sad for me to see the empty lot where St. Vincent School for the Handicapped, where perhaps thousands of children with disabilities had been helped. Many of the children died when the building collapsed.

As we drove around we could see not only the apocalyptic destruction of Port-au-Prince, but also the sturdiness and valor of the Haitian people. Children continue going to school and the few businesses left are open and functioning; but we also saw the tremendous danger in which the population finds itself. It’s hard to describe how fragile and crowded are the tents where people are living at present. I pray that God will spare Haiti from a hurricane this season because even a Category One storm will endanger thousands and thousands of people.

We drove to Leogane, the birthplace of many Episcopalians in our diocese, including the Rev. Smith Milien, the priest-in-charge of St. Paul et les Martyrs d’Haiti, Miami. The work of the Episcopal Church in Leogane began in the 19th century, and expanded over the years to provide Ste. Croix Hospital, severely damaged in the earthquake, and a nursing school, which miraculously survived the earthquake and is now serving the tent hospital where doctors currently live and treat patients.

Today there are several Episcopal churches in and around Leogane, but unfortunately they are damaged.

One of them, Ste. Croix (Holy Cross), is just an empty shell. We met Father Kelwin Delicat, the vicar of that congregation, at his home; the rectory is unsafe, and like so many Haitians, he currently lives in a small tent.

Holy Cross School was also destroyed and children are studying in tents.

The bishop of Haiti, Jean Zaché Duracin, is very appreciative for all the help that we have been able to provide and for our generous contribution for the relief of the people and the church.

The Diocese of Haiti is now developing a reconstruction plan to provide housing, restore our churches, and of course, to continue feeding the hungry and healing the sick.

I commend the work that several of our congregations are continuing in partnerships in Haiti established long before Jan. 12. But I want you to know that as I told you when I first asked in January for your help for our sisters and brothers in Haiti, the funds donated to Episcopal Charities of Southeast Florida for our diocesan Haiti Fund are being disbursed at the direction of Bishop Duracin and his diocese, and will go primarily for immediate aid and rebuilding in Port-au-Prince and Leogane, where the damage is most severe and the needs are great.

To date we have given close to $100,000, most of it for direct, immediate needs, including several trailers, many tents, medical equipment and other relief supplies. We will continue to provide funds to the Diocese of Haiti to help our sister and brother Episcopalians serve their neighbors and begin to rebuild their ministries.

Haiti and the Haitian Episcopal Church need your prayers and help. We are their only lifeline, and I know we will not fail them.

Blessings,

+Leo Frade
Bishop of Southeast Florida

Visit Haiti with the South Florida Haiti Project--July 21-26, 2010

House under construction in Bondeau

You can join members of the South Florida Haiti Project on a visit to your sisters and brothers in Christ at Ste. Marie Madeleine Parish in Bondeau, Haiti, this summer, and experience the joy of worship, fellowship, and love.

The group will fly to Port au Prince from Ft. Lauderdale on July 21 and return on July 26. The cost for the stay in Bondeau is $450, which includes room and meals at Ste. Marie Madeleine’s Maison d’Amitie; a deposit of $100 is required one month prior to the trip. Airfare for the round-trip on American Airlines is additional.

You will have an opportunity to: Drive through Port au Prince to see the devastation from the earthquake and the beginnings of recovery; join Ste. Marie Madeline parishioners for Sunday service and the celebration of the feast day of Ste. Marie Madeleine (July 22); help with preparation of feast day party and serving the meal; teach your favorite hobby; play games with children; and walk through community and mountain trails accompanied by local guide.

People with medical skills are needed to teach hygiene.

South Florida Haiti Project recommends a visit to Passport Health for inoculations and malaria preventative pills.

All South Florida Haiti Project travelers are required to complete an application which contains important information for SFHP as well as the visitor. The application can be obtained by email to Deacon Anita Thorstad at aspire312@comcast.net.

For more information on the ministries in Bondeau, see www.southfloridahaitiproject.org.

South Florida Haiti Project announces three new programs

The site of the SFHP housing project in Bondeau, Haiti.

The South Florida Haiti Project (SFHP), a coalition that includes St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton; St. Paul’s, Delray Beach; Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach; and Good Shepherd, Tequesta, in partnership with Ste. Marie Madeleine parish in Bondeau, Haiti, has recently begun three new programs.

David Gury of St. Gregory’s, co-chair of the diocesan Haitian Recovery Committee and a member of the executive committee of SFHP, describes these new initiatives:

1) Building a model housing unit with four rooms to accommodate four families along with a latrine with separate doors for each unit. This is being constructed on property owned by Ste. Marie Madeleine, Bondeau. If this unit is successful, we plan to raise funds to acquire additional land, and build additional units for between $3,000 and $4,000 per family room. For people sleeping with a blue tarp as their roof and walls, this will be a huge improvement.

2) Establishing a trade school at Bondeau using the existing schoolrooms after regular school time. This requires an initial investment in training equipment for electrical, plumbing and tile design and installation. The initial investment is being funded from the South Florida Haiti Project funds of $11,000. The cost of instructors, expense for feeding and training between 50 and 100 students from the Bondeau community for three months, including apprentice time, is $19,000 for the class. SFHP has received funding for this from the Haiti fund of Episcopal Charities of Southeast Florida. With the loss of many people from the building trades in the earthquake, as well as the loss of trade school buildings, this project has significant importance for reconstruction times in Haiti, and will also provide needed job training for people without other opportunities.

3) St. Gregory's has an endowment fund to support seminarians, the Helena von Kreuter Seminarian Fund. Through the South Florida Haiti Project, a request was made and approved by the St. Gregory's vestry to support three Haitian seminarians with $2,000 per year for up to three years. This could be a total grant of $18,000 over three years for seminary support. While the seminary of the Diocese of Haiti was destroyed in the earthquake, there are currently 17 seminarians continuing their studies in temporary facilities until more permanent facilities are built. With so few clergy currently serving in the Diocese of Haiti, the need for seminarians studying to become deacons and priests is vital for continuing to build up the Church in Haiti. “Church” in this case refers to the people rather than the buildings. The financial support from the von Kreuter Fund has been very significant for seminary students in the Diocese of Southeast Florida in the past. Including the Diocese of Haiti in this seminarian support is a significant part of our relationship with Haiti.

Helping Haiti update--March 15-21

Donations for Haiti are piling up at St. Paul et les Martyrs d’Haiti, but there’s still plenty of space in the trailer, which is scheduled to be shipped on Mar. 22—just a week from today. Don’t forget to bring your donations this week to the church, 6744 N. Miami Ave., Miami. Items needed include: medical and hygiene supplies, towels, toys, water and non-perishable (preferably ready-to-eat) food. (NO clothing, please—they already have many boxes of clothing and shoes.)

Saturday, Mar. 20 at 5 p.m., there will be a Eucharist (celebrated in French and Creole) at St. Paul’s to pray for the people of Haiti and to bless the trailer before it is shipped. Everyone in the diocese is invited.

Sunday, Mar. 21, the Rev. Lauren Stanley, appointed missionary of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Haiti, will be at Trinity Cathedral, Miami, preaching at both the 8 and 10 a.m. services and leading the adult forum following the 10 a.m. service. Since the earthquake she has served as a liaison between the Diocese of Haiti and the Episcopal Church in this country, going back and forth between the United States and Haiti, and posting all available information to her blog, Go Into the World. She will provide an up-to-date first-hand account of the situation in Haiti.

Another opportunity to help Haiti

From Mar. 1-22, there will be a trailer set up at St. Paul et les Martyrs d’Haiti, 6744 N. Miami Ave., Miami, for collection of supplies for Haiti. Fr. Smith Milien, priest-in-charge of St. Paul’s, is requesting medical and hygiene supplies, towels, toys and non-perishable (preferably ready-to-eat) food—but NO clothing.

On Mar. 20 at 5 p.m., there will be a Eucharist (celebrated in French and Creole) at St. Paul’s to pray for the people of Haiti and to bless the trailer before it is shipped. Everyone in the diocese is invited.

Our deacon in Haiti

Deacon Anita Thorstad of St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton, has been in Bondeau, Haiti, since Feb. 19 and plans to stay through Easter, returning on Apr. 6. She’s assisting at Ste. Marie Madeleine parish in Bondeau, which has been St. Gregory’s sister congregation for the past eight years.

Read her daily postings from Bondeau here.

Worship in the Ruins

Fr. Frantz Casseus, former chair of our diocesan Haitian Commission, returned to Haiti the day before the earthquake and is now a member of the Crisis Commission established by the Diocese of Haiti.

He has been officiating at services “in the backyard” of the rubble that was Cathédrale Sainte Trinité, the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti. On Jan. 31 the first Eucharist since the earthquake was held on the cathedral site, with 143 worshipers sitting on whatever chairs could be found.

Since that first service, a temporary worship structure has been set up at the cathedral site with pews salvaged from the cathedral ruins and sheltered with plastic sheeting stretched over a wooden frame. Casseus sent the photo above, which shows the service on Sunday, Feb. 14, attended by more than 350 people. He said that more than 600 attended a memorial service at the end of Haiti’s nationwide weekend of mourning that marked the one-month anniversary of the Jan. 12 earthquake.