Haiti and the Love of God
We also met some extraordinary people who help the Missionaries of Charity and work alongside them. Among those we met were a couple of priests – one from the US and the other from Canada. They both were adamant that the Gospel of Christ must be enfleshed – shown in action, action that relieved the misery and restored the dignity of those whom they served in very practical ways. Moreover, for them, the answer to material poverty was not simply providing material things. Instead, in order to witness to the Gospel of Christ, they learned that more than anything else, those they served needed to feel respected and loved. They needed some good guidance on both practical and spiritual matters. They needed, even more, confidence in the gifts that God has given them.
Missionaries of Charity, with whom he works, do not disagree with the handle.
In the last few years, he acquired (by trial and error) a knack for installing
solar panels, not only in his home diocese, but also in some of the poorest
areas throughout Haiti. He is a tireless advocate for providing this sustainable
energy system because it
provides electricity where it is not available or dramatically brings
down the cost of electricity for those who most need it. It also provides job
training for laborers eager to make a living.
was invited to serve Jamaica. He has spent his priesthood building
communities of hope not only there, but also in neighboring Haiti. A believer in an incarnate Gospel, he is convinced that the love of Christ will compel generosity and mutual concern for one another in his parish family.
At one
of his parishes, he worked out an elaborate food service where parishioners buy
one another’s products, and strategize together on how to develop new markets
for their goods. He initiates new efforts like these by creating incentives and
providing a little direction on regulations and professionalism. Once the
entrepreneurial spirit takes over, however, he steps aside.
communities, rely on his priestly ministry whenever he comes to visit. They
also rely on his willingness to take on all kinds of maintenance and
engineering projects, including his self-taught expertise with installing and
maintaining solar panels. When asked about how he acquired this skill, he
smiles and explains with the wry wit only a French accent can provide, “Trial
and error: lots of error and also, watching how-to videos on YouTube.”
Port-de-Paix, where
he provided much needed repairs to one of his solar systems that he installed five years
ago for the Missionaries of Charity. He and his team discovered a wiring
problem (the saline air
from the sea had pulverized the electrical wires coming out of the solar
panels) and worked to fix and improve the whole
system. In fact, between when he had first installed that one and now, he
explained, he had learned a lot. His Haitian team double-checks each other’s work,
including his. If someone complains, team members explain that it is not enough to get
the job done fast. Their attitude is, according the the Solar Priest, “We are professionals and people are relying on us, we must
do it right.”
This attitude has been invaluable to groups who try to be
a light in the darkness of Haitians, including the Missionaries of Charity and
Father Tom Hagan’s Hands Together. Indeed, physical darkness compounds spiritual
misery for many Haitians. After a recent earthquake in which 220,000 souls perished,
and two years of severe hurricanes, the power grid is either unreliable or else
non-existent in the poorer areas. All this has added to squalid conditions with
which so many have to manage on a daily basis. Father
Francis knows this and is willing to learn almost anything to give those serving in these communities better light and water.
Fr. Tom Hagan (founder of Hands Together) has helped Haitians start several schools in the slums of Port-au-Prince that provide free education for elementary, middle and high school students. A good number of kids come to the school for lunch (food) and often that is the only meal of the day for them. Father Tom is proud of these joyful and remarkable young people in the face of such adversity. He is keenly aware that the problems they face are more than the challenge of poverty. They are made for greater things — and he wants them to discover this. He also supports other apostolates run by the Haitian people in different parts of Haiti. He sees himself not so much as doing ministry for the Haitian people as much as he does it with them. To this end, he raises the funds thru his “Hand Together”: http://www.handstogether.org/
As for donations for the work of the Missionaries of Charity, checks may be made payable to Missionaries of Charity and sent to the Miami House address listed below. Please note on the check that you would like it used for the work in Haiti and/or send a note specifying that how you would like that the donation to be used. The Sisters will honor that request as much as possible. The Sisters will always acknowledge donations with a letter to the donor.
Missionaries of Charity
727 NW 17 ST.
Miami, FL 33136
Biography
I'm a high-energy 70-year-old who loves to write. Back when I was a kid growing up in
the Deep South, we used to sit under grandmother's dining room table, sharing ghost
stories after dinner. That got me hooked on storytelling. As a Presbyterian Minister and
community building consultant, my work brings me in contact with community leaders who
are mobilizing others to make a positive difference in so many communities around the
United States and the world. Building Communities of Hope highlights some of these
incredible people and amazing communities. People who are community builders build upon
community assets, bring others to the table and create networks of
compassion.Organizations that serve communities, like healthcare systems and schools,
can be anchors in communities. At my age, I'm finding it increasingly important to
support people and organizations that overcome obstacles to create long-lasting positive
change. We can overcome challenges, inequities, and disasters when we mobilize for
collective impact. It's a wild and wonderful ride!
communities of hope