(ANS – Port-au-Prince) – On the occasion of the second anniversary of the earthquake which on 12 January 2010 devastated Haiti, the Superior of the “Blessed Philip Rinaldi” Vice Province Fr Sylvain Ducange, has written a letter of thanks  to all those who have helped to support the Salesian presence in Haiti. A translation of the full text follows.

Today, 12 January 2012, occurs the second anniversary of the earthquake which put our country on its knees. The whole life of the country was thoroughly shaken. Church, government, educational structures were severely hit and for the most part destroyed. International solidarity was praise-worthy following the terrible earthquake.

In his first letter on 18 January 2010 to the whole Congregation, the Rector Major, with a cry from the heart launched an appeal of solidarity from the whole Congregation: ““Just as in a family everyone gathers around a sick child, so, moved by great “‘com-passion’ we want to share the burden of this extraordinary emergency and help in a very practical way this small Vice Province so sorely tried.… I therefore invite all the Provinces and all the Salesian houses in the world to send substantial assistance to our brothers who are in need of everything.”

The response was immediate and  generous. In the name of all the Salesians in Haiti, I thank our Rector Major who was close to us as a Father, as Don Bosco, encouraging us and supporting us so that we might commit ourselves to the education of the most needy young people.

I appreciate and I thank for their immediate response the Mission Offices, the Salesian NGO of the whole world, the Provinces, the benefactors, the volunteers, the international organisations who are  close to us, friends of the Salesian Work, and for the enthusiasm and generosity shown to us, especially at the time of emergency. The accounts presented by the Rinaldi Foundation enable us to fully appreciate these efforts and this readiness to respond on many occasions.

Thanks be to God we are on our feet. The work of re-construction has begun. The appeal of the Rector Major at the time of his visit, a month after the earthquake, on 12 February  2010, continues to echo in our hearts and remains on our lips: ““Haiti must rise again…. we have to roll up our sleeves and do something at once in the area of education! To build a new  Haiti”. This requires courage, inner strength, self-denial, motivation,  charity, hope, faith in life, in the future, faith in God, in ourselves and in others, patience and perseverance. We have dreams for our country of an education thanks to  which youngsters will really take the lead.

You, who are walking with us on our journey, trust us. You are close to us. We need to be accompanied, supported, understood, respected and above all loved. Our thanks to those who through the Rinaldi Foundation, our Planning and Development Office,  are taking part in this noble task of building and of re-building in order to offer to the most vulnerable young people in our society an education that responds to their needs so that they can believe in a better future.

In celebrating the 75th anniversary of the presence of the Salesians in the country  we are renewing our commitment on behalf of the young, so that we   through our educative-pastoral activities can help them to be “good Christians and upright citizens” of  which the county has so much need. In this way their dignity as human beings will be respected and their ability to make decisions; their freedom recognised  and their skills appreciated. We are determined to build on the Rock.

Help us to say Yes to life promoting civic, moral, cultural, educational and spiritual values in each one of our centres and in the heart of each one of our young people.

Fr Ducange Sylvain, SDB
Superior of the Vice Province

Published 12/01/2012