CHARLOTTE — When St. Gabriel Church was researching opportunities to make a grant through its Pope Francis Initiative fund, the Sisters of Mercy Focus on Haiti was at the top of the list. An extension of the parish’s tithe, the fund seeks to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those in need through substantial one-time grants.
Pictured: St. Gabriel parishioners Chris Brown and Bryant Brewer joined Mercy Sister Jill Weber on a trip to Gros Morne, Haiti, to see the progress of the Sisters’ Mercy Focus on Haiti outreach efforts. (Photo provided by Chris Brown and Bryant Brewer)
“The Sisters of Mercy have been with St. Gabriel from its founding in 1957,” notes Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor. “Our Pope Francis Initiative and Mercy Focus on Haiti is a natural fit and keeps us together in service to the Kingdom.”
Following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Sisters of Mercy chose the isolated city of Gros Morne for their Mercy Focus on Haiti outreach. This region of 150,000 has no paved roads and is a difficult, five-hour drive from Port-au-Prince. Many there live in extreme poverty. The $50,000 grant from St. Gabriel to the Sisters of Mercy supports a range of programs that help extremely poor women obtain the skills, resources and confidence to improve their lives.
St. Gabriel parishioners Chris Brown and Bryant Brewer joined Mercy Sister Jill Weber on a trip to Gros Morne in February to witness these programs in action. They shared their experience at a recent presentation, enlightened about the complexity of the issues in Haiti and the great value of supporting good stewards working directly with the Haitian people.
The group toured a school, a hospital, a home for the elderly, a center for women, and other programs run or supported by the Sisters of Mercy. They witnessed images of desperate poverty but also signs of hope and lives being changed.
Brewer recalled attending daily Mass in a church that is still only partially reconstructed from the 2010 earthquake. Even at this pre-dawn weekday Mass, priests, deacons, altar servers and many parishioners were present, with music and hymns in French Creole.
“Walking out of the Mass and seeing the sun rise in a country full of despair, you get a sense of hope,” he said.
Although the challenges are enormous and complex, Mercy Focus on Haiti is alleviating suffering among some of the most marginalized people on earth.
— Darby McClatchy, Special to the Catholic News Herald. Darby McClatchy is the communications coordinator for St. Gabriel Church.
Mercy Focus on Haiti
The Pathway to a Better Life program serves extremely poor single mothers who truly live without hope. They lack clean water and latrines, have leaky roofs and no source of regular income, and often go without food. This program provides training, support and materials to build skills and confidence to improve their lives and homes.
The Agronomy Program provides vital instruction on gardening, protecting crops and raising small livestock. One simple but highly effective example has been providing resources and instruction for making an insect trap that dramatically reduces sweet potato crop destruction.
Through the Chateau d’Eau program, 15 mountainside villages have been equipped with a 500-gallon rain collection cistern. In addition to providing a source of water for these isolated communities, the program helps prevent injuries common to children who trek steep hillsides carrying 5-gallon, 40-pound water jugs.
The Maison Bon Samaritan offers a place to sleep and an atmosphere of dignity and respect for 23 elderly and frail adults who don’t have a family and would otherwise sleep on the city streets.
For more detail and to learn about other Mercy Focus on Haiti programs, visit www.mercyfocusonhaiti.org.
