Haiti Archives

In response to the devastating earthquake that hit our sister parish St Catherines in Bouzy, we are launching a Haiti Relief Campaign, to support emergency needs and rebuilding.  Many homes, including the rectory, are destroyed.  Many people are homeless.  They desperately need our help.  Please pray.  You can donate on the parish website, using text to give, or by check payable to St Joseph the Worker, noting "Haiti" in the memo line.  Thank you.

Make a Donation to Haiti

Sowing the Seeds of Justice
Looking at it through the eyes of Haiti.

(Haiti Formation without travel)

As St. Joseph the Worker continues to review and discuss the Catholic Social Teachings, we would like to apply them to our work in Haiti. It is important to learn about the struggles of people in different circumstances. Although we will focus on Haiti, this formation is centered around community and understanding; how we each have a part to play in serving others. If you have been curious but couldn't travel to Haiti this is an opportunity to understand this ministry and feel the joy and resilience of our relationship in Bouzy and at home. Outreach ministry is fundamental in helping this community seek to be the hands and feet of Christ.

The training and discussion is designed around the book Slow Kingdom Coming, (books will be provided at the first meeting)

4-5 Sessions starting October 12th, with the group to decide the other times.

Session 1 - each person will introduce themselves and share what brought them to this discussion (more information to follow).

Session 2-5 - discussion around the book.

More information about Haiti will be shared in partnership with the series on Catholic Social Teachings. If you are interested or want to hear more, please contact Suzanne Koenigs at suzieq_k@hotmail.com

 

Fr. Claude recently sought our help to replace and improve a broken community well and pump that is on church property (located near the Dispensary). We have sent funds so they could buy a new solar pump and build a cistern to store the water. In the meantime, the community has been forced to get water from other wells not easily accessible or from the river for daily needs. A supply of water is life to all of us. 

Work on St Catherine's church continues and is a great source of hope for the entire town.  The church structure is almost complete.  We have sent funds to complete the interior finish and to begin exterior finish work. Much work remains, but they will need to pause to seek further funding from us and others.  When current work stops, they will clean up the interior and hopefully begin to worship inside.  They have worshiped outside since the old church collapsed 4 years ago. We hope to be able to help further as the church will still need doors, windows, electrical wiring, floor coverings, pews, etc. 

Thank you for your love and generosity towards our brothers and sisters in Haiti! 

 
Fr. Claude sent us a message and photos to show what is happening at St Catherine's Kindergarten. The children were having a celebration. He says: “With your help, we were able to transform this space and make it a place that is good and beautiful to welcome children. As you can see, we have made inflatable pools available to the children”.  


“The kindergarteners are assembling in song before entering the classrooms. A big thank you to the faithful of Saint Joseph. Tell them that we are praying for them.”
Fr. Claude Telemachus

As we approach the end of the academic year, the students at St. Catherine’s schools are working hard and completing their testing. Even with the instability, rising costs and unrest in Haiti, more than 500 children from preschool through high school in a rural community are receiving a quality education. Your support for students has allowed many more children to have hope and help prepare them for the future. Fr. Claude and the community express their thanks and offer prayers for us at every opportunity. You are making a difference!
 

Haiti Sister Parish 2nd Collection Thank You!
A sincere Thank You to all who donated to our Haiti Sister Parish for our 2nd Collection! Your generosity keeps their programs going, and brings improved health and hope for the future to their community. Your continued prayer are appreciated, as many challenges remain. Mesi anpil! Thank you very much!

Make a Donation to Haiti

We Can Pray, Why Doesn't If Feel Like Enough?
Recently Kevin and I called Fr Claude to check in after hearing about the increased violence in Haiti.  
To get that connection we had to call different numbers (most Haitian have more than one phone) because most of the cell service in Haiti isn't working.
The violence has spread throughout the country no longer remaining only in Port Au Prince, it has made it to Bouzy.
The country is shut down and nothing is able to be shipped in or out of Haiti. Most of the population relies on food coming into the country, nothing is coming.

Fr Claude isn't able to travel because there is no fuel and it isn't safe.  He said even if he could access the money there is nothing for him to purchase.  The people are hungry and all of ways to help have been cut off but one, prayer.

We have made thoughts and prayers a routine answer to any emergency.  I can't say I am any good at routinely and consistently praying after expressing those words.  Prayer is all I have at this time to help my brothers and sisters.  The feeling of hopelessness is great and I need your help to lift the people of Bouzy and all of Haiti up in prayer.  

At the end of our call, as the sadness sits in the air.  Fr. Claude with the burden and despair of an entire community; still wanted Kevin and I, and all of you, to know that he is with us and praying for our needs. 

I told Fr. Claude, when things change in Haiti and we believe they will, the community of St. Joesph will be ready to serve.  Without the ability to travel the only way right now is through prayer and money.  We have ways to find food, medical care and clean supplies.  Once those resources are available again, we will move our prayer into action.  Your support is greatly appreciated, prayer may be the only thing we can do right now, but thankfully it is the best thing too. 

Suzanne
 

 



 
 
Haiti Update -We’re Raising the Roof!
It’s been almost 4 years since the church in Bouzy collapsed. Today, we are excited to tell you that we have reached a major milestone in the rebuilding process.  We now have a church with walls and a roof!  So not only have we physically raised the roof on the church, we are raising the roof with shouts of joy and praise to God for this accomplishment!
Over the past four years we have worked closely with St Catherine’s to plan and re-build the church.  There has been a lot of progress and of course some setbacks, like the earthquake that hit Bouzy very hard last year, causing damage to the partially erected church and the rectory.  We promised the people of our sister parish that we would help them with the church at least through the roofing stage of the construction. Thanks to your enduring generosity, and the faith of Fr Claude and the people of Bouzy, we are nearly there. Mesi anpil! 

Work continues on the church to complete a few more steps including minor tweaks to the roof, finishing the floor, and adding electricity.  In our call last week, Fr. Claude expressed his great hope that we might not only finish these small remaining steps but also even complete some interior finish work, because he and his people would love to celebrate the great feast of St Catherine in the new church this November 25!  Your gifts make it possible to say yes, we can support the interior finish work too. God willing, our sister parish will indeed be able to celebrate mass for the first time in 4 years with a roof over their heads in November!  What a  blessing! It truly is a reason to celebrate and give thanks. 

They still have much more to do to complete the church, including exterior finish, windows and doors, pews and other furniture and fixtures.  And we would like to help. They also need to repair the rectory that was damaged during the earthquake, which Fr Claude insisted they defer until after the church is useable. We thank you for your generosity and ask that you continue to offer prayers and provide financial support to our Haiti mission. Thanks to your love for our sisters and brothers in Bouzy; in building a physical church, the people  St Catherine’s and the people of St Joseph the Worker are becoming one church in Christ! What a gift. Thank you, God. Your donations are always appreciated and can be made by check or via the parish website or the PushPay app.
 

The Parish Twinning Program of the Americas started over 40 years ago after Theresa Patterson from a parish in Nashville went to share Gods love in Haiti. She brough back the dream of expanding Catholic outreach linking parishes in the US with parishes in Haiti and started the PTPA program. Since its founding in 1978, PTPA has grown to become the largest, most significant organization of its kind sharing God’s love with impoverished Catholic communities in Haiti and Latin America.

•    More than 300 U.S. parishes twinned with parishes in Haiti and Latin America.
•    U.S. parishes located in 78 Catholic dioceses in 31 states.
•    More than $50 million in aid provided by U.S. parishes to impoverished Catholic communities.

Through seeing and touching poverty, U.S. parishes have experienced not only the physical needs, but also the humility, dignity, joy, patience and love of the people themselves and a new awareness of the breadth of the Catholic Church and its mission throughout the world.

Cardinal Chibly of Haiti says: The Parish Twinning Program is a blessing from God… Both twinned communities growing together in charity.

“Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.”  Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Thank you for supporting our Haiti mission and Christ’s call to go out to the world and proclaim the gospel. 
 

New Classrooms in Bouzy
There are 6 new classrooms for the primary grade students at St Catherine’s parish school! These were built by a non-profit in Haiti (BND) that has provided food for the school children in the past. Our parish has offered to help them finish the classrooms with doors and benches, so they can be ready for the start of the school year. This will give them space for more students. The classrooms were built with earthquake safety in mind. This makes parents and the community more comfortable that the children will be better protected from earthquakes and aftershocks.








The construction of the new church progresses. A milestone was reached this month when the steel beams on the roof were set in place. Fr Claude sent pictures and said they expect to have the roof completed in the next few months.

This is an amazing accomplishment and a sign of hope for the community that has been through so many disasters. The old church first sustained cracks in the walls and damage to the foundation from the large earthquake in 2010. Hurricane Matthew in 2016 further damaged it, and the church collapsed in January of 2019. The community has been worshiping for the last 3 years under a temporary shelter.

Our two parishes started discussions for rebuilding in April 2019 when a team visited Bouzy and met with Fr. Claude and an architect. After lots of prayer, reviewing several plans, and discussions with our parish leaders we agreed to start a fundraising campaign. With strong support from our parish members, and the Knights of Columbus, we raised enough funds to offer our support for St. Catherine’s new church.

Construction began in April of 2020. The project progressed slowly but steadily until the 2nd major earthquake hit in August 2021. This time the center of the quake was near Bouzy and the new church was damaged. Thankfully the building survived the quake and the aftershocks. A new plan was developed to repair the damage and continue the construction. Again, our parish was very generous to help rebuild the homes in the community and cover the costs for the church repairs.

In Haiti the Church is the center of the community. Their parish has continued to joyfully worship for 3 years without a proper building. Many prayers, the hope for a new worship space, and our long-term relationship and has helped them through some difficult times. It has been a blessing for both parishes as they reminded us, in times of trouble to trust the Lord. We can be confident that he will help us rebuild from misfortune in our lives.

The church is still far from complete and significant work remains. The next segment would be to complete the structure with doors, windows and interior and exterior finishes. The final step would be for pews and interior furnishings. But after the roof is completed, we hope that the community can worship indoors once again and look forward to praising God’s glory in His new home.

Education News from Bouzy, Haiti
Secondary school classes at St. Catherine’s finished with final exams last week. Violence in Haiti is preventing many families from travelling during the summer break.                                        Fr. Claude has started a Vocational School in Bouzy for high school and college age students as an opportunity for them to learn a skill for future employment. He is offering classes in computer science, electricity, plumbing, and tiling skills. This has interested many students with 110 enrolled in the classes. Our parish is helping to fund this new endeavor which started in April and is scheduled to run until November for this 1st year.

 
 

End of school year pool party

To celebrate the end of the school year, the kindergarten had a pool party and fresh fruit day!

Fr. Claude said the older grades are finishing up with their final exams, after a good school year.




 

 

Meet Madelene Adrien

Madelene is the supervisor and lead technician for the clean water program we help sponsor in Bouzy thru Gift of Water. She has been working for the Water program for more than 4 years and was promoted to supervisor in 2021. She is our main contact related to water and has been vital to the success of the program. We keep in regular contact with her by texts and phone calls with a translator, to get updates and assist with ordering supplies for the Program.

Madelene grew up in the community, went to school there, and was married in Bouzy. She has been involved in the Parish of St Catherine’s as part of the choir since she was a young girl and used to dance at the church too. She also is part of a group that is responsible for cleaning and decorating for mass and celebrations. Her 3 children attend school at St Catherine’s and are in kindergarten, 2nd and 6th grade, as well as a niece who is staying with them.

She has many fond memories of our visits over the years. One thing that she talked about was our parish groups going to see the sick in their homes to offer medical care and to pray a blessing with them. She also was grateful that we had asked her about water sources in their village, went to see the sources for ourselves, and realized the need they had for access to clean water.

Every phone call begins and ends with her gratitude and blessings for us, and our involvement with their community.

 
 
 
A Reason to Celebrate in Bouzy!
A young man who grew up in Bouzy, Haiti was recently ordained to the priesthood. His Ordination ceremony took place at St. John the Baptist church in Miragoane, along with 3 other new priests. His name is Fr. Emmanuel Jean Baptiste, and he attended school at St Catherine’s. Vicar Duprey, who was a leader in the community and a big part of our early mission there, was Fr. Emmanuel’s sponsor and recommended him to be accepted into seminary training for the priesthood. Vicar was a Deacon and head of the Dispensary clinic until he died about 3 years ago, and has been a visitor to us here at SJTW several years ago.

Fr. Emmanuel presided over his 1st Mass at St. Catherine’s parish on April 24th. The parish came out in great numbers to rejoice, and many priests attended including Fr. Hubert, who was the pastor at St Catherine’s before Fr. Claude. It was a proud day of celebration for his family and the entire community. He has not been assigned to a parish yet, (the Bishop will decide), so for now is in his hometown of Bouzy.
Our Haiti Core Committee, Fr. Claude and St. Catherine's Parish want to thank you for your generous response to our Haiti 2nd Collection. Your donations allow us to sustain our programs supporting education, clean water, medical treatment, and rebuilding in the community. You are making a difference!

Persistence and Flexibility
It has been almost 3 years since we last traveled to Bouzy due to safety concerns.  It breaks my heart that we are unable to meet with our brothers and sisters in person. We don't know when we will be able to travel safely, sadly I fear it could be several years.
The core team has had to change our direction on how to connect and support the community.  Bouzy has had a difficult 7 months with 2 earthquakes, a pandemic and civil unrest.  At times in speaking with Fr Claude he sounded hopeless, and it broke my heart.
Through persistence, change in direct and flexibility the two communities have worked together to bring back hope.
•    The water program is back running with great local leadership; many people in the community are requesting to join.
•    The Dispensary has not 1 but 2 doctors and a great supporting staff.  We have been able to find local pharmacy to provide basic medicine necessities including over the counter medicine 
•    The materials to fix the church (cracks from the earthquake) and put on the roof have arrived in Bouzy.
What I have learned over the past 12 years when we work and pray together everything is possible. 
The Haiti biannual collection begins the first weekend in April.  Please continue to support the best way you can and pray for our sisters and brothers in Bouzy and throughout Haiti.
Suzanne Koenigs – Haiti Core Committee

Kids getting water at the well.


On the way to get water.


We want to share the latest news from our brothers and sisters in Bouzy, Haiti.

They recently experienced a small earthquake and several aftershocks. Fr Claude said that school had stopped for 2 weeks due to the earthquakes and aftershocks. Parents were afraid to send their kids to school. Damage has not been severe, but people were anxious. He plans to resume school this week.

Church repairs/rebuilding- The Engineer has not returned to Bouzy and they have not resumed work due to the aftershocks. They do not want to put people in danger on ladders/scaffolding, etc. They are hoping to start rebuilding soon.

New Post-Secondary Vocational Training for students- Fr Claude has begun registering students for this new program. He said he has 2 teachers lined up. After he gets students registered and knows how many teachers he will have, he will let us know, and  we can then talk about how we might be able to help.

Medical concerns- They have had an outbreak of illness (cough and fever) in Bouzy (and Haiti). He told us they had a lot of people sick and some had gone to the hospital. He even drove some people there himself. He thanked us for our help in getting people cared for and treated, saying that our support helped those who could not afford care. He said the community is doing a little better now. Our interpreter is getting some additional medicines for the Dispensary that the nurse Tatiana had asked for. He has ordered them, picked them up and is sending to Bouzy this week. 

Water Program- We are very thankful for finding a way to get the supplies to them. They have not begun distributing the 100 new systems due to the illness in the community, but they hope to in a couple weeks. Fr Claude said he and Madelene (lead technician) will find a  way to start distribution soon.

Fr Claude wanted to thank all of us for our prayers and support. He said he was very happy to get our messages of love and support over the past several weeks, and they helped uplift him spiritually as well. He asked us to greet Fr Mike, Fr Ron, and the entire parish of St Joseph the Worker. 

Despite the difficulties, the faithful of the parish like to sing and praise the name of God. As you can see, every evening we have a (different) celebrant priest. And we of the parish are also present.

We invite you to watch these recently sent videos from Fr. Claude.

Little by little they start to rebuild in Bouzy

It is hard to believe it has been 12 weeks since the tragic earthquake.

We recently had two calls with Fr. Claude to continue discussing his plans for the relief and rebuilding. When we asked how it was going in Bouzy; he said piti piti (step by step, little by little) we start to rebuild. 

We have had in-depth conversations about additional community support, repairing the damage to the church and rebuilding part of the rectory. We shared our concerns about not having enough funds to complete the rectory, the Church and meet the needs of the community. He replied, the community has received food, assistance for the teachers, sheet metal to repair roofs, $3,000 safety funds for urgent community needs and now cement to repair walls and floors. Fr. feels their initial needs have been addressed and they appreciate the support. It is time to start the repairs for the Church and the Rectory.

We have received cost information from the engineer of $52,000 to repair and reinforce the church, which is more extensive than we thought and more than we have available. We are working with Fr. Claude and the engineer as they develop a plan to repair the damage and build the roof. We know we cannot help with all their needs and there are challenges ahead, but as Fr. Claude said, ”we pray, God hears us, and we trust him”.

St. Catherine’s parish thanks you for all the prayers and support.
 

Our Brothers and Sisters in Bouzy recover and rebuild.
The earthquake recovery in Bouzy has begun, now that the aftershocks have finally stopped. Where possible they can return indoors to sleep and begin to rebuild. Thanks to your gifts we have been able to provide emergency food, support to teachers, repairs at the schools, and building materials to put roofs on homes giving them shelter from the frequent rain. While we cannot rebuild the entire community and surrounding villages, your help will allow them to replace some of what was lost. They can start repairing structures at St Catherine’s so they have a safe place to worship and gather as a community. Their recovery will take time and we will continue to send the remaining funds as Fr. Claude and community leaders develop their plans.

· School has started at St Catherine’s with 98% of the kids in attendance, surrounding schools have not been able to begin

· The community is planning for the celebration of their parish feast of St Catherine de Alexandre in November.

· Haiti continues to be unsafe, please pray for the kidnapped missionaries and Haitians and for their safe return.
 

Haiti Earthquake Relief 
Thank You for your generosity! There has been amazing support from our parish with hundreds of families contributing. We have raised over $70K since the earthquake devastated Bouzy. We have sent them $15,000 so far. They used $10,000 in emergency funds to feed 400 people and gave some money to the teachers to rebuild their lives and help prepare for the school year. Buying sheet metal for home repairs is the latest need. They are working to purchase metal sheets for 350-400 families.
Future Haiti donations will go to sustain our ongoing programs of education, water and pastor support, unless you designate them for earthquake relief or church rebuild. Thanks so much for your consistent support of our Haitian sisters and brothers.


  



 

Rebuilding in Bouzy begins
It has been over a month now, and Fr. Claude has told us that the Haitian government has done nothing thus far to help the people in their recovery after the earthquake. He said that as the pastor of St. Catherine’s church he feels the responsibility to lead the rebuilding in the community. “I see that we
have to do what is necessary for them; for they are like sheep without a shepherd. God only knows if there was not the presence of the church.” At Fr. Claude’s request we have sent a portion of your donations toward earthquake relief to them to purchase sheet metal for repairing homes of up to 400 families. Fr. Claude and the community leaders will decide how best to use the remaining funds as they move forward. He has expressed to us repeatedly how thankful they are for your generosity. We also want to extend our heartfelt Mesi’ anpil! You are bringing light and hope to their community.

Update from Fr. Claude 9-8-2021

Our phone call started with us sharing that we are worshiping at the outdoor mass this weekend and we will miss having him here with us again this year. He said he is sorry he cannot be with us but is hoping and praying he can be back again to celebrate with us next year. 

He told us the community is still struggling and having aftershocks, but they are planning to start the school year on October 4^th. This is a sign the community is healing and working to get their lives back together. Fr. said they used the emergency funds we sent to feed 400 people and gave some money to the teachers to rebuild their lives and help prepare for the school year.

We told him that the Fund-raising campaign has been going well and the parish has been very generous with their donations. We are prepared to start sending funds soon so he can start to plan how to use them. He responded, “Praise God”. He will discuss how best to use the funds with Fr. Dennia (the other priest in the community) and he will let us know during our next phone call how they plan to use the funds.

Fr. Claude asked us to keep praying for them and he said many times during the conversation to thank the people of St Joseph the Worker for their love and prayers.

Packing meals for community

Fr Claude texted us last week that he will use our gifts to provide emergency food kits to people in Bouzy, and emergency assistance to St Catherine's teachers who lost homes and possessions in Les Cayes. In Fr Claude's own words:

"Hello! I want to thank you for our phone conversation. I was really moved to see the enthusiasm & speed with which you placed a gift in the account of St. Catherine's Parish for the victims of the August 14 disaster. Thank you also for your solidarity.

After meeting with the parish charity committee, we decided together to prepare food kits for the victims. In the kits, they will find: 2 pots of rice, 1 pot of beans, 1 pot of corn, 1 jar of oil, 2 of spaghetti, 2 of salmon. So we plan to give the victims this kit.

For the teachers, especially the one who came from Les Cayes, they lost everything. To relieve them, I thought it best to give them something so they could get some of what was lost from them."

Food distribution line 

We are pleased to hear from Fr Claude that it is no longer difficult to travel to nearby towns of Fond Des Negres and Miragoane to buy food and supplies with the money you generously give for Haiti. He will get security to manage distribution of the food at St Catherine's.

We have been in contact with Food For the Poor, an NGO on the ground in Haiti that is providing early crisis response to the earthquake. We asked if they could provide any assistance to our sister parish in Bouzy. They said that they already had! Fr. Claude confirmed that he has picked up 15 bags or rice, 3 bags of beans and tarps for some of the people sleeping outside. Food For the Poor called again today to say that they had more food available, which must be used at St Catherine's school.

Fr Claude and the people of Bouzy are still sleeping outside. They rightly fear aftershocks. There have been 27 aftershocks so far, 11 of which had a magnitude between 4.5 & 5.8. Aftershocks have slowed, but it’s still not safe to sleep inside. Fr. Claude says that when it is safe, the new part of the rectory is solid and will be a safe home for him. The old part of the rectory was destroyed in the earthquake and will be taken down soon. He met with someone today to begin discussions on how to do that.

After Fr. Claude is sleeping safely inside, we will discuss the state of the new church construction. Fr. Claude says that much of it appears to be in good shape. The engineer will come out to assess it after the aftershocks cease.

Meals bags to give families

School opens in most of Haiti on September 6. But opening is delayed for areas affected by the earthquake like Bouzy. They are waiting for the Education Ministry to set a school start date for them.

It is good news that they have been able to get some initial food in Bouzy, but we know much more will be needed in the days ahead, and as they work to rebuild homes, rectory, churches, schools and other damaged structures. Please continue to pray for their recovery.

Mesi’ anpil! (Thank you very much!)
Dave & Lori Henke and Deacon Kevin

Gathering for food distribution 

Disaster Relief Campaign For Our Haiti Sister Parish

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti’s Southern Peninsula on Saturday, August 14, followed by a tropical storm days later. Our sister parish of Sainte Catherine in Bouzy, Haiti is located just 12 miles east of the earthquake epicenter. Fr. Claude said thanks to God no one died or was seriously injured. He said the people are “panicked,” in shock, afraid and suffering. Many sheltered outdoors during the massive storm and are still sleeping outside in fear of their homes collapsing. Fr. Claude and his staff are also sleeping outside because of the damage to the rectory. The roads are impassable into the community, so they have not received any emergency help at this time. Those that have food in the community currently are sharing with each other. The rectory, school, community structures, and many homes were damaged or destroyed. The new church under construction also has some cracks and damage.

Fr. Claude says he feels our prayers and knows he is not alone. He believes that God is with him; otherwise, he would have died. He asked us to “pray more” for all the people who have been touched by the disaster. We get a sense from our phone conversations that he feels a great burden to be strong for the people who rely on him and desperately need help. It seems that recovery efforts have not begun yet in Bouzy. The Tropical storm, mudslides, lack of access and equipment, and remote location will make the work ahead to rebuild overwhelming. Since our relationship with Bouzy began 12 years ago, we have repeatedly seen their strong faith, dependence on God, and resiliency carry them through many disasters and tragedies. We trust God will be with them again during this difficult time of rebuilding. We want to be there for them as well.

Our efforts to bring relief, and to help restore Bouzy has begun, and our sisters and brothers need your help. We have sent the first of emergency funds to help them get started, but much more will be needed. We are holding a fund-raising campaign to help them to rebuild and recover in the community. For the next few weeks, we will be taking donations towards this effort. 

You can donate on the parish website: sjtw.net, click Donate and chose the Haiti dropdown, or text: SJTW GIVE to 77977, or by check payable to St Joseph the Worker, noting "Haiti" in the memo line. You may drop donations in the regular collection basket at masses. Please consider donating to this campaign, and keep them in your prayers.

PLEASE DONATE

Does your faucet look like this?





Early into our relationship, there was a realization that our Haitian sisters and brothers, young and old, were lacking the gift of water that is clean and free from parasites and bacteria. 
Our Medical Team recognized that the children of St Catherine's showed signs of malnutrition. Tests confirmed that the water was contaminated, and they were suffering from intestinal worms. In 2013 we partnered with the non-profit organization, Gift of Water, that provides a water purification system using two 5-gallon buckets with filters and chlorine tablets to produce clean and safe drinking water. Funds were raised to provide 100 families with filter systems, chlorine tablets, and technician's salaries. Along with the initial 100 systems, GOW sent a representative to Bouzy to explain how the program works. They also met with community leaders to develop a Water Committee and select a water technician responsible for regular visits to families with filtration systems, educating on proper use and providing the supplies necessary to keep the filters functioning correctly. Soon after the program was initiated, donations came in from parishioners, allowing the medical team to introduce a deworming program. The medical team distributed deworming medicine to families to rid them of parasites. Eliminating the parasites would allow their bodies to absorb the nutrition from their food, and the clean water will then prevent the worms from returning!
In 2018, the program grew to 500 families, expanding to a second technician. Shortly after this, the community went through various changes and several difficulties, including a devastating hurricane and the collapse of their church. Unfortunately, the water program began to suffer. Families lost support from the technicians. Again, we arranged with Fr. Claude and the Water Committee to add a supervisor to help the techs get the program back on track. Since the program was regressing, our fear was the families were suffering from parasitic-related health issues.
The water program reflects how difficult it is to live in a community that regularly deals with poverty's challenges and the life-threatening issues which accompany it. We take clean water for granted. Earlier this year, we started discussions with Fr. Claude to find new and innovative ways to restore the program. The decision was made to replace 2 of the Technicians. Madilyn, the remaining technician, was sent to advance her training and enhance skills and gain confidence to help train new technicians. 
We begin again as we work together to restore the program, and the recent steps forward are promising. Earthquakes happen, hurricanes come, churches collapse, priests get reassigned and sadly, political upheaval and civil unrest continue, yet our relationship of love and perseverance for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters lives on just like God’s Love.
For more information, contact us at dnlhenke@gmail.com

Here are a few before, after and present pictures from St. Catherine’s parish in Bouzy. As always, we appreciate your support!


St. Catherine’s – Fall 2017


The collapse in January 2019


Present – adding beginning stages of the roof to the building.
 

Thank You Very Much From The People Of Bouzy, Haiti

During these times when pandemic has reduced our church activities, we are thrilled that our people have such love for our struggling Haitian sisters and brothers that you donated over $18,000 in response to our April fundraising appeal.  Thank you! Your gifts give our Haitian friends hope.  They allow us to sustain all our current programs to help them, including education, water, & medical, and even a little to continue roofing the church.    An amazing gift!  We are grateful.  The people of St Catherine's are deeply appreciative.  Fr Claude, who sends his profound thanks in every call and letter to us, is grateful. Mesi Anpil/ Thank You Very Much.

- The Haiti Core Committee







Progress in the rebuilding of St. Catherine’s is a sign of God’s love and also hope for the people of Bouzy and surrounding townships. It brought joy to our hearts when we see such a visual change in landscape, and we wanted to share our happiness with you. Thanks again for the continuation of support for our Haitian family.

Father Claude’s message; St. Joseph the Worker Day, May 1st:  I would like in the name of all the faithful of the parish of Saint Catherine of Bouzy and in my personal name, I would like to wish the clergy of Saint Joseph and the deacons, the fervent faithful happy feast of Saint Joseph. To celebrate a saint is to celebrate the wonders of God. We cannot pass in silence on this great day. Your feast is our feast. On this great day blessed by God, may God bless you abundantly.

Pope Francis said Mission is one of the greatest challenges for our Church and it must remain foremost in our hearts. St Joseph the Worker has given us many opportunities to take on the challenge of Mission, both here in our own community and through our relationship with St. Catherine’s in Haiti.

12 years ago, our parish leaders guided by the Holy spirit led us to Haiti. How many of you thought that you would have an opportunity to share your blessings with people that live on a small island, the poorest country in the western hemisphere? Many of our parishioners have already responded to the call and have gone to worship, pray and share the gospel with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.

They have shared God’s love in homes with no running water, no electricity and rely on growing their own crops for food. They have seen families collect water from the river or wells and pour it into bucket filters in their homes, so their children have clean water to drink. They have traveled miles into the countryside to give medical care to people that have no way to get to a doctor or a hospital. We have also visited the schools, where some of the children have advanced their education to go on and become teachers. So, they can give back to their parish.

Many have called it life changing after seeing the faith, hope and resilience in Bouzy.

If you have been following along with our relationship, you would know of their recent hardships including hurricanes, the total collapse of their church, the pandemic, and government turmoil. Even with those difficulties and without their church building they still come together as a community and worship with great joy.

Over the past year, we were able to support their schools, medical needs, and clean water. We know that education is a way out of poverty, and supporting teacher’s salaries helps to ensure many have access to a good education. We were able to secure some much-needed prescription medications for the clinic in Bouzy. Work on their new church continues, and thanks to many of you, the walls are almost completed, and they are working on the cement floor. We are excited to see these developments and hope that soon they can begin work on the roof. The progress and their passion for the new church building has been amazing to watch.

We are inviting you to be part of the St Joseph Haiti mission team. We are not traveling to visit them at this time because of the pandemic and political unrest, but we hope to in the future. In the meantime, there are still a lot of ways you can be a part of our mission…One way to contribute is thru prayer, which is the foundation of all we do.

We have several committees that meet throughout the year. These opportunities include groups that focus on clean water, medical needs, communications, education, and a leadership committee. If you could spare a couple hours a month, we welcome anyone with interest to talk with us and find out more.

We are having a second collection this month to help fund our activities. We thank you for your past support and hope you will continue to be generous. You can use the Haiti envelopes or donate on-line thru the SJTW website.

Jesus is calling us to mission and St Joseph the Worker has given us the opportunity to serve.

It is up to all of us to respond.

David and Lori Henke
dnlhenke@gmail.com
763-221-1785
 

We have much to share with our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Please donate online or text SJTW give to 77977.

PLEASE DONATE TO HAITI

(Select "Haiti Donations" in the "Fund" window.)