Haiti
Food for Life
“Without this help, life would be very difficult,” 82-year-old Gustave Destave told me on my recent visit to Kobonal, Haiti. “I don’t have any money to buy something to eat, so this food makes me well and strong.” After her husband died and her children moved away, Gustave has found it difficult to survive day-to-day. … Continue reading
A Peaceful Oasis for At-Risk Girls
During my recent trip to Haiti, I had the privilege of spending a breezy morning at Bethsaide Children’s Center in the seaside town of Jacmel. At Bethsaide, the love of Christ is palpable. This Cross Catholic-supported project provides a temporary home for seven girls from troubled, desperately poor families. In an area decimated by rising … Continue reading
Oregon Teen Helps Cross Catholic Build a Home in Haiti
Caroline Newman of Coquille, Oregon may be young, but her Christ-like actions are making a huge difference for a family in Haiti. The 14-year-old Girl Scout was deeply impacted after a priest visited her local church. He told her congregation that though it’s been a year and a half since the earthquake, many Haitian families … Continue reading
Under Construction
Cross Catholic President Jim Cavnar recently traveled to Croix-de-Bouquets, Haiti, where he met with Monsignor Jean Pierre of the Archdiocese of Miami to have a look at the ongoing construction of a new Cross Catholic-supported health clinic. An earthquake-proof security wall and seven-room guesthouse are already finished, and construction crews are now laying cement blocks … Continue reading
Much Has Been Done But There’s Still Work to Do!
Traveling in and around Port-au-Prince recently, I was struck by two contradictory impressions. First, it appears quite a bit of rubble has been cleaned up compared to what I saw during my last trip to Haiti six months after the quake. Of course, there are still places where houses and buildings are waiting to be … Continue reading
Christmas in July
It’s not Christmas yet, but children in Haiti received a shiny little gift last week thanks to loving Catholics who participated in Cross Catholic’s cross necklace campaign. During my visit to Haiti last week, Cross Catholic President Jim Cavnar handed out a special “cadeau” (Creole for ‘gift’) to the children after their meal, which I … Continue reading
A Big Impact for the Poor
When Sister Irene Duval of the Compassionate Franciscan Sisters of the Poor first arrived in the village of Viloux, Haiti, she wanted to serve children—but she couldn’t exactly figure out how, until she discovered a need she could meet with support from Cross Catholic. “When I came here, it was a quiet little town and … Continue reading
Political Change in Haiti
“Tet Kale” is a Creole phrase with a double meaning: “shaved head” and “all the way.” But as the campaign slogan of Michel “Sweet Micky” Martelly, Haiti’s president-elect, it also implies a third meaning – change. A preliminary vote count this week handed Martelly a clear 68 percent majority, setting him on course to become … Continue reading
Divine Plan for Recovery
Haitians went to the election polls March 20 for the second round of the country’s presidential runoff. Though there was no significant violence or protests, as there was late last year in the first round of voting, the earthquake-shattered country’s future remains uncertain as the people select their new leader. We at Cross Catholic have … Continue reading
Progress at Pwoje Espwa
It’s always encouraging to see a tangible result of our donors’ generosity, especially in a place like Haiti that is in such desperate need of good news. One of those tangible results is the construction of two new girls’ dorms at Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope), an orphanage led by Father Marc Boisvert in southern Haiti. … Continue reading
