Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Port-au-Prince (Agenzia Fides) – One month after the earthquake that struck Haiti, especially in its capital city of Port-au-Prince, there is yet another sign of hope for the local community and for the Church, which lost priests, religious, and seminarians in the quake, not to mention houses and schools, churches and centers for assistance. The Camillian Delegation of Haiti and the Daudier and Cineus families celebrated the deaconate ordination of their sons Robert and Verna. According to information sent to Agenzia Fides, the rite of ordination was presided by Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Apostolic Nuncio in Haiti, on February 11, 2010, feast of Our Lady of Lourdes and the 18th Day for the Sickm in the chapel dedicated to “Notre Dame de la Sante,” in the “Foyer Saint Camille” in Port-au-Prince.
Today, there are two communities of Camillians (Clerics Regular of Ministers of the Sick) in Haiti. The first, in Port-au-Prince, has a general hospital directed by Father Gianfranco Lovera, a health center, a day and night shelter for children living with HIV or orphaned by parents who have died of AIDS, a school for needy children, and residential schools for indigenous religious. The second house is about 300 km from the capital, in Jeremie, where the Camillians have a novitiate and offer spiritual care and health services to the local hospital, as well as visiting the sick at home. Among the Camillians there are three Italian professed religious and a priest from Burkina Faso, two deacons originally from the area, and 5 others from the area, with temporal vows. Working with the Camillians are also (female branch of) Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus, who have a local postulancy. (AP/GG) (Agenzia Fides 12/2/2010)
