Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – Father Joseph P. Dorcey, C.Ss.R., Secretary General of the Congregation of the Redemptorists, has sent Fides a report on the situation of the members present in the country affected by the earthquake, according to information provided by Fr. Mario Boies, C.Ss.R., Provincial Superior of the Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré (Quebec, Canada), of which Haiti is a part. This is the information: "No Redemptorist has died from the earthquake. They are all alive. One Redemptorist was left slightly wounded. One Redemptorist lost his mother and sister (perhaps there are other victims among his relatives). The Church of St. Gerard of Port-au-Prince has been reduced to rubble. The new part of the students' house was destroyed and the students now live in the yard. We should now think about funds. The reconstruction will cost about $2 million (this is a very conservative estimate)." These facts were also confirmed by Father Adonai Jean Juste, the Regional Superior, shortly after.
The Redemptorists in Haiti have a main house, along with the Church of San Gerardo, both founded in 1929. They are in Haiti, officially as a missionary region of Port au Prince, since September 11, 1984 and have 41 members (as of December 14, 2008). The members are divided into 6 houses: 5 in Haiti and one in Guadaloupe, Marie Galante Island. The mother house is in Port au Prince, the house adjoining the Parish of St. Gerard Saint Gerard and serving a large population of about 100,000. The house in San Clemente houses students, with 13 students of philosophy and 5 of theology. (CE) (Agenzia Fides 15/01/2010)
