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Father John Kieran, Special To The Bulletin
LOS PALIS, Haiti—It was delightful to see John Michael again.
This prematurely born child was nursed to health by the medical team from St.
Pius X Church, Conyers, in February 2000. Now he is a thriving 1-year-old,
showing no effects of his early arrival.
The St. Pius team has taken a special interest in John Michael.
When he was brought to their field clinic last year he had not eaten for 15
days and was extremely dehydrated. At the same time his mother was carried to
the clinic by a grandmother and friend. The doctors diagnosed eclampsia due to
extremely high blood pressure.
These poor Haitian people owe their lives to the generosity and
skill shared by the team from Conyers. Six family members walked the two-hour
journey on March 19, 2001, to renew acquaintances with the service team from
St. Pius and to express their gratitude.
Eighteen members from the Conyers parish traveled to the Los Palis
Parish March 10-25. Approximately 1,500 pounds of medical supplies were
delivered. Over 400 people were examined and medically treated.
In 1997 St. Pius joined the Haiti Parish Twinning Program and
adopted the Parish of Los Palis, part of the Henche Diocese. From a few pioneer
enthusiasts, a strong and diverse committee has developed.
Chairman Travis Collins said, “Our first priority is to
provide funding so that the parish catechists can be trained and given a
stipend.”
In a country where 60 percent of the working population is
unemployed, catechists need a stipend. As the committee expands, other
opportunities have developed. The first major expansion was to undertake a
medical mission in 2000. Other possibilities being considered are the
installation of a better water system and a goat-breeding program.
A key consideration for any projects in the sister parish is
consultation with local parish leadership. Father Robert Poncet, pastor, and
his assistant, Father Robert Michael, hosted a dinner for the St. Pius
delegation and the local parish council. A free-flowing discussion followed.
Needs and feasibility were prioritized. Fortunately both priests speak English
which greatly helps discussions.
The team members go to Haiti to share of themselves and to be
servants. Ironically the Gospel on the fourth day of the visit was from
Matthew, chapter 20: “The son of man did not come to be served, but to
serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many.”
Team members on the recent exchange said that they received much
more than they gave. Team members pay for their own travel and use their
vacation time. They speak of their experience as a mountaintop experience in
living Catholicism. It changes us to be much more appreciative of U.S.
affluence and standard of life.
A sister parish in Haiti was chosen in part because it is the
poorest country in this hemisphere. About 75 percent of the population live in
abject poverty. Life expectancy is 51.4 years, literacy is 45 percent, infant
mortality is 98.95 deaths per 1,000 births.
Hundreds in St. Pius have participated by helping with benefit
dinners, collecting goods, sponsoring school tuition for Haitian students and
making financial contributions. All these efforts are over and above support
for regular parish projects and functions. Indeed, the overseas efforts seem to
generate a greater desire to help other parish initatives, especially those of
a similar kind. The St. Pius outreach for the immigrant population in Rockdale
County is also thriving.
After over 20 years of working with the church in the Third World,
I am convinced of the faith enrichment that comes from Gospel sharing of time
and resources. Deep within there is a feeling of living the Lord’s
teaching expressed in Matthew 25: “As long as you did it to one of my
least brothers you did it to me.”
While not all get to see the miracle of a John Michael recovery,
faith assures us that our deeds for the poor count where it really matters.
Father Kieran is pastor of St. Pius X Church, Conyers. |
