St. Mary's Parish supports Haiti Ministry with time, talent and treasure. Volunteers visit our sister parish in Pignon annually. St. Mary's family members remaining closer to home support our sister parish through donations.
The goal of the Haiti Ministry is to assist Fr. Nicolas Floreal at our twin parish in Savanette to minister to his congregation, both spiritually and materially, so that evangelization, catechesis, and standard of living can increase and strengthen the Catholic faith there and in the Diocese of Cap-Haitien.
Spiritual projects have included the provision of liturgical items, bibles, rosaries, and medals for all ages attending the church, chapels, and schools in the parish.
Major construction projects have included a 7-room middle school, bathroom facilities at schools, school kitchen, new rectory with well and electricity, small clinic, and water treatment building.
Our priority project has been to provide funding for primary school students, many of whom would not be in school because of limited family resources. The school had only four grades in 2006, but now provides education from pre-school to grade 9, and prepares students to qualify for high school in nearby Savanette. We provide living expenses for the 8-year education of 3 seminarians, through donations to the Haiti Box located near the Reconciliation Room. Additionally, we supported 3 local teachers to attend Teachers College for 3 years to improve the quality of teaching at our school, and now support a nurse at the clinic and a student in medical school, with the commitment to return to Savanette as a doctor for the community.
Funding to support all projects have come from our student sponsorship campaign, Haiti Box, special fund-raisers, and the support of generous donors both within and outside the parish.
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The Haiti Committee meets
every 1st Monday of the month from 7:00-8:30pm in the Haiti Room.