Visit to Food For The Poor and Missionary Flights International (September 18-22, 2023)
I visited the headquarters of Food For The Poor (FFTP) in Coconut Creek, FL with Pastor Russell Driver from Casselberry, FL to meet with Ellen Speltz, Field Advisor, and Susan James-Casserly, Project Manager for Haiti. I wanted to discuss the availability of food for schools in our twin parishes of Savanette, Guacimal, and Bailly, as well as schools at the parishes of our 6 former seminarians at various locations in the Diocese of Cap-Haitien. I knew Ellen from previous project in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but not Susan, a senior employee of FFTP but new to her position to oversee the projects in Haiti. Because she is new to Haiti, it was possible to explain the twinning program in the Diocese of Richmond, St. Mary’s twins in the Diocese of Cap-Haitien, and explain the need for a food subsidy at our schools and those of our former seminarians. She agreed to receive a formal request from me, identifying the pastors and parishes in need of a food subsidy from FFTP, and to give it consideration. I also discussed with Ellen and Susan the need for a food subsidy to Haitians in Our Lady of Hope Parish in Villa Gautier, DR, where Fr. Ligonde Raphael ministers to about 3000 families at his church and 16 chapel communities spread along the margins of sugar plantations in the San Pedro de Macoris Province. Susan provided the name of her counterpart in the DR, Alberto Rodriguez, who I contacted to see whether food assistance might be possible. He responded that FFTP does not have a system set up to ship food to the DR. I have contacted our 3 twin pastors and our 6 former seminarians to ask whether they currently receive a food ration from FFTP, and if not and interested, to provide a justification for receiving one from them. I will compile these responses and submit the formal request to Susan for her consideration, once those responses have been received. I visited Missionary Flights International (MFI) in Ft. Pierce, FL to see their operation of passenger and cargo deliveries to Haiti, to assist numerous mission groups of a Protestant persuasion. Their Statement of Faith, required of those they serve, has no belief that conflicts with Catholic teaching, and yet Catholic mission groups are excluded from their services. The organization was established by a Baptist group, so the religious bias likely is not based on theology. I discussed this with two pastors of the Church of Christ, who admitted that some beliefs of Calvinists and others conflict with this statement. I broached this issue with Dave Siler, Director of the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas, to see whether a dialogue with MFI is possible. He notified me that the administration at MFI was unwilling to even discuss the issue with him. According to IRS regulations covering charitable religious organizations with 501(c)(3) certification, those organizations can exclude other religions in the charitable work they provide. Statement of Faith for MFI • We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the infallible, authoritative Word of God. • We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. • We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to th e right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. • We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. • We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. • We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in Christ. • We believe that all redeemed ones are called into a life of separation from all worldl y and sinful practices. • We believe in the personal and imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ for His redeemed ones; that this blessed hope has a purifying influence on the personal life of the believer. • We believe that the Great Commission is a mandate to every believer to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to every creature. Dick Neves 9/23/23