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EARTHQUAKE IN HAITI 1-12-10

Connecting with Haiti

We are receiving an enormous amount of inquiries regarding institutions in Haiti other than the Sisters of St. Margaret. Unfortunately, we do not have any more information than most of you. The Sisters of St. Margaret are no longer actively involved in the administration of the following organizations. The information below is for you to use if you would like to get in touch with these organizations directly. Please be patient as phone service and electrical service are very sporadic and in some places non-existant. This is all the information that the Sisters here in Boston have about these institutions at this time.

The Episcopal Church of Haiti
(Eglise Episcopal D'Haiti)

The Rt. Rev. Jean-Zache Duracin
P.O. Box 1309
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
WEBSITE:www.egliseepiscopaledhaiti.org
E-Mail:epihaiti@hotmail.com
Snail Mail: The Rt. Rev. Jean-Zache Duracin
c/o Lynx Air
PO Box 407139
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33340

The Episcopal Theological Seminary of Haiti
(Seminaire de Theologie Eglise Episcopale D'Haiti)

The Very Rev. Oge Beauvoir, Dean of the Seminary
72 Ave. Christophe
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
WEBSITE:www.steeh.org
E-Mail:obeauvoir@steeh.org
Phone:
011-509-2245-0257
011-509-3400-5222
011-509-3752-8725

Holy Trinity School
(Ecole Sainte Trinité)

Rev. Fernande Sanon Pierre-Louise, Director
Email:fernandesanon@hotmail.com
Phone:
011-509-2224-2051
011-509-2224-2052
011-509-3448-6139
011-509-2222-7048
011-509-222-7038
011-509-2246-3429

Holy Trinity Music School

Rev. David Cesar, Director
Email:violatoulimen@yahoo.fr
Phone:
011-509-3510-0225
011-509-2257-7287

St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children

Rev. Sadoni Leon, Administrator
Email:sadonileon@yahoo.fr
Phone:
011-509-3853-4266
011-509-3409-3991
011-509-3428-1066
011-509-3564-3674

The Haiti Partnership Program

Rev. Kesner Ajax, Coordinator
Email:kenserajax@yahoo.com
Phone:
011-509-3445-3346
011-509-3724-8376

The Children's Medical Missions of Haiti

The Right Reverend Roger White, Chair
925 Hertzler Road
Mechanicsburg, PA 17005
Phone: (717) 796-1603

Episcopal Medical Missions Foundation

606 Rathervue Place Austin, Texas 78705-3128
Phone: (210) 506-5649
Fax: (210) 558-4718
Email:emmf@emmf.com

A Plea for Patience!
We have a wonderful problem. We have gotten so many donations that we are unable to process them and send thank you notes in a timely fashion. Please know that we are going as fast as we can and we will acknowledge your donation for Haiti as soon as we are able to do so. If you have any specific questions, please call the convent and ask to speak to Sr. Grace at extension 146. Thank you in advance for your patience.

Monetary donations may be sent to:
The Society of St. Margaret
17 Highland Park St.
Boston, MA 02119
For a secure page to donate on-line to the Sisters of St. Margaret,
click here

You may donate from your checking account, savings account or
Visa or Mastercard.

PLEASE NOTE: The Sisters cannot accept donations that are earmarked specifically for a certain institutition in Haiti except for the ones in which they are currently administering: the Convent, the Foyer Notre Dame, and the Foyer Notre Dame guest house. If we receive donations specifically for other institutions, we must regretfully return them to the donor.

Donations may also be sent to:

Episcopal Relief and Development
OR
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

OR
Stand With Haiti

For those wishing to donate material goods
Click on AGAPE FLIGHTS.
They post a DAILY list of the most needed items. The Sisters have used Agape Flights for many years. Their website says, "YES, Agape Flights is flying often and able to land in Port au Prince. Agape Flights' planes are being met by the missionaries we serve. The supplies are reaching the medical clinics, orphanages, schools, and churches through the 130 missionary families we regularly serve in PAP. Mike Labady, Agape's Emergency Field Director is on the ground in Port au Prince working to coordinate activities.
AGAPE NEEDS:
"We have a critical need for tents that can be used for shelter as well as back packs or duffel bags for the homeless in Haiti to have something to carry whatever belonging they might have with them. We are accepting back packs and duffel bags with supplies for those in Haiti. Back packs are for either a single female or a single male and the duffel bags are for families. Please be sure to label the bags accordingly for easier delivery and distribution!! All bags need canned/pouch meat, a blanket, a sheet, a towel, peanut butter, crackers/cookies, plate, fork, cup, 8 foot plastic rope, toothpaste, deodorant, small scissors, wipes, shampoo and bar soap in a baggie. If you are packing a bag for a female, please add some sanitary products or for a male, please add a razor. Family duffel bags just need double the amount of supplies."
ALL ITEMS SHOULD BE SENT DIRECTLY TO:
AGAPE FLIGHTS
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL 34285-3901

For those wishing to go to Haiti
This is from Bishop Duracin's letter to Robert Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief and Development:
"Finally, I wish to make it plain: I know that many of our partners wish to come to Haiti right now to help. Please tell them that unless they are certified professionals in relief and recovery, they must wiat. We will need them in the months and years to come, but at this point, it is too dangerous and too much of a burden for our people to have mission teams here."

The Latest News
1/28/10 UPDATE on the Sisters of St. Margaret in Haiti

Sr. Marie Margaret, Sr. Marie Therese and the 2 pre-postulants remain camped out on the soccer field at College St. Pierre, along with Bishop Duracin, some members of the diocesan staff, and about three thousand other people. Sister Marjorie Raphael is in Cange where daily living is far less stressful. We have not been able to make contact with Sr. Marie Margaret for the past week. We have spoken to the Bishop who assures us that the Sisters are well. A generous Associate has offered the Sisters a house for temporary refuge, but at present they have not moved from the field.

We have been deeply touched by the outpouring of prayer and concern for the Sisters’ welfare. Many have donated funds and many people have also written touching notes which we are saving for the Sisters in Haiti once they are in a position to read them.A special account has been set up at the Boston Convent for the Sisters in Haiti. The funds received will be used to restore and re-establish the mission of the Society of St. Margaret in Haiti. Initially, some of these donations may provide respite care for the Sisters once they are able to move to more beneficial living quarters.

Among our contacts within the Episcopal Church we hear talk of rebuilding. But it is far too soon to be able to say in any detail what the plans might be. What we can say is that the ministry that has been is continuing and will continue. We pray for a stronger and renewed presence of the Society of St. Margaret in Haiti in the coming months and years.

Click here to watch an audio slide show about the Sisters and their work in Haiti

Click here to read an article featuring our Associate, the Rev. Canon Oge Beauvoir

Click here to read a letter entitled "One is in the wilderness but safe in faith," by Episcopal Diocese of Haiti Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin

Click here to read the letter from Bishop Duracin of Haiti to Episcopal Relief and Development

Click here to read the article "Church continues to assist Haiti with aid by air and by hand" featuring the Sisters of St. Margaret

Click here to read an inspirational article about Sr. Claire Marie's cousin, Romel Joseph

Click here to read an article about Holy Trinity Music School and the Petits Chanteurs

Click here to read "Next up: Haiti needs sanitation & housing"

Below is a message from Father Kesner Ajax, Executive Director of the Bishop Tharp Institute, an Episcopal Relief & Development program partner

January 23, 2010

Dear Sisters and brothers in Christ,

Please let me take some time to give you some update of the situation of Haiti and your beloved partners in the Episcopal church of Haiti. God has saved the lives of the bishop, the 32 active priests, 9 retired priests, the 6 deacons, the 17 seminarians, 3 nuns and the 4 missionaries and their families. All private houses have been damaged to some degree, but all churches, schools, rectories clinics, and hospitals from Croix des Bouquets to Miragoane are not permitted to be used. In Port au Prince and Leogane, all structures of the Episcopal Church have been completely destroyed. We cannot evaluate how many parishioners and staff members we lost. In the south, BTI is ok but the Saint Sauveur rectory is not safe to sleep in. The seminarians went back to their home town; one of them is a physician, and he has stayed at College St Pierre in Port au Prince to give first aid to the people. The Episcopal Church of Haiti has set up more than 7 centers to support victims, mostly in the worst hit areas where the bishop is based with whatever supplies they have been able to receive.

On behalf of Bishop Duracin the partnership program and the people of Haiti, I would like to begin to thank you for your continuing prayer and assistance, especially Episcopal Relief & Development and our brothers and sisters of the Dominican Republic who share our same island home. We appreciated very strongly the sacrifices of Canon Bill Squire , Dr. McNeelly and other team members who flew across the DR border to visit us. Your notes and emails of sympathy are very important to us. Please continue to send your notes of encouragement.

The Episcopal Relief & Development is doing a very remarkable work to support Haiti during the dilemma, both with emergency support and beginning to plan to be part of the rebuilding of the Episcopal church in Haiti. You can see that Rev. Lauren and Dianne are encouraging you to share information about your work in Haiti. It is very important to cooperate in that survey, because while Port au Prince and Leogane areas are more directly affected by the damage, many victims are returning to their home towns to breath a little bit, find food to eat and a safe place to sleep. However, the movement of people from Port au Prince to the countryside is overwhelming our ability to provide for them, and no relief agencies are yet providing supplies to the countryside.

Episcopal Relief & Development is working together with the bishop and a Haitian emergency commission of 15 people where The Canon Oge Beauvoir is the coordinator. Please continue to support Episcopal Relief & Development with your emergency support. Do not forget your partners in Haiti. You can still send money to your partners by check via lynx and your wire via Citibank. For two days all of the banks have been open in other towns in Haiti, and today they opened in Port au Prince. Remember when you send support to your partners; please copy me and also the diocesan accountant Mr Frantz Antilus in order to facilitate the process. You already know what to do when you want to send your emergency to Episcopal Relief & Development who are helping us a lot now.
School will not open in the West department, but schools and universities will open soon in the other 9 departments and will welcome children and students from other departments. Thank you for your attention to my note, do not hesitate to ask questions: Ask for the state of your projects. Ask for your beloved friends if they are safe or hurt. I continue to serve as the partnership coordinator and the DJ'O(Diocesan Jubilee officer) and Rev. Frantz Cole serves as the development officer for the Episcopal diocese of Haiti. The Rev. Roger Bowen is still cooperating with me for the National Association Episcopal School. And Rev. Lauren Stanley who assists in the Partnership and D evelopment program will coordinate with Episcopal Relief & Development in USA.
Thanks you all, may God continue to bless you.

The Rev. Kesner Ajax

More news:
From Darbonne: Miron Beaudoin, Assistant Coordinator of the Community Health Worker Training Program, Pere Samuel, the Episcopal Parish Priest, and the Water Project Staff, all at Darbonne are also safe. Père Diègue is safe.

Sadly, we have casualties to report. These were reported to us by Associates and friends:
We received an e-mail this afternoon from Pere Sadoni. He reports that six children and employees of St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children died in the quake. Those remaining are living on the soccer field at College St. Pierre, near the Presidential Palace. The Rev. Canon Bill Squire did arrive and delivered supplies to help for the immediate future. Pere Sadoni was meeting with Bishop Duracin to see if he could move the children to Montrouis, the former seminary of the Diocese. There they could find shelter, food, and some protection. He said all the basic living supplies --- clothes, soap, tooth brushes, drugs, etc. were stolen from St. Vincent’s. He hopes to repair the wall to protect what is left.

Just met a woman who had daughters at music school and she said there were only a few deaths, but the professional (trade) school - sadly, most are gone.
Madame Roy and Gladys Garnier were killed when their home collapsed on them.

Episcopal Schools that were destroyed, according to the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES):
Buteau, St. Etienne (destroyed)
Carrefour, Bon Samaritan (destroyed)
Delmas, St. Martin de Tours (destroyed)
Port-au-Prince, Ste. Trinité (destroyed)

Click here to go to their webpage on Haiti, where they have a prayer list of Episcopal Schools in Haiti.

The work of the Sisters of St. Margaret in Haiti before the earthquake - scroll down


Our Haitian Sisters

Sr. Marjorie Raphael
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Sr. Marjorie Raphael is considered an "honorary Haitian" due to her forty plus years working in Haiti.

Sr. Marie Margaret
Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Sr. Marie Therese
Port-au-Prince, Haiti


Sr. Claire Marie
Boston


Sr. Promise
New York City


Sr. Kethia
Boston

Click here to read the latest article on Haiti by the Wall Street Journal

Click here to read the article "Haiti, Music and the Aftermath."

Click here to read the latest article from Episcopal Life, Episcopal Church spends Sunday in prayer for Haiti

Click here to read the latest article from Episcopal Life, "'I was certain I was going to die' Caught in Haiti earthquake, Episcopal Church missionaries recount survival

A Prayer for Haiti:
Almighty Father, God of mercies and giver of comfort, deal graciously, we pray, with the people of Haiti in the midst of the great suffering caused by the catastrophic earthquake. May they cast all their care on you and know the consolation of your love.
Give us the courage, zeal, wisdom and patience to assist them, not only in these first days and weeks of urgent need, but as they continue to need the care and partnership of all their sisters and brothers around the world in the long and difficult work of healing and rebuilding.
Grant eternal life to those who have died, healing to the injured and strength to all the survivors, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (by the Ven. Dr. J. Fritz Bazin Archdeacon for Immigration and Social Concerns Diocese of Southeast Florida)

"Cast all your anxiety upon the LORD because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Associates and Others: The Rev. Oge Beauvoir, Dean of the Seminary, and his wife Serrette, are okay. They are both Associates of the Society of St. Margaret.
The Foyer Notre Dame was partially collapsed, but it appears that its residents and employees got out safely.
We have just received word from Sr. Claire Marie's brother Willie that her family in Gros Monde are all safe. Praise God!
Sr. Promise has received word that all of her relatives are safe.
Sr. Kethia has learned that her sister and brother are safe but she has lost 3 cousins in this tragedy, 2 of whom were babies. Please pray for her and for the Jean-Simon family.
We have recieved reports that Fr. David Cesar, Director of Holy Trinity Music School is okay. We have another report that Nicole St. Victor of Holy Trinity School in Port-au-Prince is injured, but alive. Praise God!
We have a report that Hilda Alcindor, the Dean of the Episcopal University's nursing school in Leogane, is alive.
We have received a report that the Rev. Fernande Sanon Pierre-Louis is okay.
We have received reliable info on St. Vincent's School in Haiti that the children and Fr. Sadoni Leon survived without serious injury. Praise God!
We have a report that everyone in Mathieu, Leogane, near Darbonne, is safe.
Seminarian Margarette Saintilver is safe in Les Cayes.

The Buildings: The Convent has been destroyed along with Holy Trinity School, Holy Trinity Cathedral, and Bishop Duracin's residence. St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children has been damaged.The Foyer Notre Dame has been damaged.

The Work of The Sisters of St. Margaret in Haiti before the Earthquake
The Sisters of St. Margaret established their convent in Port-au-Prince in 1927, and have worked tirelessly for the people of Haiti ever since. The Episcopal/Anglican Church began its work in Haiti in 1861, with the arrival of the African-American priest, James Theodore Holly and his company of emigrants. They were seeking a country where people of color were not only legally but truly free.
From their Convent in Port-au-Prince, the Sisters directed a scholarship program for children who otherwise would be left out of school for lack of ability to pay even minimal fees.
The Sisters directed the making of hand-embroidered church linens.
They also directed Foyer Notre Dame, a home for elderly, indigent persons that includes terminal care and burial. This work has been in continuous service since 1962, and is supported entirely by donations.
The Foyer Notre Dame Guest House not only provided with a temporary and comfortable place to stay, but also is a source of income for the Foyer residents.
The Sisters interact and collaborate with local clergy and parishes throughout the Diocese of Haiti.
Living close to the people they love, the Sisters share the undying belief of the Haitian people that God is good, “Bon-Die-Bon”, and that the words of the 46th Psalm are for them: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble... It is he who makes war to cease in all the world.”

FUNDRAISERS

Concerts to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief

Saturday, Feb 6, Grace Episcopal Church, Waterville, NY, 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Sunday,Feb 7, Messiah United Church of Christ, Washington Mills, NY, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

Friday, Feb 12, Grace Episcopal Church, Utica, NY, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

Saturday, Feb 13, Bridgewater United Church of Christ, Bridgewater, NY, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

Sunday, Feb 28, 2010, Church of Christ Uniting, Richfield Springs, NY, 7:00 - 9:30 pm

For more information about hosting a fundraiser concert, please contact Robert Peters at (315) 822-3420.