Can You Hear Me Now?...Now?...Now?
One Monday in November, Dieudonne Basile, Pè Gene Squeo and I attended the 6:00 a.m. Mass in Jacmel cathedral, where we shared in the lovely ordination liturgy the day before. Pè Guy, one of the three young Haitian deacons ordained priest that Sunday, celebrated and preached the Monday Mass. We were feeling very much the presence of God in the music, the new priest, the Word and Blessed Sacrament.
After Mass, walking out the cathedral door, we circled around the huge market that was just waking up. As we neared full circle, we passed the mound of garbage the merchants had thrown out the night before. There in the foul garbage, along with two pigs and a dog, was a young boy searching for edibles. We were seeing Jesus present one more time, knowing He was calling us to act for a better Haiti and a better world, if only for the children.
Advent and Christmas this year might prepare us and enable us to recognize the presence of Christ, in surprising and unlikely ways today, as it was two thousand years ago in the Bethlehem cave. Jesus is calling each of us by name Now.
Pè Jack Martin
"Greetings and Gratitude! Courage and Persistence!"
In This Issue:These words with which Father Gerard Jean-Juste began his letter from prison to all advocating for him, provide a backdrop for this issue of Kenbe Fèm. We send greetings and express gratitude to all who work with us for the good of the people of Haiti. We rever the courage and applaud the persistence of those who respect human rights and denounce the violations of them.
"Like St. Paul and St. Peter," Father Juste says elsewhere, "my body is in prison but my spirit is free!" That truth is what astounds so many as repressions on all levels continue to be thrust upon the poor people of Haiti and they demonstrate an indomitable spirit that cannot be crushed.
- A Letter from Our President (Creole)
- A Letter from Our President (English)
- Hope for Haiti by Father Gene Squeo
- Anti-Poverty Summit Held November 14-19
- In Memoriam: Robert Queenan
- Judy Reilly on Her Recent Visit to Haiti (November 2-9)
- Temporary Protective Status: A Story
- Why You Should Come to Haiti by Ron Voss
- In Solidarity: Current Activities
- Membership News
A Letter from Our President (Creole)
O REVWA 2004, E BYENVINI 2005!!
Manb Haiti Solidarity Network of the Northeast (HSNNE) yo ansanm avèk mwen ap mande Bon Dye gran mèt la ki genyen tout pouvwa pou'l fè nou pase yon bòn fèt. N'ap swete ane kap vini a va pote yon gwo souri nan figi Manman Ayiti cheri nou a.
Jodi ya nou konnen tout kè Ayisyen ki gen konsyans e kè zanmi Ayiti yo gwo anpil. Ala yon gwo doulè pou nou konstate tout mizè, tribilasyon e magouy ki chita nan mitan peyi sila a. Men nan mitan tout gwo katastrof sa yo menm si nou pa wè klè se pou nou sonje papa Bon Dye pap janm lage nou. E se pou nou di se sak fè tout moun Mapou, Gonaives, Ennery, Gros Mornes, Port-De-Paix pat disparèt lè siklòn Fransis e Jàn te ravaje peyi a.
Konnyè a nou dwe wè nou genyen yon lòt chans pou nou leve tèt Ayiti. Se pou nou pran yon rezolisyon pou'n travay ansanm pou devlope Manman Ayiti.
Donk ane kap vini a, ane 2005 la, n'ap bezwen fè yon gwo konbit. Yon konbit kote tout Ayisyen ap kole tèt ansanm: Lavalas, Konvèjans e 184, nèg lavil ak nèg nan mòn, pòv ak rich, moun ki konn li e moun ki pat janm al lekòl, restavèk e pitit gwo moun ansanm ak dyaspora.
Yon konbit kote nou tout pral kanpe ansanm pou'n di: Aba okipasyon! Aba eksplwatasyon! Aba chyen manje chyen! Aba vyolans! Aba grangou! Aba kou deta! Viv libète! Lanmou! Lapè! Lajistis! Demokrasi! Respè! E Rekonsilyasyon! Se pou nou pran konsyans se Ayisyen sèlman ki kab sove Ayiti - Wi nou bezwen èd lòt peyi - Wi lòt peyi fèt pou ede nou men vrè travay pou libere Ayiti a se nou menm Ayisyen ki pou fè'l.
Jodiya pandan n'ap prepare pou selebre Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanuka, Three Kings, e ane 2005 la, annou tout sipliye Bon dye pou li voye Lespri Sen desann sou Manman Ayiti pou li kapab delivre pitit li yo. Annou mande Lespri Sen pou li simen grenn Rekonsilasyon, Lanmou e Lapè nan kè tout Ayisyen. Avèk sa na va pwospere e pran kontwòl peyi nou a e manman Ayiti va bèl ankò.
Malgre tristès fin anvayi kè nou m'ap mande nou pou nou pa dezespere. Ane 2005 la ap pote kichoy pou nou. E si nou travay di na va byen rekolte nan jaden tèt kole sa a.
Kenbe fèm!
President, HSNNE
A Letter from the President of HSNNE
Greetings friends of Haiti!
As we are celebrating the holiday season, let us give thanks to God, the Almighty, for His many blessings. Let us show appreciation, respect and love to all His creation. Finally, let us remember all our brothers and sisters in Haiti, Iraq, the Sudan, etc., who are faced with tremendous challenges in our troubled world.
HSNNE will also take this opportunity to wish you all a very healthy, prosperous and peaceful holiday. We thank you for your on-going support and want you to know that we are counting on your prayers and financial assistance the year ahead.
Indeed, we need you more than ever today as we watch our brothers and sisters in Haiti going through what seems impossible. They not only have to face the aftermath of hurricane Francis and Jeanne, but also have to struggle with on-going poverty, political unrest, hatred, the total disinterest, exploitation and lack of respect shown by the international community for their culture, and their need for self-determination. The people of Haiti are desperate and need your immediate attention. They need you NOW.
How can you help?
- Educate yourself about what is going on in Haiti and how the international community is contributing to the chaos there.
- Share that knowledge with your friends, family and/or colleagues.
- Advocate for a free Haiti. Please write to your elected officials (your governors, representatives and the White House) ask them to respect democracy in Haiti; ask them to allow the people of Haiti the freedom to choose their president; to refrain from facilitating coup d'etat and to give individuals who are fleeing Haiti for political reasons the same considerations as individuals from other nations.
Please visit the following websites if you want to learn about the struggles of the Haitian people: windowsonHaiti.com, lethaitilive.com, jamaicaobserver.com, portlandmercury.com.
May God in His Mercy grant you and your family abundant Joy, Peace, and Spiritual guidance during the holiday season!
Georgette Delinois,
President
Hope for Haiti: Father Gene Squeo Writes on HSNNE's Recent Visit
During our recent visit to Haiti, Dieudonne Bazile, Jack Martin and myself had the opportunity to meet with Pè Godfried Midi at the major seminary in Cazeau and listen to his reflections on the current state of affairs in Haiti. Pè Midi is a Jesuit priest who has spent most of his ministry in spiritual direction and retreat work, mostly with seminarians, priests and religious. Frequently, Pè Midi integrates social analysis with his theological reflections.
We asked Midi where Haiti's hope lies. Midi responded that the hope for Haiti must be found within the Haitian people themselves. Midi believes that the downward spiral of tragic events and political repression engulfing Haiti today is the direct result of a mentality that is characterized by violence, divisiveness and a self-interest that ignores the needs of society and welfare of others. Midi insists that what is needed more than anything else is a change in mentality and a change of heart among Haitian people.
According to Midi, people need to reject violence as their immediate response to opposition. For Haiti to have a future, people must acquire a spirit of nonviolence that is shown in respect for others and for the environment. Haitian people need to strive to heal the bitter political, economic, social, and cultural divisions that exist in Haitian society. People must commit themselves to the task of developing a spirit of national unity that seeks to include all regardless of differences. There is a need to replace self-interest with a desire for the common good.
Midi sees the Church with a leading role in this effort to change hearts. He believes that the Church with its numerous educational facilities throughout Haiti and its ready access to young people can begin formation of youth in this new mentality starting in kindergarten and continuing throughout their education. The emphasis would be on respect, a spirit that seeks unity and inclusiveness, a spirit commited to the common good. Midi sees this effort as an ecumenical one involving not only the Catholic Church but other religious bodies as well. The transformation envisioned by Midi would surely provide hope for Haiti's future.
(Sr. Mary Alban Bouchard, CSJ has completed a series of booklets called Lape Gaye- Bati Yon Kilti Lape to be used by animators of youth for the purpose of instilling this new commitment to respect and the common good.)
Anti-Poverty Summit
Fonkoze, Haiti's largest micro-finance institution, and Zanmi Lasante (Partners in Health), Haiti's leading non-governmental provider of rural primary medical care, joined efforts with Haitian and global partners and experts in health and micro-finance at an anti-poverty summit November 14-19, 2004. Experts in community mobilization, education, water, sanitation, and agriculture also took part. These experts came as far away as Bangladesh, Cameroon and Bolivia and as near as Dominican Republic to solve the problem of economic dependency for Haiti's most vulnerable. As Third World countries, their experience combined with Fonkoze and Zanmi Lasante's knowledge of the problems and the poor in Haiti, this task is not impossible.
Dr. Paul Farmer (founder of Zanmi Lasante) says, "I am tired of bringing people on the edge of death from tuberculosis, AIDS or other diseases to the point where they can become economically active, then watching them suffer because they have no way to make a living."
Farmer's work in central Haiti is the subject of the bestseller Mountains Beyond Mountains by Pulitzer Prize winning author Tracy Kidder.
Anne Hastings, Director of Fonkoze, adds, " We want to explode the myth that we don't know how to end extreme poverty. We're pushing the boundaries of problem-solving methodology by fostering intensive cross-cultural inter-action among expert practitioners. The purpose is to design the programs that will transform the most destitute from recipients of charity to independent heads of households." (See http://www.fonkoze.org/summit.htm ).
In Memoriam: Robert Queenan
He came to some HSNNE meetings and listened with his eyes because Robert Queenan was deaf since age three. "He never considered himself to be deaf," his niece Kathy explained -- perhaps because he lived more in the spirit where there are no limitations.
At age 75, Robert suffered a stroke and died, having lived a life full of service to and advocacy on behalf of the deaf. He was an unavoidable squeaky wheel to bishops and politicians alike. Recently, Mr. Queenan was involved in raising money for a school for the deaf in Haiti. He lived courage and persistence.
Judy Reilly on Her Recent Trip to Haiti - Nov. 2 - 9, 2004
Clauvice St. Hilaire, Ethel Prusha and I recently spent a week in Haiti, visiting Port-au- Prince, Cape Haitian, Vallieres and Fort Liberty. Haiti is very different now compared to other visits I have made on several occasions since 1998. Foreign troops are visible at the airport, on the streets and in the cities we visited. They carry guns and ride in white vehicles and tanks displaying the United Nations logo. They appear to be from several different countries such as Brazil, Spain and South Africa.
We were fortunate to share our flight and a night at Visitation House with Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Johanna Berrigan and Linda Panetta on the day of our arrival. They were in Haiti to visit Fr. Gerard Jean-Juste, who was imprisoned by the current Haitian government while he was serving food to the poor at his church. The police arrived at his church, some wearing face masks and carrying guns, which they fired into the people. Three children were wounded by the gunfire. Father Jean-Juste was taken from the church and put in jail. The initial charge was disturbing the peace, subsequently amended to something along the lines of being a threat to the government. He remains in jail to this date without benefit of arraignment or trial. The incident has drawn the attention of human rights advocates around the world.
It took two days for Bishop Gumbleton, Johanna and Linda to be allowed into the jail to visit Father Jean-Juste. Linda, a photo journalist, was not permitted to bring her camera with her. The night of their visit, Father Jean-Juste was put into a car and moved to another jail, without explanation. He later told William Quigley, another human rights advocate, that he was terrified that he was being taken to be killed.
We were fortunate again, upon our return to Port-au-Prince a week later, to spend a night at Visitation House with William Quigley. He is a lawyer and professor at Loyola University Law School in New Orleans with a long and impressive history of speaking out against war, injustice and abuse of power. Each of these courageous human rights advocates places himself on the front line of injustice to speak out against abuses of freedom and human dignity. Bill Quigley believes that the mandate of the Gospels requires him to work in Haiti. I think that many of us have become involved in Haiti for the same reason.
There are other people being held in Haitian jails without benefit of arraignment or trial, such as Yvon Neptune, the former Prime Minister, Harold Severe, the former Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Jocelerme Privert, the former Minister of the Interior and Annette Auguste, a 69 year old popular folk singer, among others. When basic rights of due process under the law are being denied, it is a serious and destructive situation, regardless of political differences. We should speak out for justice, fairness and reconciliation in any forum that may be effective to encourage positive change in Haiti.
On a more encouraging note, the projects of Our Lady of Mercy Church, Park Ridge are going very well in Vallieres. The scholarship program for tuition to secondary school now sponsors 264 children. A group of professors started a new secondary school, College L'Union de Vallieres, in the village last year, in reliance on the scholarship program. It now has 82 students and is the pride of the village. We have asked the Bishop and the Pastor to allow this school to occupy an abandoned building on church land and they have agreed.
After two years of trying, we have started an adult literacy program and hope to begin shortly with five centers and about 100 people. Our community group is strong and is comprised of about 40 small groups. We are going through some growing pains with the executive committee, but our 16 small groups that have received micro-credit loans are all doing well. We are also beginning to put into place a program to make agricultural help and techniques available to the small farmers, with the hope of increasing their saleable crops and maybe even making a dent in reforestation. We hope that if our adult literacy program and our agricultural program are successful, the models and the personnel can be made available to other communities.
Although I returned from this trip with some sadness and worry, I also returned with hope and faith in the Haitian people.
Judith Reilly
(Brian Concannon, of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti, informed us that Fr. Jean-Juste was released Nov. 29th due to a sustained campaign of international support for him by prominent religious figures, lawyers, grassroots groups and human rights advocates in Haiti and throughout the world. The release shows that collective action for justice can succeed, and offers hope for Haiti's other 700 political prisoners.The following websites offer information: www.ijdh.org, www.lethaitilive.org, www.haitiaction.net.)
Temporary Protective Status
Edwidge Danticat's "A Very Haitian Story", published in the New York Times and adapted here, tells of her uncle Rev. Joseph N. Dantica who fled Haiti after gang members ransacked his home and church and set fire to the school because the U.N. peacekeepers had used the roof of a building that housed his church and school for a military operation in Bel-Air in which 15 gang members were killed. The gang said the minister had to pay for the funerals or die.
Although her uncle was traveling on a multiple-entry visa, as he always had done, immigration officials at Miami International Airport questioned him and took him to Krome Detention Center when he asked for asylum, explaining he would be killed if he returned. His medicine for an inflamed prostate and high blood pressure was taken away from him. Twenty-four hours later, still in custody, he died at a nearby hospital.
Sadly, Ms. Danticat states, her uncle's case is not unusual in regard to the Homeland Security Department's dismissive treatment of Haitian asylum seekers. While the American government just renewed for the fourth time, another 18 month term of the Temporary protected Status granted to approximately 85,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans after Hurricane Mitch in 1998, it will not give the same status to 20,000 Haitians living here. It denies Haitians this status even though the interim government in Haiti (with the backing of both Democratic and Republican officials in the U.S.) appealed for the measure to give Haiti time to stabilize its security system and recover from a severe housing shortage resulting from the ravages of Jeanne. Homeland Security officials often cite security concerns and the fear of mass migration to justify their immigration policy for Haitians but is it really wise for the U.S. to allow a country so close to Florida to so seriously decay?
Ms. Danticat states further, that despite the international aid money that has been pledged to Haiti, the absence of a viable security force and the lack of other much needed infrastructure- like roads, schools and medical care- inhibits real recovery and perpetuates an environment that not only makes life in Haiti dangerous but unlivable for its poorest and most vulnerable residents.
Like Nicaraguans and Hondurans, Haitians should be granted temporary protection status while Haiti tries to recover from the political plagues and environmental disasters suffocating it. Like the claims from Cubans, Haitian asylum claims should be considered fairly and humanely so that calamities like her uncle's flight and eventual death in the custody of the Homeland Security Department, are never repeated.
Why You Should Come to Haiti -- Ron Voss, Visitation House
In response to messages telling those planning to come to Haiti NOT to come, Ron Voss writes:
"I would just say that we have had more than 60 groups stay with us this Fall, and I simply can't imagine the enormous loss to the Haitian people if these doctors and nurses and lawyers and human rights workers and bishops and sisters and priests and members of the diaspora, and so many support staff had not come to Haiti. I tell everyone of them how I admire their enormous courage and it is clear to me more than ever that fewer and fewer people are coming to Haiti for "Spring break".
It is being understood by the average American now that this country didn't become the poorest on its own, and there is a tremendous responsibility involved in not abandoning the commitments so many have made to see the shift from poverty with misery to poverty with dignity move forward! These last 20 years of Haitian history have given such hope to the Haitian people, only to see attempts to crush that hope emerge from time to time. We are in one of those storms now, and the boat of democracy, of Haitian sovereignty, of economic justice, of peace is being tossed ruthlessly in this tumultuous sea. Many of us have learned that solidarity, while such a pleasure on sunny days, is only so because of the storms that have been weathered of threats, violence, coup d'etats vicious lies, and fear on the rough days.
Haiti has had enough of trafficked arms, and we are seeing the results daily of such weaponry. What is needed more than ever are the open arms our delegations bring to Haiti. Arms are needed to pick up the children at Mother Theresa's; arms to guide the surgeries and treatments our medical teams have provided; arms to reach out to the suffering thousands with compassion shown by a small gift, hug or kiss that says we are with you in this trying time.
'Jesus comes as God disarmed,' Dan Berrigan said to me once, and I can't help but hope the world will see that truth before the opposite view takes us down a desperate road of escalated violence. Whether it's in Iraq, or Haiti, the Sudan or an NBA arena or football stadium, or even anyone's home, we have to find the alternative rather quickly. One of the alternatives we have found in Haiti is the constant visits of people who are learning to express their compassion in very real ways, the most obvious one being their personal presence.
There is risk in that, to be sure. To be vulnerable, rather than secure, requires great courage. But I am convinced that unless Jesus was totally off base, that there is what we have come to call GRACE, i.e., some mysterious power of God, that enables that leap of faith! Someone sent me a quote the other day, and now I can't remember who said it, but it helps. "I have been absolutely terrified everyday of my life…but it hasn't kept me from doing what I sensed to be the call of God". That's Grace under pressure!!!! And on this Nov. 22nd, I do know who said that….it was JFK's definition of "courage."
Sorry for the theologizing of this question which most of you have been stating in rather straight terms: "but is it safe??????" The simple, straight answer is "NO!!! of course not!!!" but it has never been safe to follow Jesus' call…it wasn't safe for Him!!!!
In the most specific terms of discerning the value of your presence in Haiti at this time, I plead with you to let the Scriptures be your guide, not the State Department warnings or the Associated Press. Ascertain from the people you will visit in Haiti whether they think you should come…they are the ones best able to help with that. Pray fiercely, as a community about this, resist all the faces of fear that eat away at courage and, above all, count on that aforementioned Grace to empower you."
With much gratitude to all of you this "Thanksgiving season",
In Solidarity: Current Activities
Eagle Scout Project
Interested in doing something for Haiti for his Nutley Eagle Scout Project, Joe Beronio and his dad came to our November meeting to discuss this and get some input. Joe will be collecting sporting equipment, medical supplies, soaps, back packs, canned food and peanut butter, if approved. Joe has organized plans for the collection of these items. It's expected they will be stored at the Hillside Community Food Bank with the remainder of HSNNE's sea container awaiting the next shipment. It's encouraging to see young people active in this work.
Responding to the Call
The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, in response to their Mission Initiative Task Force on Haiti, have had an immersion experience for some members of their Congregation and sought out opportunities for collaboration on sustainable projects in the areas of Gonaives, Gros Morne, Basin and Anse Rouge in Haiti. Sister Rosemary Moynihan,S.C., who attended our meeting, shared that these places were chosen because Sister Bernice Buckley, S.C. had previously ministered there and there were requests from the people in these areas for the sisters to join them. Also, there is the ongoing commitment of several members of the Congregation to the ministry at Anse Rouge.
In their communiqué, the sisters who went to Haiti say, "We saw life lived at a most primitive level by many. We felt the irony of great dignity and sadness of people living on the edge of survival. There is barely subsistence here. The absence of water and food is palpable. There is an unspoken anxiety here about the water. But the people that we met, those who walked miles to meet us, shared a desire to grow, develop and gain a better world for their children. That was palpable. We were deeply moved."
"We completed our mission. We had seen with our own eyes the plight of the pople of Haiti. We traveled far into the land and walked with the people. We met hope-filled, courageous women, men and children in miserable circumstances. We found wonderful sisters, priests and lay people of all faiths working in close collaboration with the people of Haiti to help them help themselves. We believe that it is time for us to join them."
The Congregation is seeking three to five members to volunteer for a 3-6 month placement in Gros Morne. An evaluation will follow to determine a year long commitment to this mission. The goal is to have sisters ready to go to Gros Morne on or before June, 2005.
Membership News
HSNNE Meetings Offer an Opportunity To Be in Good Company!
Upcoming Events
We meet the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph's Center, 118 Division Street, Elizabeth, NJ.
Our 2005 Dinner Dance will be April 9th, at Marist High in Bayonne.
Retreat 2005 will be May 13th and 14th at Father Judge Center in Stirling.
Membership
Please become a member or renew your membership in HSNNE for 2005. The cost is $10.00 for the year. We rely on your dues to meet expenses for the Kenbe Fèm newsletter and our other endeavors. We have exciting plans for this new year and we need your support.
Please send your check to
P.O. Box 202
Northvale, NJ 07647
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