Haiti earthquake and the Vincentian Family
For the latest news about the Vincentian Family in Haiti visit this page often in the days after the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
If you wish to submit information to be included on this page please contact Fr. John Freund CM by email
Haiti in pictures 6 days after
Comment from Aidan Rooney, CM January 14
For the record, Haiti needs immediate (disaster relief), intermediate (reconstruction) and long-term (systemic / disaster prevention) assistance.
The Red Cross, Mercy Corps, Doctors Without Borders, CRS and others excel in their abilities to plan and to deliver at various levels.
This is where the Vincentian Family comes in. We now have in place, structures to act on all three levels.
But right now, disaster relief is the order of the day. Give. Quickly. To any reputable organization. Then, give again to an organization that can care the ball further on down the road. And, as members of the Family, join efforts and any level that stirs your creative imagination.
A recent article on the Brookings Web site discussed the amazing capacity of international relief systems to respond to major disasters but also the time lost in mobilizing these international resources to the site of the disaster.
Much of the life-saving happens before the international agencies even arrive. While soliciting donations to help in the immediate aftermath of a disaster may be easier, funding ways for communities to respond to disasters and take efforts to reduce the risks of future disasters (e.g., hurricane awareness programs, flood warning systems) could save more lives in the long run.
REPORTS OF THE VINCENTIAN FAMILY
Congregation of the Mission Reports
- January 13 -Fr. Faustino Burgos C.M., former visitor of Puerto Rico (the current visitor, Fr. Tulio Cordero, is in Rome and has departed today for Santo Domingo), called the Superior General to give the following news about the earthquake this morning in Haiti:
- The provincial house of the Daughters of Charity has been destroyed. One sister has been injured but not seriously.
- Of the two houses that the Congregation of the Mission has in Haiti, said Father Burgos, one has suffered minor damage.
- January 20 - Provincial Treasurer of Puerto Rico writes "Crossing the frontier between the Dominican Republic and Haiti is not safe anymore." "Today we add the strain of another high-grade quake in Haiti"
"... group from St.John’s University, NY, is doing community service at Rio Piedras.
Daughters of Charity Reports
THe Daughters of Charity have six permanent missions on the island, with 50 to 75 sisters, who provide education, healthcare, social services, and now earthquake relief.
- January 14 - "Francisco Maruri, a volunteer with Daughters of Charity in Miami:”We have six missions in Haiti. The sisters who run the order seem to be okay. One sister was hit by an object during the quake but appears to be okay.”
- January 16 - One daughter of Charity died in the earthquake.
- January 17 CORRECTION - Her death has not been confirmed. She has not been heard of since the earthquake so there still some hope.
- January 17 - Body of missing Daughter found
Sister Maria Teresa Tapia, visitatrix of the Province of Haiti, announced today the death of one of the Daughters of Charity. The sister had been missing since the day of earthquake, but there had been hope of finding her in the wreckage. Today, however, her body has been found ….. Sister Brigitte Pierre, Daughter of Charity, was born on the 14 of February, 1965 near Gonaïves (Gonayiv in Haitian Kreyol), Haiti, and entered the Company on the 28th of November, 1997. She was a joyful servant of the poor, competent in her work with children and a pleasant companion with a positive outlook …. Sr. Evelyne Franc, Superioress General of the Daughters of Charity, communicated this news to all the sisters, asking that in the next few days every community would celebrate the Eucharist in memory of Sister Brigitte. Please pray for Sister Brigitte, and for the Company in Haiti and throughout the world.
Work of the Daughters of Charity in Haiti
AIC/Ladies of Charity Reports
- January 18 - Laurence de La Brosse, AIC President, has sent out a communication to all AIC members and friends regarding the earthquake that devastated Haiti. Laurence has called for AIC members and friends to pray together and support the relief effort during this difficult time.
St. Vincent de Paul Society
Sisters of Charity Federation
Sister of Notre Dame de Sacre Coeur
- January 13 - The Sisters of Notre Dame de Sacre Coeur in Haiti in Cape Haitian are all OK and they had no loss of property.
Sisters of Charity
- Jan. 14 Eighty-year-old Sister Theresa Lamoureux of the Sisters of Charity, who has lived and worked in the capital city of Port au Prince for some 30 years, and Pastor Randall (Randy) Stahls, a Christiam minister who was working in the suburb of Pentionville, have been accounted for, said Vicki Kett, an area resident involved with ongoing humanitarian work in the Caribbean nation.
Preliminary Listing of Vincentian Family Institutions in Haiti (coming soon)
- The following branches are affected... (coming soon)
- Ladies of Charity -
- St. Vincent de Paul Society -
- Daughters of Charity -
- Congregation of the Mission -
Google Mapping of Vincentian Family in Haiti (coming soon)
VINCENTIAN RELIEF INITIATIVES...
- Background of Vincentian Efforts
Congregation of the Mission Relief Initiatives
Daughters of Charity Relief Initiatives
- Jan. 13 - Ascension Health is asking its 113,000 employees to make donations to Seton Institute, Ascension’s international arm. “One hundred percent of donations will go directly to sponsors there in Haiti for their needs,”Coming to the aid of Haiti
- January 15 - A plea for funds was sent out to all employees within the Daughters of Charity Health System in California today. I am sure there will be many donations sent soon. God bless everyone there. It must be heart wrenching. Suzanne Cistulli
- January 19 - Emmitsburg’s Mother Seton School is using two different avenues to help those in Haiti. Sister Joanne Goecke, the school’s principal and a Daughter of Charity, encouraged families to give to her order’s work in Haiti after its provincial house was destroyed there. In addition, a school newsletter said proceeds from an upcoming basketball game, along with other contributions, would be forwarded by the Daughters of Charity Provincial House to the order and its ministries in Haiti.
Ladies of Charity Relief Initiatives
St. Vincent de Paul Society Relief Initiatives
- January 13, 2010 --- National President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA Joseph D. Flannigan has issued a call to the 120,000 volunteer members of the Society in the United States, as well as to the general public, to help provide assistance for the victims of the terrible Haiti Earthquake.
- Contributions for Haiti Disaster Relief and Recovery can be made via the Society's national Web site at SVDPUSA.org (http://www.svdpusa.org)
- January 20 --- Sampling of sites which list the SVDP for relief
BBB Wise Giving]
Sisters of Charity Federation
- Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
- Notre Dame de Sacre Coeur in Haiti
Other Vincentian Family Relief Initiatives
Central Association of the Miraculous Medal
- January 13 - The Central Association of the Miraculous Medal will distribute your money to the Vincentians and Daughters of Charity who work in the poorest sections of Haiti. 100 % of your donation will reach Haiti.
Vincentian Lay Missioners
- January 13 - Vincentian Lay Missionaries use Facebook to support Haiti efforts.
General Relief Resources
890 Billion in Haiti Convince its creditors to forgive 890 billion in debt so that other aid does not go to financing this enormous and unpayable debt.
- January 14 - Catholics Confront Global Poverty Emergency Page
- Included here for your use are:
- USCCB News Release - www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2010/10-009.shtml
- Bulletin /Pulpit Announcement
- Homily Notes - Homily notes for weekend liturgies have references to the Haiti disaster and can be found at http://crs.org/crsfacts/
- . General Intercessions
- Prayer(s)
- Quotes and Interviews - http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/.
For more information and for copies of these resources, go to www.crs.org, www.crsespanol.org and www.usccb.org/jphd. See their excellent blog.
Heartline Ministries - Haiti worldWide Village - Haiti
Reflective video on Haiti from The Work of the People
Secular resources
- Wikipedia coverage
- Amazing before and after Google images
- Together - A song for Haiti Produced by the High School for Recording arts in St. Paul, MN.
MIssing person requests
Red Cross Missing Persons List
The US State Department Operations Center set up a hotline for Americans seeking information about relatives in Haiti: (888) 407-4747.
Map of Vincentian Family Houses in Haiti
Google Maps is unable to locate the exact houses, therefore the areas pinpointed is the general vicinity of the Houses.
<googlemap version="0.9" lat="18.58347" lon="-72.266476" zoom="14"> http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&output=nl&msid=112411691768653443441.00047d4bb710a66d44bfc </googlemap>
Please send us addresses of any other locations you are aware of.
