OUR LADY OF GRACE HAITI COMMITTEE

Parish Twinning Program

MISSION STATEMENT: The mission of Our Lady of Grace Haiti Committee is to establish relationships between the people of the parish of St. Joseph in L'Asile, Haiti and Our Lady of Grace Parish. To aid in the support of the people of our sister parish in L'Asile in religious, educational, medical and economic areas. To foster understanding between the two diverse cultures and raise the overall awareness of the plight of the Haitian people. To grow in faith together.

Information about our sister parish of Saint Joseph's in L'Asile, Haiti

Learn about Haiti's turbulent past and her hopes for the future.

Information about the Visitation House in Port au Prince.

With all the problems here at home, why are we involved in Haiti? This may be the answer.....

The Presbytre School and grades 1 through 6.

Stations of the Cross memorial dedicated to the martyrs of Haiti in her struggle for demorcracy

Click here for a map of Haiti and the L'Asile area

Information and photos about the town of L'Asile

Facts about Haiti

 Click here for information from our trips to L'Asile

Our latest trip - February/March 2005

Earlier trips - August/September 2003

 

HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE:

The Haiti Parish Twinning Program has been in existence for over 25 years and is based in Nashville, Tennessee. The executive director is Theresa Patterson. Our Lady of Grace Parish first became involved in October of 1997. At that time the Haiti Committee was formed. Our first task was to come up with ideas as to how we could help our sister parish in L’Asile, Haiti. None of us knew anything about Haiti except what we read in the newspapers.

We had no idea what our mission should be. Slowly we began to become educated and aware of the immense distortions we have been fed through the news media. We decided it was time to go to Haiti and see for ourselves. Our first trip took place in March of 1998. Five parishioners spent ten days in Haiti, a couple of days were spent in Port-au-Prince at the Visitation House and the remainder at our sister parish in L’Asile. After we saw how the Haitians live and then how they worship, our mission became clear.

It is difficult to explain Haiti, to someone who hasn’t been there. The Haitian experience is surreal. It defies explanation. It is more than a place, its an emotion, a scent, kind of like a memory. One moment you’re viewing absolutely stunning scenery, and the next moment, you’re wanting to turn away from scenes of desperation. We learned that Haiti and her people are beautiful. We now know what our mission is and that it could be summed up in one word: solidarity.

Our sisters and brothers of L'Asile, Haiti