Day 2..PM. My visit with the people/church of Port au Prince, Haiti

Let’s see……..where did I leave off.  Ah yes……..The parish garbage disposal was hard at work (left)Fr. Maart was there in his tent coordinating the reconstruction of the demolished school and rectory. 

 Because Catholic Relief Services was close by he was able to make that political connection which is how he got some help so fast.  With any help in Haiti…whether Catholic, Christian or Government…you have to rob Peter to pay Paul!

While the Papal Nuncio in Haiti gave the imperative to welcome all children into the tent schools they were promised money to pay for the additional costs that come with extra food, water and medicine.  To take in every child is also to assure education plus food! It has not arrived and probably never will.  Not words but the sentiment expressed.  While there is little hope in Church and Government, more emphasis is on getting help from the U.S. and the other 35 countries there. 

For example, my organization HCA immediate started collecting monies from the children of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  We raise over $400,000 and $50,000 was wired directly to 8 religious groups of priest and sisters who were already working in Haiti.  I can assure you, after visiting with them, that the money had been given for emergency aid of the people while they continue to live in damaged/condemned buildings.  As for the $70 million raised in the U.S. Catholic community and given to Catholic Relief Services to “assist” in the Haitian crisis, $30 million was given to the discretion of the bishops and $40million was and is being utilized to help in the emergency aid and reconstruction efforts.  Believe me, $70million is only a drop in the bucket.

People are still starving and living on top of their own waste.  You have the people in the slums (which have grown 400% over the past 50 years) helping (?) those people in the tent cities who have been displaced from their homes.

Day 2 fills me with “what to do’s” immediately and in the long run. 

I heard that the $1 billion of USA aid sent to Haiti, is mostly locked up in a bank somewhere until the Haitian government proposes their plan of cleaning up (not happening), food, medicine support of the Haitians (not happening), plan of reconstruction (not happening) and programs to continue education (not happening).  If it wasn’t for the UN and for outside humanitarian efforts….this place would be more of a wasteland that it already seems to have become.

Oh well……. 

Fr. Joe continues to apologize for the house, my quarters and that there is no cook.  He  is coming to learn that I’m nothing and can hang quite easily on what little there is.  He’s awesome!  They don’t get many stayover visitors from the USA Church and is happy that he has some companionship.

My goal for tomorrow…is to find a flower.  Haven’t seen one yet.

ACTUALLY, I SURE AS HECK DID!!!!!!!   THE REAL DEAL

I moved on to the hills to visit the parish that Fr. Joe helps out at…St. Anthony’s.  There we have a convent…Sister of St. Anthony of Padua…an orphanage, a Church, Parish center, Rectory and parish Hall. We lunched in their plywood convent (a makeshift shack) of rice and beans.  They offered me a Haitian Beer and…I didn’t take it!  Unbelievable !  I was a little distracted.  Impressed?  well, Check it out….

Here we have the parish conference room and learning center the rectory and the church below