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RMG – Haiti: two years later

RMG – Message of the Rector Major to the Salesians of Haiti

Haiti – The Salesian Family remembers the victims of the earthquake

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(ANS – Port-au-Prince) – On the anniversary of the earthquake, the Salesian Family in Haiti came together to commemorate al, the victims and in particular the 3 Salesians, and the pupils and teachers who died. “For those in believe in God life does not die, it is changed” Fr Sylvain Ducange the Superior of the Vice Province of Haiti recalled I his homily.
 
Early in the morning the Salesian community welcomed the families of the three Salesians who had died: Bro Hubert Sanon aged 86, and the two third-year students of philosophy Vilbrun Valsaint, 27 and Wilfrid Atsime, 29.

After a few moments together the community went to the Quisqueya University, where the two students had been buried, and here Fr Ducange presided at the first Mass.
 
At 3.00 in the afternoon there was a ceremony in the courtyard of the  “Ecole Nationale des Arts et Métiers – Little Schools of Fr Bohnen” (ENAM – OPEPB), where over 150 students died when the building collapsed. The first to speak was Fr Olibrice Zucchi, the Rector of OPEPB, who led a period of reflection and prayer. Recalling the sorrow and pain he had personally experienced during the tragedy of the earthquake he declared his faith “in the God of life who can give new life to our  mortal bodies,” Fr Zucchi invited those present also to have confidence in the volunteers and in all those working for the re-construction.

This was followed by a Mass of commemoration at which Fr Ducange presided attended by all the Salesian Family of the Vice Province: the students from the school, from the Vocational Training  Centre and from OPEPB, the youngsters from the Foyer Lakay, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Past Pupils, the members of ADMA, the Salesians-Cooperators and many other teachers, staff and friends of the Salesian work.

In his homily Fr Ducange gave  a brief account of the lives of the three Salesians who died and their work; then he spoke of the terrible loss of the students and the teachers of the schools; finally he added: “The passing of these souls, happening so tragically in a fraction of a second, rather than striking us dumb, ought to inspire us to speak out... For those who believe in God, life is not destroyed but transformed.”

At the end of his homily Fr Ducange read the message the Rector Major had sent to him.

On ANSchannel a video is available in which Fr Pierre Lephene describes in Spanish what is happening in Enam and the Lakay a year after the earthquake. The images show the courtyards of Enam, where can be seen the pre-fabricated temporary structures put up in the first months after the earthquake enabling activities to begin again.

Published 14/01/2010