Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Jimani (Agenzia Fides) – Monday, February 15th an "historic" meeting took place, which was attended by the Claretian Missionaries in Haiti (Fathers Joachim, Beauplan, and Anistus), those in Jimaní in the Dominican Republic (Fathers Pepe and Roselio), the team from the Government Delegation of the Antilles (Fathers of Hector, Alexis, and Camilo), and lay members of the Claretian organization PROMICLA (Thomas Lamberty and Nancy Burgos). An announcement of the meeting was sent to Fides.
"A month after the earthquake, it was time to distance ourselves a bit from the tragic situation in which the Haitian people are still living, to discuss - with certain objectivity - the reality of the people and Claretians living in Haiti and Jimaní, and agree together on a work plan to respond to all the offers of solidarity that have come in from many parts of the world," says the text, which continues: "We have also analyzed the human and material resources at our disposal and set priorities in both short and long term. There is no doubt that the first priority is the stabilization of the Claretian community in Haiti. Our brothers still live in the countryside. Until we find a safe place for them to live, it will be impossible for them to help others. This is our first goal."
"Secondly - continues the letter sent to Fides - we want to rebuild the church of St. Anthony Maria Claret in Nazon. To do this, we must begin to collect the debris with the people there in the community. We cannot wait for the government or other institutions, they already have enough work. Once we have collected the debris, we will look for a large tent for faith celebrations with the Christian community that truly needs a place of worship to pray for the dead and invoke Divine Intervention."
The text of the letter concludes noting that the Claretian community in Haiti will need a vehicle for the move into the city. They also agreed to continue helping people through the distribution of food in strategic areas surrounding the parish. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 24/02/2010)
