Print Issue: November 28, 2002

Haitian Catholic Community Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

By Priscilla Greear, Staff Writer

DECATUR - The Haitian Catholic community rejoiced Nov. 3 at Sts. Peter and Paul Church on their fifth anniversary in Atlanta.

Chantale Mompoint is one Haitian Catholic with deep gratitude for the opportunity to worship in her native languages of French and Creole through this group. After moving with her family from Haiti to New York, she grew up attending Haitian Masses.

Dressed in native costume, Sandy Alfred, Shamika Mompoint, Nadine Dorcin and Akalia Durand perform a Haitian dance during a celebration marking the fifth year Mass was celebrated for the Atlanta Haitian community. The Mass was celebrated in French and Creole by Father Guyma Noel. The celebration took place at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur. (Photos by Linda Schaefer/Archdiocese of Atlanta)

"I lived in New York since I was 11 or 12 years old and was very involved in the church and when I moved down here there was no Haitian Mass for quite a long time. I missed it so much. That was the only thing I missed. When Father Guyma (Noel) told me he was doing this I was extremely happy. Our main thing . . . is for people to come and be able to pray and understand Mass in their own language," said Mompoint, a founding member and group leader.

Community founder Father Noel and current chaplain Father Maxis St. Fleur, both from Haiti, and Father Kevin Peek, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur, celebrated the Haitian Mass. Earlier, on Nov. 2 about 250 people gathered for an anniversary party celebrated with Haitian music, dance, and traditional foods like fried pork and spicy fried chicken.

One of Mompoint's daughters dressed up as an angel for the anniversary liturgy, and the other in traditional Haitian dress, and her son served on the altar. She said it's important for her to have her three children experience the liturgy in her native tongue.

"When I started going five years ago my kids knew no Creole words and French words in their vocabulary. Now for my kids, not only for my kids but for most of the kids, to see them be able to stand up and do readings...it touches my heart seeing them trying to be involved in it."

The Mass in French and Creole was more than two hours long and was celebrated in traditional Haitian style. Women and girls dressed in the traditional blue Haitian dresses carried straw baskets with pineapple, flour and oil to the altar while a man with a straw hat carried a machete. Musicians with instruments, including drums and a tambourine, created Caribbean rhythms as they led the congregation in song. At the end members stood up to announce birthdays and other special events in the community and welcome visitors. In his homily Father Noel encouraged more leadership within the Haitian Catholic community to foster unity and to reach out more effectively to other Haitian Catholics.

In an interview later Father Noel explained that when he first began serving as a priest for the archdiocese he saw the steady growth of the Haitian population and realized the need for the church to respond to their pastoral needs. That led him to start the Mass, which initially drew around 10 people. "The Haitian population is 20,000-30,000 in metro Atlanta and most of them are Catholic. But the problem is if there isn't any parish ministry that addresses their needs they go to Protestant churches" that are offering worship services in French and Creole.

He hopes that the archdiocese will develop a more structured way to reach out to the various immigrant groups in the archdiocese, including people from Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad and St. Lucia, many of whom are Catholic. "It's a challenge of the church in Atlanta to respond to all the immigrants in the church. We do a good job with the Spanish, but my belief is that we need to do more in terms of many other immigrants in the diocese," he said. "We have a good number of countries represented here. This is a very good archdiocese, a lot of diversity. I would encourage (Catholics) to look at this diversity of the Catholicism in the diocese. Everybody can be part of God's house."

The priest said that most Haitians in the Catholic community now speak English but that the Haitian Mass is more about expressing their faith very emotionally through the culture with a vibrant liturgy, similar to an African-American style. "It is expressing their faith in their own culture which allows them to maintain their Catholic faith just as with Hispanics . . . It's very charismatic. This is the kind of atmosphere, the music, liturgy and mood that would nourish their faith. They spend time to worship. They're not in a rush. The American (Mass) is like one hour and go back home. They spend time and worship and praise God and spend time and socialize."

Regular group activities include Mass in French and Creole celebrated every Sunday at 4 p.m. at Sts. Peter and Paul which draws around 150, as well as a charismatic prayer meeting on Fridays, and prayer groups that meet in members' homes. An annual spiritual conference is held with Haitian speakers from around the country and from Haiti. Mompoint hopes that eventually the group will be able to offer Haitian Masses in other parts of the archdiocese, as Decatur is too far a drive for some. Currently the group has a large number of members from Marietta.

Father St. Fleur is eager to see the group grow through the development of more activities and is glad to have become the new chaplain last January. "I enjoy it because I'm among my people. It's like I'm in my country and when I'm celebrating Mass in French and Creole I enjoy it . . . We try to do our best to help them to keep their faith."

Little "angels" Chelsea Mompoint, Betty Alfred and Chelsea Sisi process into the church with a banner proclaiming the Haitian Catholic community. l-r, Father Maxis St. Fleur, Father Guyma Noel and Father Kevin Peek celebrate Mass for the Haitian community at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Decatur. The Mass in French and Creole on Nov. 3 was more than two hours long and was celebrated in traditional Haitian style. Women and girls dressed in the traditional blue Haitian dresses carried straw baskets with pineapple, bananas, flour and oil to the altar while a man with a straw hat carried a machete.