| Haiti – Final stage on a journey inspired by hope |
| Haiti – The call of the Rector Major rings out: Haiti must be rise again |
“We are here to celebrate life not death!” was the exhortation with which Fr Chávez introduced his homily for the VI Sunday of the Year. The “Saint John Bosco” church in Pétion-Ville, was crowded inside and out by people. Commenting on the readings of the Liturgy, the Rector Major reminded the members of the Salesian Family that Christ is Risen, and that from death comes new life. The person who trusts in God also knows that even a terrible tragedy like the earthquake a month ago cannot say the last word! “Haiti must rise again,“ –Fr Chávez insisted –“with the help of everyone.”
There was then a celebration on the courtyard next to the church enlivened by some items provided by the Pétion-Ville youth group. “This is the most important meeting in my life,” the Rector Major said speaking to the representatives of the groups of the Salesian Family – “I am asking you to make a direct contribution to the re-birth of Haiti!” The obvious priority is education, above all schools. “With a sound education it is possible to prevent many young people, without any terms of reference to fall the victims of evil and of criminal organisations. If we don’t get in there immediately, these youngsters, instead of being the great asset for a new Haiti, will become a problem!” The second step forward indicated by the IX successor of Don Bosco is Youth Ministry: “We must reorganise and improve it in everything it has to offer, especially in the area of evangelisation.”
Thus there are three things for the Salesian Family in Haiti to concentrate on, according to Fr Chávez: having confidence in the young, in education and in the Preventive System. “We have to change this tragedy into an opportunity for redemption, for resurrection!”
Echoing the words of the Rector Major, Archbishop Louis Kébreau SDB archbishop of Cap-Haitien and President of the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, thanked the successor of Don Bosco for his message and words of encouragement. The emergency in Haiti is not yet over! There is the risk that the silence of the local authorities and of international interests will leave this part of the Caribbean in a state of poverty and of dependence greater than that before 12 January!
Early in the afternoon Fr Chávez went to the Provincial House of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; he was welcomed by the Provincial, Sr. Marie Claire Jean, a good number of Sisters and orphan girls who live in the house. After watching some dances performed by the smallest and the older ones and receiving a picture as a gift, the Rector Major gave the smaller ones the recipe for happiness: having confidence in themselves, in the loving education they are receiving from the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and having Jesus and Mary as their friends.
Speaking to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Fr Chávez repeated the exhortation he had given in the morning: “we have to role up our sleeves and do something at once in the area of education!” He also gave the Sisters three tasks: “to believe in what we are, religious called by God; to believe in what we are doing in our work of education; and to believe in the Preventive System!”
The afternoon ended with a meeting with the Nuncio Apostolic in Haiti, Archbishop Auza Bernadito. Admiring the panorama of the city of Port-au-Prince which can be seen from the Nunciature, Archbishop Bernadito recalled the tragic moments of the earthquake. “You could see a large orange cloud which then became grey as you could guess the extent of the calamity!” Speaking about the situation of the local church after the earthquake, the Nuncio mentioned some incidents of the survival but also sadly of the death of some people active in the public, religious and ordinary life of the city.
For the Haitian church too the priority is education. The Rector Major, finding himself in this situation, assured the renewed commitment which the Salesians wished to make to the re-birth and the resurrection of the people of Haiti. A commitment which would certainly lead them to collaborate with all the ecclesiastical organisations.
Another day of joys and sorrows mixed together. A day in which the bulldozers of the Italian Civil Defence services continued to dig through the ruins of the ENAM searching for the bodies of 150 pupils.
Published 15/02/2010
