Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
MM
by Antonella Prenna
Port au Prince (Agenzia Fides) - "The situation in Haiti has become really difficult, not only in the capital but also in the surrounding areas, where gangs dictate the law. Even in the provinces there are beginning to be great difficulties," said Father Massimo Miraglio (MI) to Fides about the current situation in which the Haitian population is preparing for the Holy Year that has just begun.
The missionary is parish priest of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Pourcine Pic Makaya, a remote village in the mountainous hinterland of Jeremie, 300 km from Port au Prince.
"Here in Pourcine we want to become pilgrims of hope. And we want to move forward on this difficult path.”
Father Massimo describes the enormous difficulties of a country. “Jeremy hardly receives any supplies from the capital anymore, except in extremely difficult conditions and at very high costs, which obviously affects fuel, the cost of living and a whole series of essential goods,” says the missionary. “The lack of fuel also prevents the fruits of the earth produced in the hinterland from reaching the markets of Jeremy.” He adds, “The rains of the last few weeks have made the roads and transport very, very difficult, and even in our community the difficulties are increasing day by day. The roads to the valley floor have now become almost impassable and transporting the products to Jeremy is extremely difficult and expensive. The same applies to deliveries from the capital of Jeremy to the hinterland. Unfortunately, the recent rains have also caused the failure of the bean harvest, the main source of income for the population. Despite everything, we continue to work, we move forward with hope, we try to set up small agricultural projects to support farmers, we continue with the nursery school. In 2025 we also want to move forward with the project for the location of the health clinic, which is essential in such a remote area, and the second section of the water pipeline, which will allow us to bring drinking water to some regions where it does not exist.”
““It is in this context of hope, of desire to live, of returning to a normal life and of planning for the future, that we prepare to live the Jubilee. The Holy Year has just begun,” said Father Massimo.
“Last week, early in the morning, we went down to the valley with a small delegation of believers from the parish to receive the Jubilee Cross that the bishop Pierre-André Dumas had distributed to each parish,” affirms the missionary, “It was not an easy journey on uneven and very, very slippery paths due to the incessant rain of the last few weeks. We had to walk for almost five hours before meeting a seminarian with another group who had come after Jeremy. Together we held a short time of prayer and then went in procession up the mountain towards the parish. When we arrived at the river that represents the entrance to the territory of our parish, we stopped and thanked the Lord once again in a moment of prayer for all the good that we managed to achieve in 2024. We asked the Lord to continue to inspire us and guide us in this Jubilee Year so that each of us can deepen and embody the theme of hope chosen by Pope Francis.
After the prayer, we set off again on the last, most demanding and steepest part of the path that led to the parish. In total, it was eight hours there and back. When we arrived at the gates of the village, part of the population also joined the procession. We entered the very simple building where we celebrate Mass and placed the Jubilee Cross next to the altar, which will accompany us throughout the year, inspire our actions, guide our words and, above all, be a source of hope for the implementation of good projects and all that the Lord has planned for us.”
“The Catholic community of Pourcine Pic Makaya,” concluded Father Massimo, “will live this Jubilee Year with great faith and great hope. We too want to participate from afar, from our small parish isolated in the mountains, we too feel part of this Catholic universal Church, and with the entire Catholic universal Church we want to celebrate this Jubilee Year, a Holy Year, a Year of Hope, a year in which we want to renew our commitments as Christians. A year in which we want to make a special commitment to continue building the community as a place of fraternity, solidarity and sharing." (Agenzia Fides, 11/1/2025)
MM
