Hand-in-Hand with Haiti Twinning Outreach
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Feast of St. Gabriel
Video of Mass at St. Gabriel's Church on
Sep. 29, 2023
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Why & What is Twinning?
Twinning is the establishment of a close relationship between parishes of different cultures fostering personal ties with our Catholic brothers and sisters in the larger universal Church. It also serves to deepen our call to mercy and justice through the consciousness of the commitment to global solidarity.
In the 1997 pastoral letter, “Called to Global Solidarity: International Challenges for U.S. Parishes,” the US Catholic Bishops invited U.S. parishioners to become better connected through prayer, mission, and financial support.
Hand in Hand with Haiti
In 2008, Holy Family parish joined with St. Gabriel parish, a community of approximately one thousand six hundred people in the mountains of Haiti, to develop a relationship of sharing, solidarity, prayer and understanding. In the time since our parish twinning partnership began, a strong bond has been created with the faith-filled people from this small community. We are blessed by their prayer and joy as they live a life that is without many of the comforts to which we have become accustomed.
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Holy Family Twinning Mission Statement
To work with St. Gabriel parish in building a healthier and self-sustaining community and to help our parishes grow in the spirit of thankfulness and humility which is evident in the people of St. Gabriel.
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Map of Haiti
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Location of Beau Sejour
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St. Gabriel Parish
Nestled in the mountains of western Haiti about 31 miles from Port-au-Prince and between the cities of Leogane and Jacmel lies the remote village of Beau Sejour and the Catholic community of St. Gabriel Parish, School, and Clinic. Measuring about nine and a half miles, Beau Sejour extends beyond to the near and not-so near chapels and can only be accessed on rocky dirt roads on the sides of the mountains. It can take over 5 hours to arrive there from Leogane, mostly on foot or by mule. It can also be accessible by truck with an arduous trek over ten mountains. The journey can take 6-8 hours.
This rural poor community mostly depends on their own planting of crops for sustenance. In our twinning relationship, in which we have partnered with this parish since 2008, the people of Holy Family have come to know that even with their poverty and isolation, these Haitian people are full of joy and hope. They rejoice when it rains so they can plant their meager crops of corn and beans.
The epicenter of the 2010 earthquake measuring a 7.0 magnitude was only fifteen miles from Beau Sejour. This event destroyed most of the buildings of the parish: the rectory, a school, and an abandoned medical building.
Catastrophic Hurricane Matthew in 2016 then completed the destruction of what remained of the skeleton church building.
With the help of a fellow Twinning partner, St. Margaret Mary Parish in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, some of these buildings have been rebuilt. However, as of December 2022, a church for the people of St. Gabriel had not been started.
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Accomplishments
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Since 2008, Hand in Hand with Haiti has accomplished many milestones including:
- Establishing a relationship with Parish Twinning Programs of America
- Strengthening relationships with St. Gabriel via frequent visits from the pastor of St. Gabriel to St. Petersburg and the Holy Family team members to Beau Sejour
- Between 2010 and 2018 Holy Family provided an annual medical mission team seeing more than 1,200 patients
- Raised more than $100,000 to assist with meds and medical missions as well as the rebuilding of the rectory and the building of a Mission House.
- For over 15 years Holy Family and other dedicated individuals have helped to support St. Gabriel parish through quarterly stipends.
- With the assistance of a grant from the Alleghany Franciscans, Holy Family provided nursing education for a St. Gabriel community member to become a nurse and continue to serve there.
- Between the covid pandemic and now the violent unrest in the country of Haiti, American visitors are no longer able to visit St Gabriel Parish. However, Holy Family Parish continues to support the clinic through monies sent for medications, salary of the nurse, and the monthly visit by a young Haitian doctor, Dr. Roosvelt Romelus. During his weekend visits he often sees over 100 patients.
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Medical Mission 2010
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Statistics of Life in Haiti
- Two out of every three Haitians live on less than $2.00 (US) per day, and nearly 25% live in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 (US) per day. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
- Ten percent (10%) of the richest Haitians possess 70% of the nation’s total income.
- Although agriculture is an important division of Haiti’s economy, the country fails to produce enough food for its people.
- Ninety percent (90%) of farmers depend on rain for their harvest, since only 10% of the nation’s crops are irrigated.
- Haiti’s literacy rate is around 64% for males and 57% for females. By comparison, the average literacy rate for other developing nations in Latin America and the Caribbean is 92%.
- One-third of women and children in Haiti are anemic.
- One-hundred thousand (100,000) children under five years of age suffer from acute malnutrition, while one in three children is stunted or irreversibly short for their age.
- Less than 50% of Haitian households have access to safe water and only 25% benefit from adequate sanitation.
(Taken from Restavek Freedom website, 2023)
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Native Haitian Dr. Roosevelt tends a patient in ST. Gabriel Clinic
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Resilience and Hope
Despite the statistics and setbacks, the people of St. Gabriel’s are a strong and resilient people. They are religious and grateful, and they place their confidence in the divine mercy of God. These devoted people walk to Catholic Mass every week, some walking over two to three hours one way.
There are currently 265 students in the parish school and 72 others in two chapel schools. These students are helped again by our fellow twinning parish, St. Margaret Mary, Canada. St. Gabriel School prepares students for the end of 9th grade fundamental exam and the philosophy exam. In the summer of 2023, there were 55 students taking these exams. Historically, the St. Gabriel students have done very well and qualify to go on in their learning in Leogane or Port-au-Prince.
Magdalina Stinphil, a young woman from St. Gabriel continues to live and minister in Beau Sejour at the parish clinic by tending the sick with the distribution of meds and follow-up after the visits by a young Haitian doctor, Dr. Roosvelt Romelus, who visits once a month at the clinic. Together they treat people with high blood pressure (a leading cause of death in Haiti per WHO), anemia, intestinal issues, injuries, dehydration and the like. -
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New at St. Gabriel Parish
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When Fr. Jude Efireille visited Holy Family in January of 2023, he had a goal: the rebuilding of the parish church. At the time St. Gabriel Church was a ramshackle building with a rusted roof, unworthy of housing the Lord. After 16 years without a stable Church, Fr. Jude, the new pastor of St. Gabriel as of the summer of 2022, appealed to the older people of the area and begged them to get started rebuilding. Those who could do so came forward and the project started. These pictures of January 2023 show the progress of the church to that point. But they had reached a standstill. However, Fr. Jude had a plan and equipped with an estimate of expenses and with perseverance and prayer to rebuild the church for this faithful and impoverished community, work continued through other generous donations from people in the United States, Canada, and Haiti.
Fr. Jude also showed the determination to keep this dream going for his people who desired the heart and solace of their Church. His goal was to be in the new Church before Christmas. His faith was great, and his trust in the Lord’s providence even greater. On December 10, 2023, the first Mass in the new Church was celebrated!
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St. Gabriel ClinicMeanwhile, the health clinic at St. Gabriel had been rebuilt in 2012 with the help of Holy Family parish after the 2010 earthquake shattered parts of it.
Over the years, it was used by the annual Holy Family medical mission, and in 2019, just as the borders were shut due to Covid, Dr. Roosevelt, a native Haitian M.D., began to visit the clinic. He now visits the clinic several times a year to continue and extend the work begun by the mission teams. Over these years of tending the sick, he has had the help of Nurse Magdelena, the hometown Beau Sejour girl who was educated by a grant secured by Holy Family from the Alleghany Franciscans. Magdalena is the constant medical presence in between Dr. Roosvelt’s visits. Recently, Fr. Jude repainted and refurnished the clinic to make it more serviceable.
HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BOTH THE CHURCH AND THE CLINIC WERE FUNCTIONING WITHOUT ELECTRICITY!
WHAT DID THIS MEAN?
It meant that:- Mass was only said when it was bright.
- The sick were seen and helped in dimness.
- Babies were delivered by the light of a phone flashlight.
Fr. Jude sought more help to complete the work. Again, he shared a plan complete with costs. In June 2024 a few generous individuals were able to send half of the amount needed for materials on the solar panel project. Then in September 2024, the balance of the amount was sent to complete the solar work. We are very grateful, and we know God’s abundant love will bless this generosity a hundred-fold.
To see photos of the solar project, scroll down to the photo album below! -
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Twinning Prayer
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for ST. GABRIEL PARISH of BEAU SEJOUR, HAITI
Lord,
Hearing your call to justice and mercy,
We humbly ask for the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts
And to show us your direction.
Commit us to your truth
And empower us with the Spirit of your love.
Transform all that is fearful into boldness of heart.
We implore you to call forth more disciples
To share in your mission to heal the body of Christ.
Grant us the strength and courage to reach beyond our doors
And to look through the eyes of the poor
So we may journey hand in hand
With our brothers and sisters in St. Gabriel parish
For God’s glory. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Created by the Hand-in-Hand Twinning Committee
Holy Family Parish 2009
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HOW CAN YOU HELP?SEE WHICH WAY WORKS BEST FOR YOU!ALL DONATIONS ARE TOTALLY TAX DEDUCTIBLEAll DONATIONS ARE SAFELY RECEIVED IN HAITI!
By Cash
By CheckMake your check payable to Holy Family Catholic Church.
In the memo, note for “Haiti Mission”Mail to: Holy Family Catholic Church200 78th Ave. N.E.
St. Petersburg, FL 33702By Credit Card OR Bank Account Deduction:- Go to Holy Family Website: https://www.hfcsp.org
- On Home Page, scroll down to “Online Giving”.
- Click on “Make a One Time Gift”.
- Choose Payment Method: Credit Card or Bank Account
- Complete personal information.
- Use NOTES BOX to indicate Haiti Mission
- To complete, click: Process Gift Now
OR Scan QR Code to website -
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Other Ways You Can Help
- Pray for the people of Haiti & Beau Sejour
- If you are interested in being a part of this worthwhile ministry, please call the parish office at 727-526-5783 and you will be contacted.
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Photo Albums
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