Haiti Outreach Ministry

Haiti Ministry Update as of June 2023

Jean Bony, our program coordinator in Haiti, recently provided some updates on our joint programs at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (OLPH) in Jacmel. He reports that Fr. Rousseau presented marriage certificates to the 18 couples who were married in December at Mass on Sunday, April 2. The remaining 8 couples participating in the Marriage Program will be married on July 27.

In regard to the Livestock Program, all 80 goats that Good Shepherd funded through your generous contributions last November have been purchased and distributed to fully-trained participants at all parish locations. With recent births, there are now 109 goats in the program. Each of the 17 females born are in the process of being redistributed to new program participants. We were excited to learn recently that STARLINK, a subsidiary of SpaceX is now offering satellite internet service in Haiti. Lack of reliable internet service has long been a chronic problem in Haiti.

Through an agreement between the Parish Twining Program of the Americas and HaitiNet, this service is now being offered to churches and schools in Haiti at an affordable cost. The Haiti Outreach Ministry has offered to fund the STARLINK installation cost at OLPH. Not only will this be a benefit to OLPH, it will also facilitate communication between our two parish families. It still seems that travel to Jacmel anytime soon is unlikely. Unrest, deplorable conditions, and violence in Port au Prince make traveling by road dangerous, and air-taxi service to Jacmel has been suspended. So far, the international community has been reluctant to intervene. Hopefully, with an improved ability to communicate, we will be able to initiate some conversations with Fr. Rousseau and parish leaders soon to discuss new ways we can partner with OLPH.

Finally, an application to sponsor our friend Ecunio Alphonse to come to Tallahassee under the USCIS Humanitarian Parole program was filed on March 30. We fully expect the application to be approved when it is processed, but we understand that the backlog of applications is growing, with over 80,000 pending applications for Haitian nationals. Under this program, sponsored individuals will be authorized to stay in the US for two years to help them begin to build a better life and contribute to their new community. During this time, they may begin the application process for a permanent visa. Hopefully, we will receive approval soon and begin making preparations to welcome Ecunio to Tallahassee. We will let everyone know as soon as we hear, and we look forward to introducing Ecunio to you.