Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) - Father Hector Cuadrado, Superior of the Claretians in the Antilles, has traveled to Haiti make direct observation of the situation. With Fr. Alexis, he left from Santo Domingo, noting that at the border many injured are being assisted. According to his account, sent to Fides, to arrive in Port-au-Prince he traveled 3 hours by car (twice what would be normal). In the center of the Haitian capital, he saw that the majority of buildings were destroyed. In Delmas, they met with their brothers (Father Anistus and Fr. Beauplan), who expressed mixed feelings: pain, frustration, confusion, as well as the joy of seeing them, and gratitude. Fr. Cuadrado said: "Our brothers are sleeping outside in the courtyard, where they also host some of their friends and neighbors who have lost everything."
In the parish of St. Anthony Mary Claret, the men found themselves before a scene of destruction: 10 years of work thrown to the ground by the force of nature. But what is essential remains: “our people, our people!” People walk aimlessly through the streets, building make-shift shelters in parks, on plots of land, in parking lots, and at service stations. Many Haitian seminarians do not know anything about the fate of their families, it is a very difficult situation for them.
The Claretian community are especially important right now, as they are in Jimaní, a border town, probably the most important point of border crossing between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. It is here that the Claretian Missionaries, almost three years ago, established a new missionary center, accepting the pastoral care of two large rural parishes (Jimaní and La Descubierta), in what is often called "Sur Profundo", characterized mainly by extreme poverty, lack of development, and social welfare.
Some locals and Claretians from the Dominican Republic recently opened, have now become a shelter for the wounded who need medical care. Two doctors and two nurses from Puerto Rico are helping the professional staff from the Dominican Republic in this mission of solidarity. More than ten doctors will be arriving in the days to come. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 21/01/2010)
