You Can Never Go Home Again

Right now, I’m in Huntington Beach, CA staying with my two little grandsons and those people they live with (my son and daughter-in-law) and I’ll probably be here for a while.  Persistent migraines made living and working in Gros Morne pretty much impossible.  So, I'm seeking treatment in the LA area.

As much as I hated to go, I really had no choice.

It turns out, leaving Haiti is not so easy.  I mean  it’s easy enough to physically leave, of course, but, even after only five months, reentry into American culture and consumerism is not so easy.  It’s one thing to know that many, many people on this earth barely survive.  It’s quite another to witness it day after day.  It certainly changes one’s perspective.

Thank you to all of you who were such a support to me during my time in Haiti.  Don’t forget about Haiti just because I’m not there.  Please keep the Haitian people in your thoughts and prayers and, if you’re in a position to help out financially, please do that as well.  Just choose your charity carefully.

Delcy arrived safely in Omaha

Delcy arrived safely in Omaha last night, thank God.  He came over to our place on Wednesday and we gave him a pile of paperwork (mostly for Immigration and the Department of Homeland Security) and tons of verbal instructions about what to do and where to go, whom to tip, how much etc., etc.  He took no notes, of course. Haitian education is mostly rote memory so they are pretty good at that.

We thought we were going to be able to get him a cell phone that would work in the US but we couldn't. We were really worried about him getting the wheelchair escort we had asked for and how would he get from gate to gate (he had to change planes in Ft. Lauderdale and in Dallas/Ft Worth) or get some food or even find a bathroom, for gosh sakes.  We needn't have.

Haitians are nothing, if not resourceful.  They have to be. I don't know exactly how everything worked out except I do know that he managed to get to Omaha.  He also found somebody at each stop along the way who let him borrow their phone to call Brittany in Boston and keep us apprised of his progress.

So, now the baton has been passed to his host family and the doctors in Omaha.  If you are interested in reading more about his arrival in Omaha or the rest of his journey, check out www.delcysjourney.blogspot.com.

PS Delcy's host family sent a text today saying "Delcy is in the bathroom brushing his teeth, singing.  Life is good."

Fèt Notre Dame Lachandlè

To give you an idea of what a big deal the Fèt for Notre Dame Lachandlè is here in Gros Morne, there were 3 Masses on the day of the Feast. There were only two for Christmas! 

The first Mass was at 5:00 AM and it is for the pilgrims.  It is soooo early so they can get an early start on their return to home. 

The second one was at 9:00 AM and it is for the “dignitaries.” All the local politicians, including our representatives in Port-au-Prince, attend this liturgy, whether they are Catholic or not.  

Finally, the 6:00 PM liturgy is for everybody else….. I guess.

Sr. Pat, a visiting Haitian woman and I attended the 9:00 AM liturgy, despite our lack of “dignitary” status.  We arrived at 8:45 AM in order to get a seat and we succeeded in that, fortunately, because by around 9:00, there wasn’t one to be had.  So, we could entertain ourselves by watching people trying to wiggle into non-existent places on the benches. We had plenty of time to entertain ourselves in that fashion because Mass did not start until nearly 9:40 AM!!!!!  By that time, people were spilling out all the doors which is where Jen and Aileen, the other two volunteers, found themselves when they finally showed up.  

  

It was also interesting so see the all the different kinds of people in attendance.  Everybody was decked out in their very best attire (except for the visiting Italian volunteers, for some reason).  However, the quality of the “very best” varied greatly.  Many people were clearly in their one and only dress outfit.  Others, I’m guessing visitors, perhaps even from the States, looked like they stepped out of a fashion magazine.  The five of us were somewhere in between, as far as fashion is concerned.

The Mass itself was quite beautiful and I have to admit that the 3 hours went by pretty quickly-except for the homily which started out in French but ended up in Creole.  Anyway, the choir and the musicians were excellent and we even had a little program with the lyrics to all the hymns.  In case you’re wondering, there were 19 hymns which goes a long way towards explaining the 3 hours.  The entrance procession alone probably took 15 minutes owing to the number of priests processing in.  Fortunately, that hymn, to the Blessed Mother, was quite beautiful.  The presentation of the gifts was another 15 minutes or so owing to the fact that that procession included people carrying, trees, rice, beans, joumou (a kind of squash) and other vegetables, etc., on their heads. And, there was a little explanation that went along with each one.

Then, at the end, there were several long winded speeches, including a Blan from the “Lyons Club International” wearing his gold colored Lyons Club vest.

All in all, we were in there over 4 hours.

Despite our lack of “dignitary” status, we were able to get into the Kay Mère which is the convent across the street from the church. There, we could enjoy the eating part of the Fèt, including ample beer (Prestige, of course) for those who were so inclined.

All the visitors have gone home now so Gros Morne has gone back to being its usual sleepy self, thank God. Now, it’s just a matter of cleaning up all the detritus of the past 10 days.

I'll be busy today as we have a group of America pediatricians coming to town for a few days.  The group is led by a Mercy sister who also happens to be an MD.  She's been bringing her residents (from Johns Hopkins) to Haiti for years.

Fèt Notre Dame Lachandlè-Warm Up Activities

Every Catholic parish in Haiti has a feast day and that day is an occasion for great celebration. Actually, the celebration starts nine days before.

The Catholic parish in Gros Morne is called Notre Dame Lachandlè (Our Lady of the Light) and its Feast Day (Fèt) is celebrated on Feb. 2, the Presentation of the Lord/Purification of the Virgin Mary. This is not just singing a few hymns and hanging up a few signs.  This is a CELEBRATION.  So much so that even the voodoo priests get in on the action. 

The first thing you notice, besides the banners hung across the main streets, is the proliferation of little booths along the side the road by the Church.  You can find just about anything in the shops but the ones closest to the Church seem to specialize in holy cards, rosaries and rum.  As to the rosaries, Sr. Pat said you need to check to make sure there are 5 decades, otherwise you could end up with a voodoo rosary.  I told you the voodoo guys get in on the action.

Pilgrims come in from all over the greater Gros Morne area, believing that they will receive special blessings. People originally from Gros Morne or who have family here come from everywhere, even the States.  I saw at least 5 bright shiny cars with Avis Rental stickers on them.  I’d never even seen one such car here before.

Starting nine days before the Feast Day, the novena starts.  Every evening between about 6:00 PM and 10:30PM or even later, the church is PACKED with people participating in the prayers.  There is music and singing and preaching and waving of hands etc, etc.

Sr. Pat, Jen, Aileen, and I, went to the novena one night.  That was an experience.  The place was absolutely packed, even just the courtyard area in front of the church. (Pilgrims who come to town for the event are allowed to sleep there).  We finally managed to get into the church but it was crazy.  You literally couldn't see your feet on the ground so you kind of had to walk by braille.  The vestibule area is under construction so it is treacherous even in the broad daylight.  The fact that some people were sitting didn't help a bit. I kept a hold of Sr. Pat the entire time, worried she'd get knocked over or something.  It was really hard just to keep upright. We never actually made it into the church proper but we did get to a step like place so we could at least see something.  The people were really into it, singing and waving their hands in the air .......when they weren't pushing, shoving, grabbing, etc.  It was a stampede waiting to happen.  We didn't stay long.

NEXT-The 4 hour Mass on the Feast Day.

One night of the Novena as viewed from the way back

Vendors on the street outside the church

Captages & Hens

Water is a very precious commodity in Haiti-especially treated water. Lack of clean water is a major contributing factor to sickness, mortality and poverty.  Every afternoon here in Gros Morne, especially now, during the dry season,  you can see people carrying containers of various shapes and sizes to one of the water offices to collect clean water.  Usually, the job of collecting the water falls to the women and children.  In town, it’s easy enough to collect clean water although I wouldn’t want to haul those containers of water very far.  The lucky ones have a wheelbarrow and the real lucky ones can use a moto.

Out in the countryside, it’s not quite so easy.  Here, it usually falls to the women to walk to the nearest spring each day and fill up a container of water. Often the nearest spring is an hour walk or more away over steep, treacherous, narrow paths. (Ayiti means “ land of high mountains,” after all) Not only that, but collecting water from a spring generally means  collecting quite a bit of silt as well, since the water just percolates up onto the surrounding dirt.

As a result, many volunteer groups help build a “captage” at the spring. The captage is a concrete structure  which permits the water to be collected without so much of the silt. Then, a series of pipes brings the water to a central location that is much closer to the villages that rely on the spring water. Often, a reservoir is included in the system so that water can be stored.  Without a reservoir, of course, the water just keeps pouring out whether anyone is collecting it or not.

Resurrection Parish in Maryland , under the leadership of Sr. Rita Ricker, RJM,  has been part of the “Parish Twinning Program of the Americas” since 2001.  (www.parishprogram.org). This program connects Catholic parishes in the USA with a sister parish in Latin America and the Caribbean but primarily in Haiti.  Resurrection’s twin includes the greater Gros Morne area.  They have been helping with various projects in this area and sending a delegation to visit each year.  In addition to building chapels and schools, the Parish has also helped to build several captages in the communities in the mountains surrounding Gros Morne. Below are some photos taken of one of those captages they visited  during their stay here earlier this month. 

Although not part of the Resurrection Parish program, you could say that “Hens for Haiti” was hatched from it. (www.hensforhaiti.org). Below are some photos taken when the founder, Christie Newman, a former volunteer here in Gros Morne,  and the rest of the Resurrection team visited the “poulaye” (hen house). Egg production provides economic stimulation, increased local food security, and is a cheap source of protein for Gros Morne.  Plus, I can tell you, they are pretty darn good!

Hen House

Captage

Trail to Captage

Inspecting the Reservoir