Information about Religious in Haiti


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Earthquake in Haiti, 12 January 2010
CMSM Messages

1/15/2010 1:50 PM EST

The following message is being sent to all CMSM Major Superiors, Councilors, and J&P Directors by T. Michael McNulty, SJ, CMSM Director of the Office of Justice and Peace:
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Information about Religious in Haiti

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate of the US Province are, along with everyone else in the world, praying for and in solidarity with the people of Haiti. We feel especially connected to them, as Oblates from the US have worked in ministry there for more than 60 years and there are more than 130 Oblates, the largest male religious congregation present in Haiti.

We have suffered the loss of one of our seminarians in the collapse of the building where he was. As far as can be determined at this time, all other Oblates survived. The same cannot be said for our buildings in Port-au-Prince, as the seminary building has been destroyed and much of the provincial headquarters damaged. The Oblate presence in the north and in the area of Les Cayes was not damaged since the quake seems to have been primarily felt in the capital.

For more information on the Oblate situation, please go to www.omiusa.org or www.omiworld.org . Further information, including how to help the Oblates rebuild, will be forthcoming as soon as it is available.

The Marist Brothers have three communities in Jeremie, Haiti. We have received information from them that they are OK and that the Jeremie region has been relatively tranquil, but some of our Haitian Brothers' have not been able to contact family members in other parts of the country. If I receive any other information I will pass it on.

Ben Consigli, FMS

The Marianists have 10 professed, and 6 novices and 7 pre-novices. Early reports sent to us here in St. Louis through Canada and Rome are that they are all fine, but there has been significant damage to our community dwellings.

Stephen Glodek, SM

A member of Maryknoll is Haitian-American and is going down to Haiti as soon as he can get on a plane. He will bring back first hand information about family and friends and the situation and then Maryknoll will respond.

Mike Duggan, MM

Xaverians: http://www.Xaverianbrothers.org/content/newsandevents/news.cfm

We have heard from Brother Harry Eccles that he, Brothers Mike McCarthy and Cosmas are alive and ok in Hinche, in the central plateau. There was no apparent damage to the orphanage Maison Fortunè where the brothers live. Jean Louis, the director of the orphanage reports: "Hinche is fine so is the orphanage. We all felt the earthquake but there was no damage in the whole Plateau where Hinche is located."

The news from Port au Prince is not good. We still have no word on how the students at Sant Zaveryan are doing. That area of the city has been severely damaged. We know from news reports that Archbishop Miot of Port au Prince was killed when the archdiocesan offices collapsed. Reportedly other priests and seminarians were also killed and the cathedral is destroyed.

We have heard news of other organizations with whom we have worked in the past: Norwich House, the mission house of the Diocese of Norwich, CT sustained damage when part of its building collapsed. The director of the house had to be dug from the rubble. One of the long-time staff members familiar to the Brothers and guests who have stayed at Norwich House, Lanite, was critically injured and may have lost both her legs. Matthew 25, another Guest House where we have connections, sustained some damage, but true to form, Sr. Mary Finnick, a Grey Nun from Lowell, MA, who serves as the director and the lay volunteers who spend the winter with her, acted right away to serve the people of the neighborhood, providing medical assistance and setting up a triage center on the soccer field next to the house. At Louverture Cleary School on the other side of the city, close to the airport, the 358 students, the staff, and the volunteers spent the night on the soccer field. The buildings are still standing although it is unclear if they are habitable. One student was seriously injured during the quake, presumably from falling debris. Six other students were injured, though not seriously.

CNN, BBC and other news outlets are showing the severe damage that has resulted from the quake. Please keep the people in Haiti, particularly our Brothers, collaborators, the many missionaries and non-government aid workers who minister in Haiti in your prayers. We are also grateful for the many emails we have received from former volunteers, friends and benefactors concerned about the Brothers and our ministry in Haiti.

Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart.   During this day we have been working to learn more about what is happening in Haiti.

We learned that the first floor building of Mary Sinnick, GNSH at Matthew 25 is okay but there was some damage to the second floor. She was able to get to the medicine storage in the house; she and some Haitian doctors treated people until about 1:00 AM this morning.   They have solar panels on the house and so far the batteries are working.

We spoke with Sister Diane Beaudoin, Superior General of the Grey Nuns of St. Hyacinthe. Their regional house with 21 Sisters was completely destroyed as was the church and school. An addition that was in the construction phase was also lost. The sisters escaped with only the clothes they were wearing. Half are staying with the Daughters of Wisdom and half with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny. Sister Diane said they will have to rebuild from scratch.

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