MGR JEAN ZACHE DURACIN
BUREAU DIOCESAIN
Evêque d’Haïti
Pétion-ville
5 March 2010

‘The earthquake has not destroyed our hope in the future’

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
Seven weeks after we were hit by the 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale, the situation is still very serious in Haiti.
As you know, many people were killed, perhaps as many as 300,000. Thousands and thousands of others have been injured. In the Church, we have lost many people. Millions of Haitians have no place to live; many are sleeping in the streets in tents, and some of them still have not found any shelter at all. All the infrastructure of the country, as well as all the key institutions of the Diocese, have been destroyed, especially in the capital of Port au Prince. The situation is very difficult.
Many of our famous churches are gone, especially Holy Trinity Cathedral, which was not only a place of worship, but a place of culture. The Cathedral was a very important institution for the whole country. Yes, it has been physically destroyed, but our faith is still here and our communities are still alive. The earthquake has not destroyed our hope in the future. Despite the difficulties we face, many of our parishes have grown larger since the earthquake, because more and more people trust our Church and are turning to us for help spiritually, socially and morally.
We are still a strong Church and we will continue to work with you in partnership to be able to build up the Kingdom of God on earth through evangelism, education, health care and our development programs. We will work together to preach a holistic Gospel so that human beings may become more fully human in the face of God.
We will have to rebuild all of our communities. We in the Diocese are working very hard to have a Master Plan to replace the physical structures of the Church, so that we may continue to serve Haitian people with the same love, the same care, and the same support that we have always shown. Our mission will not change. We pray that God will continue to give us strength to do all this work despite so many difficulties. We ask you to please be patient and wait for our guidance as we put together this plan so that we can determine how our resources can be used most effectively. Once we have made our decisions, we will announce the plan.
To assist us in using all of our resources in the best possible way, and to provide the best accounting of donations, I ask all of our partners in traditional programs to resume sending donations through the Partnership Program. The fastest and safest way to do this is by wiring the money into the Partnership Program account; the Rev. Kesner Ajax, Partnership Program Coordinator, can provide that information to any who require it.
I am grateful for all of the support and assistance of The Church Center and especially of the Presiding Bishop and Primate, The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. Her visit to us in February, even though it was short, gave us great strength here in Haiti, and I am deeply thankful for our time together. We appreciate very much the willingness of The Church Center to continue to work with us in the Master Plan to rebuild the Diocese.
In addition, I give thanks for the visit of The Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon, Bishop Suffragan of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, who is visiting right now on the Presiding Bishop’s behalf. I also give thanks to all of the bishops and dioceses of The Episcopal Church for their prayers and support, and for telling our story. Some of them have been directly involved in supporting me and my wife, Edithe, during our difficult time; all of our family is especially thankful for this.
Special thanks must be given to Episcopal Relief and Development; all of us are grateful for its assistance and work in providing us food, shelter, water, medicines and all other forms of support to help us survive these difficult times.
In addition, it was very good to receive The Most Rev. Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Primate of Cape Town, and The Rt. Rev. Laish Boyd, Bishop of Nassau and The Bahamas, who are visiting at this moment. I also give thanks to all other bishops and archbishops of the Anglican Communion who have expressed their support to us.
The earthquake of Jan. 12 was our baptism; now is our new creation. In this new creation, we pray to all work together, and we ask that you give us the time we need, first to care for our people, then to rebuild the Kingdom.
In this Lenten season, the season of repentance, conversion and intense prayers, we ask you to remember our Diocese and all the people of Haiti in this difficult moment. We also ask you to continue to support us by your prayers and your gifts, so that by Eastertide, we will be able to sing together with great joy, "Alleluia! He is Risen!"

I bid you my blessings for this holy season.

Faithfully,

Mgr. Jean Zaché Duracin
Evêque d'Haïti

New articles about Haiti

Click here for an article from the New York Times, "With Haitian Schools in Ruins, Children in Limbo"

Click here for an article from the New York Times, "Haitian Singer and His Guitar Fight Urge to Weep"

Click here for an article from the Associated Press, "Haiti Earthquake Opens Window on Dismal Prisons"

Click here for an article from the Associated Press, "Lost in the ruins: Haiti's best and brightest"

As of February 28, 2010:

For those wishing to donate material goods

Click on AGAPE FLIGHTS. They post a list of the most needed items. The Sisters have used Agape Flights for many years.

As of 2/28/10:
Critical need is for shelter-like tents

BAGS/BACKPACKS

Backpacks can be for either:
FEMALE (Include 1 sanitary product along with items listed below)
MALE (include 1 disposable razor along with items listed below)
Duffel bags are for:
FAMILY (amounts X 2)
Things to go in all bags:
Canned/pouch meat (chicken, spam, etc)
Blanket (rolled up kind found at Walmart)(may be considered a throw)
Sheet (new or slightly used)
Towel (new or slightly used)
Peanut Butter in plastic jars
Crackers or Cookies (individual packet kind) Fun size chocolate for kids packing for family
Plate (melamine or plastic)
Fork (not plastic)
Cup (Plastic)
8 foot plastic rope
Toothpaste
Deodorant (man or woman specific)
Small scissors
Wipes
Shampoo
Bar Soap with a baggie
Comb
Can Opener
Used backpacks/duffel bags are acceptable.
PLEASE SECURELY ATTACH A LABEL TO EACH BAG INDICATING FOR MALE, FEMALE OR FAMILY

Medical Supply Needs:
There is a great need for basic first aid supplies in Haiti as they begin to rebuild. These include: antibiotic cream, band-aids, gauze, medical tape, hand sanitizer, peroxide, alcohol bottles/wipes, antibiotics, iodine, water purification tablets, suture supplies and aspirin, ibuprofen or Tylenol.

Food Needs:
50# or 100# bags Rice and Beans (check Sam's Clubs)
canned meats, vienna sausages, Spam
peanut butter
pork and beans
self-rising flour
snacks such as protein bars or granola or Protein powder
powdered milk
baby formula, baby food, bottles

Supply Needs: Tarps
Chisels
Pick axes
Sledge hammers
Hammers

ALL ITEMS SHOULD BE SENT DIRECTLY TO:
AGAPE FLIGHTS
100 Airport Avenue
Venice, FL 34285-3901

Click here for an article from the Associated Press, "Recovery Prospects Dim for Haiti Electric Utility"

Click here for an article from the Wall Street Journal, "Haitian Diaspora Sees an Opening"

Click here for an article from the New York Times,"Countless Lost Limbs Alter Life in Haiti's Ruins"

Click here for an article from the Boston Globe, "Haiti's art shines from the ruins"

For those of you who followed Sr. Sarah's blog while she was in Darbonne last summer, she had begun to blog again about what is going on in Haiti right now. Click here to go to her blog

Click here for the Rev. Lauren Stanley's blog about Haiti. She is the Episcopal Church missionary to Haiti who now, post-quake, is serving as Bishop Duracin's assistant here in the U.S. Her contact information is on the blog.

Click here for an article from Reuters "For doctors in Haiti, worst is yet to come"

Click here for an article from the Boston Globe, "In devastated Haiti, a wary look to the sky"

Click here for an article from the New York Times, "Poor Sanitation in Haiti’s Tent Camps Adds to Risk of Disease"

Click here for a story on Sr. Claire Marie's cousin, Romel Joseph, from National Public Radio (NPR), "Music To Help Heal Haiti's Wounds"

Click here to read an article from CNN about Sr. Claire Marie's cousin, Romel Joseph "Trapped violinist found deliverance through prayers, concertos"

Click here to watch a video from CNN about Sr. Claire Marie's cousin, Romel Joseph Stevie Wonder to give keyboards to violinist quake survivor Romel Joseph"

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:http://www.egliseepiscopaledhaiti.org/index.html
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:kesnerajax@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 institution 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

For those wishing to go to Haiti

Click here for a letter from the Rev. Lauren Stanley regarding mission trips to Haiti

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"

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 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 Click here for information on the Benefit Concert for the Society of St. Margaret's Mission in Haiti on Wednesday, March 7, 2010 at 5:30 pm at the Church of St. John the Evangelist, 35 Bowdoin Street, Boston

Sign up for the Latest News, Events and Updates By Email