This Lent, Support Mission Haiti

“Little by little the bird makes his nest.”   
Haitian Proverb

For the past seven years, the Sisters of St. Joseph in the United States and Canada have collaborated with Mission Haiti to help rebuild the lives of the Haitian people after the 2010 earthquake.  Our program has focused on the education of girls and the Annunciation School in Leogane, Haiti.  Each year, the U.S. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph sponsors a trip to Haiti to visit the school, meet the girls and see their progress. We had planned to send a representative from the SSJs of Northwestern Pennsylvania this year, but unfortunately, due to continued unrest and violence in Haiti, the United States Government has prohibited all travel to Haiti.

Despite the cancellation of the trip, it is still important that we pause to think about the ten girls we sponsor who do not have the option to leave Haiti. They live in the midst of violence as protesters work to overthrow the government. In times of violence, young girls often find themselves helpless victims. Mission Haiti reported that in an effort to keep the students safe, Annunciation School was closed for the first semester of this academic year.  While closed, Mission Haiti funds provided food for students’ families and continue to pay teacher salaries.  Please remember these young girls and all of the Haitian people who are dealing with violence in their communities.

Once again, We are making a Haiti Lenten Calendar available for your use.  This calendar highlights what can be accomplished when girls are given the opportunity to attend school. Each day presents a fact about global poverty or an action you can take. This effort benefits the children in Haiti and it offers each of us an opportunity to grow in God’s compassion and love. It allows us to connect with a country where the majority of its people live in dire circumstances of poverty and political unrest.  

thumbnail of Haiti Lenten Calendar 2020

Haiti Lenten Calendar – Click to Download

 

The commitment made by the U.S. Federation of Sisters of St. Joseph can be compared to a bird making its nest.  Sisters of St. Joseph have committed to journey with ten girls, supporting and encouraging them — and learning from them as well.  It seems impossible, but much like a bird building its nest, one day it will all come together. 

Students at Villa Maria Academy in Erie, PA have supported an orphanage in Haiti which houses and feeds 125 people each day and its school educates 90 children. The orphanage is sponsored by the Pittsburgh Kids Foundation

Each year during Lent, we collect funds to support initiatives in Haiti.  This year, funds collected will be distributed to both Mission Haiti and the orphanage. 

Click here to support our efforts in Haiti. 

 

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