St. Frances Cabrini has been in relationship with several missions in Haiti for the past 21 years. Three years ago, we began to enlarge our territory of helping the poor in Haiti and it led us to St. Joseph Family Homes. St. Joseph is comprised of three sites in three different cities in Haiti. As our mission statement states, our hope is to develop a relationship with the poor that will help to empower them as we each develop our faith through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is a two-way street. We give to them but they, in turn, give so much more to us. Through the years, our parish has drawn very close to the Haitian people–especially the children, as they are the hope of Haiti.
Our mission in the U.S. is to create an awareness for the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, however, on January 12, 2010, nature helped us with this aspect of our ministry. Now the entire world knows what we have known for so long. Without faith-based organizations in Haiti, the Haitian people would have long ago been wiped off the face of the earth, just like the Cambodian peasants were in the 1970’s.
Our partnership with St. Joseph’s Family Homes is now beginning its fourth year. We have always viewed our role in the mission field as one which would support the goals of the permanent missionaries in Haiti. The dictionary definition of a partner is one that comes along side of. We have always seen ourselves in the roles of Aaron & Hur supporting permanent missionaries as they supported Moses when he couldn’t continue to hold up his arms in Exd. 17. That scripture picture has always kept Cabrini focused and has served us well over these many years of ministry in Haiti. (Twinning is usually associated with a parish, whereas St .Joseph’s is comprised of homes for formerly abandoned, abused, or disabled children.)
St. Joseph Family Home and Guest House is located in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. This is the original home, founded in 1985 by Michael Geilenfeld. Michael brings boys off the streets of Port-au-Prince and provides them with a Christian home and family. Up until the earthquake, there were twenty boys living there. When guests come to stay at the house, they become a part of their extended family. The boys do performances in dance and song. The visitors join in with the boys in chapel, experiencing the unique joy of worshipping “St. Joseph’s style”.
Since the earthquake, those 20 boys are now living at the school and partial home in Jacmel, until St. Joseph’s can be rebuilt in Port-au-Prince.
Wings of Hope is home to some 40 disabled children. The Cotting School in Lexington, MA is a sister school and provides a great deal of assistance in training the Haitian staff and developing curriculum for this home. The home is located outside of Port-au-Prince in the small mountainous village of Fermathe. Up until the earthquake, the home was a well-equipped facility for the disabled children to grow and flourish and it was considered a leader in Special Needs care and education in Haiti.
Since January 12, more than half of the buildings are considered unsafe, and the children and staff have been forced to rent two homes until an assessment can be made in regards to the rebuilding of Wings of Hope. Every St. Joseph boy has spent or spends time working with the special needs children as part of their outreach to others. Michael believes that they have been blessed in their lives and the boys need to give back to those who are less fortunate than themselves.
Trinity House and Trinity School is located in Jacmel, about 25 miles south of Port-au-Prince as the crow flies, but you need to cross a mountain to get there. The mountainous road has 442 turns up and down one way. Trinity House is home to 15 former street children. Trinity School serves the community of Jacmel and has 50 plus students from the poorest families in the neighborhood who would never have a chance to become educated without this school. The most recent outreach at Trinity house is the Restavek school program which meets on Saturdays. A Restavek is a slave child or an indentured child that works for a family for his or her keep. In Haiti, these children are often very young, and most often, abused by the families that have them.
Trinity House, and its school, are the facilities that St. Frances Cabrini has been and will continue to be an important part of. All of our years of experience in Haiti have been in community building and outreach, and Michael felt these facilities would be a good match for us, as it is the youngest home and its needs are great. Since the earthquake, the number of boys has increased by 15, which means the need is even greater.
We welcome any help that someone wants to give us. Being in relationship with Haiti has allowed the ordinary laity to become involved in empowering the powerless and sharing the gospel of love for Jesus to all who will receive Him. We have all come to learn that poverty is more than just a lack of money. It is a lack of dignity and hope of any kind.
With a thankful heart,
Marianne Boehme, Chairperson
St. Frances Cabrini Haiti Outreach Ministry
