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
