GREETINGS FROM THE PARISH TWINNING COMMITTEE
HAITI COMMITTEE VISION: We pledge to minister to our sister parish, St. Louis de Gonzague, through financial assistance, guidance with micro-lending ventures to improve village financial structure, outreach, and spiritual support. It is hard to believe that it has been almost a year since we have sent out an update on the activities of this committee. Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 ravaged the small village of Bonbon and destroyed so much of St. Louis de Gonzague Parish, St. Veronica School, and the parish rectory. The committee quickly began to deal with the vast devastation. Immediate needs were addressed and long-term plans were temporarily halted. We provided financial support to make repairs to the rectory, school and rebuild the church to include funding to install a new solar-powered electrical system to supply rectory, church, and school electrical power. We provided over 200 water filters from Water with Blessings for the people in Bonbon who had no access to drinkable water.
Through the blessings of God and your generosity to Parish Twinning, our parish has achieved many accomplishments for our sister parish.
- We have increased our financial support from $5,400 per year to the current support of $11,000 per year for school and church expenses. This increase has helped the school maintain and keep quality teachers in the community.
- In 2016 and 2017 St. Mary’s Academy and Saint Bernadette Church collected school supplies and sent them with a computer and printer to St. Veronica School.
- This summer we provided funds to improve church security with new doors and upgrade flooring in altar area with new ceramic flooring.
- Communication between our parishes has improved tremendously. We have sponsored Fr. Bernadin on two trips to Saint Bernadette. Bob Glaser, a member of the Twinning committee has visited Bonbon a total of 5 trips beginning in January 2016 and the latest trip in October 2018. We even have plans to Skype with Fr. Bernadin at our next Parish Twinning meeting.
- Fr. Bernadin now has a new 2018 Toyota pickup truck. Working with Adviant, a German NGO, we paid $4000 which was the church required amount of the expense of the truck and also the $2125 customs charges. What a wonderful investment – an estimated $35,000 truck for only $6125! Father‘s old truck was beyond repair and had long been retired. The new truck is equipped for rough terrain and was badly needed. Father can know safely transport villagers in need of medical help and it also carries Father to some of the nearby chapels that are also a part of the St. Louis de Gonzague Parish. Can you imagine an entire village with only one vehicle?