News - June 2017 RSS Feed

School visits were some of the most joyous and energetic experiences of our trip. In the classrooms we were greeted by smiling students who, despite sometimes living in squalor-like conditions, were impeccably dressed. As we entered the classrooms, students rose in unison to welcome us with a song. he privilege of attending school in Haiti is uncertain. The average Haitian has fewer than five years of education and only 61% of the population is literate.  Many students rise at 5AM and walk miles to classes, which sometimes start as early as 7AM to beat the midday heat.

The generosity of St. Mary’s parishioners allowed us to fund the repairs to St. Michel Church and rebuild the adjacent food canteen, both casualties of hurricane Matthew. We funded the church repair in three phases. At the time of our arrival, phase two –building up the walls and roof supports– was fully underway.Our group was to act as assistants on the smaller, more manageable canteen project.

Below are pictures sent to St. Mary's from Fr. Serge showing the progress that has been made in repairing the roof of the church.

We arrived in Roche-a-Bateau on Sunday, May 28th. As we pulled into town we were immediately struck by the damage inflicted by hurricane Matthew. It’s one thing to learn of the damage but another to witness it first hand. Many houses along the coastal road were gone and replaced with tin shacks or tarps spread over wood frames. St. Michel Church no longer had a roof and the parish center and connected canteen, which St. Mary’s helped to construct, were completely ruined.