On October 25, 2018 a mission team from the APA consisting
of the Right Rev. David Haines (Missionary Bishop of the APA and Rector of All
Saints, Wilmington, NC) and the Rev. Paul Rivard (Rector of the Church of St.
George the Martyr, Simpsonville, SC) embarked on a journey to visit the APA
Missionary District of the Caribbean in Haiti. The journey actually began the
day before when both members of the mission team made their way to Fort Pierce,
Florida by road. After spending the night in Fort Pierce, the team flew into
Cap Haitien, Haiti on Missionary Flights International (MFI), which is
affiliated with another of our Global Partners, Operation Mobilization. MFI has
a small fleet of modified DC-3 airplanes with the cabins divided for
transporting passengers and cargo. The flight went without incident and the
team arrived in Cap Haitien just after ten thirty that morning.
After waiting for a short time at the airport the team was
met by Fr. Mews Guerrier, senior priest in Haiti and Mr. Ronel Joseph the all-important
translator. The team then secured their rental vehicle for the visit from the
Avis facility at the airport. The rental vehicle had dents and dings on every
panel and tires that were very heavily worn both on the tread and side walls.
When questioned about the tires the Avis representative said that the tires are
only replaced once a year in December. After securing the vehicle the team then
proceeded to exchange their American currency into the local Haitian Goud and
then purchased bottled water. Once this was secure the team then drove to their
hotel, Hotel Beck, to check-in and to off-load their bags. The team then
stopped for lunch in down-town Cap Haitien at the Cap Deli.
After lunch the team traveled to the village of Caracol
where a second church, St Francis of Assisi, has recently been established.
Caracol is approximately twenty miles east of Cap Haitien and is a village of
fairly recent construction that was built to house refugees from the 2010 earthquake
and to provide a work-force for the Industrial Park that was established by
USAID and the South Koreans in a joint venture. The village is made up of seven
hundred and fifty colorfully painted three and four roomed houses each with a
water tank and connected to a septic system. Unlike most parts of Haiti, the
village is relatively clean with very little visible trash and without piles of
smoldering garbage. The people here are proud of their village and it is well governed
and managed by the local residents.
The APA team drove directly to the elementary school in the
center of the village where they met with local residents and the Mayors. This
was also the first opportunity that members of the team had to meet the candidate
for the Diaconate, Mr. Steevens Morency who lives in the village. During the
course of the meeting the community leaders welcomed the APA visitors and then
explained the various needs of the community. While there is both an elementary
school and a high school in the community, the demand, especially at the
elementary level, means that less than a third of the children can be accommodated
at the current facility. The community
leaders are looking to build a second elementary school on the outskirts of the
village to meet the demand in the community. They are also in need of a
hospital or medical facility since the nearest hospital is in the town of Caracol
approximately 6 miles away. The community leaders would also like to have a
church built near the village at some point in the future. Before our arrival St.
Francis of Assisi Church was meeting at the elementary school but following our
meeting the community leaders offered the church the use of the Community Center
building which is much larger and will easily accommodate the church. Following
the meeting the group then visited the Community Center and a house that could
be rented to provide accommodation for our clergy when they travel there to
conduct services. Before departing from Caracol the APA team and several of the
community leaders walked through the village to visit the home of Steevens
Morency. Just before dark the team departed Caracol to return to Cap Haitien.
The drive in the dark was challenging and nerve-wracking for the visitors but they
returned safely to their hotel before 8 pm.
Pictures of Day 1
Fr. Rivard & Bp. Haines leaving the USA
Missionary Flights International plane
Haiti from the air
Fr. Rivard, Mr. Joseph, Fr, Guerrier, Bp. Haines
Steevens Morency & Bp. Haines
Meeting with Caracol Village leaders
Dcn. Wifrid Ulysse with motorcycle purchased by All Saints Church, Mills River, NC
Outside Caracol Community Center
Steevens Morency, Dcn. Ulysse, Fr. Guerrier at community center
Walking through the village of Caracol
The following day, Friday October 26, the team had a
pleasant breakfast before departing their hotel at 9 am to travel to the school
at Balan. On route to the school, the team stopped at the Parc De Repos to visit the grave of Fr. Mews’ Daughter, Faissa Guerrier,
who had died in a tragic car accident a day before her twenty-first birthday
almost a year ago. This was a very solemn event and the visit was very
emotional for both Fr. Mews and the team. After offering a brief prayer for Fr.
Mews and the family the team proceeded on to the Jacques Theodore Holly
Institute in Balan.
There are now eighty-five students enrolled in the school, a
more than fifty percent improvement from the low of fifty-six a year ago. The
increase in numbers is a result of the Haitian government rescinding its policy
of free education after the election of a new Prime Minister in July, 2018. It
is expected that the numbers will continue to grow as the incentive of parents
to send their children to schools out of the area has now been eliminated. Previously
the school had accommodated two hundred and fifty-six children from kindergarten
through the sixth grade.
The team then visited each of the classrooms and met with
the teachers and pupils in each class. Fr. Mews also discussed the serious
condition regarding bathrooms at the school since none of the primitive toilets
are currently able to be used. The requirements for a proper septic system and toilets
was discussed and Fr. Mews agreed to consult with an engineer and to get plans
and costs forwarded to the APA once these could be finalized.
The team also got to visit the extensive agricultural
property behind the school and to review the situation with the current tenant
and his lack of payment and they also discussed ways to revive the broiler
chicken growing operation. They also visited a third parcel that the church
owns, where it is hoped a church will someday be constructed. During this tour of
the properties the team had the opportunity to meet with Deacon Rosemond and
the postulant Steevens Morency to discuss various issues of concern to them. The
visit concluded with a discussion with Deaconess Jocelyn Lerzin, the Principle
of the school, and the blessing of a monstrance for the church.
The team then headed back to Cap Hatien for lunch at the
Lakay Restaurant. The remainder of the afternoon was spent purchasing supplies
for the service on Sunday, this included candles for the altar, wine for
communion, as well as a Bible for Steevens Morency the postulant who would be
ordained to the Diaconate on Sunday. Fr. Paul and Bishop David then returned to
their hotel for the evening where they enjoyed a quiet dinner and an early
night.
Pictures of Day 2
Fr. Guerrier at the grave of his daughter Faissa
Jacques Theodore Holly School
Welcome sign
Classroom
Classroom
First grade teacher
Classroom
A fine young man
A lovely little lady
Deaconess Jocelyn Lezin, school principal
Visiting the agricultural property
Broiler chicken house
Deacon Rosemond Etienne, teacher at school
Agricultural property
On the morning of October 27, the team was picked up at 9 am to travel to the village of Caracol for a meeting with the candidates for ordination and confirmation and to rehearse for the service on Sunday. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 10 am. On the way to the meeting the team stopped to purchase more bottled water. Upon arriving at the village, the team was taken on an unplanned and unannounced side trip to meet with the owners of the house that it was hoped could be rented for the clergy who are to serve this new congregation so that they would have a place to stay overnight. As is customary in Haiti the owners were asking for the rent in advance, but instead of the customary one year in advance they were asking for two years rent, amounting to $2,000. With no foreknowledge of the need or the meeting the team was quick to explain that this was not anything they could agree to at this time and after some awkward conversation and apologies from the owners the team then traveled on to the scheduled meeting in the village. Needless to say, the unscheduled meeting set a bad tone for the rest of the day.
The team did however manage to arrive for the rehearsal and
scheduled meeting by 10 am. Then the wait for the clergy and confirmands to
arrive began. When by 10:45 am a number of the clergy had still not arrived,
those who were present began, under the direction of Deacon Wilfrid Uylsse, to
set up the space where the service was to be held on Sunday by removing the
tables and arranging the benches and chairs into rows and setting up a large
table as the altar. By 11:45 all the clergy and ordination candidates were
present but only two of the eight confirmands. Bishop David distributed the chasubles
and stoles he had brought for each of the Ordinands, as well as Ordo Calendars
and Holy Oils to each of the clergy. Then with the help of Fr. Paul Rivard and
Fr. Mews Guerrier each of the clergy and the postulant signed the Oaths of
Conformity required by the APA Constitution and Canons. The rehearsal for the
service took several hours with many difficulties and rough spots. This is not
to be unexpected when working through a translator and with everyone involved unfamiliar
with the service and its many parts. After several hours most participants had
a general understanding of what they were to do and where they were to be
during the service tomorrow. Just as the rehearsal came to an end, Fr. Mews
announced that the two confirmands who were present had not been baptized. A
bowl and water were procured and Bishop David assisted by Fr. Paul Rivard and
Deacon Nacius Pierre Nelson baptized Noel Veles and Metellus Martha and
welcomed them as the newest members of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic and
Apostolic Church.
Following the rehearsal, the team drove to the coastal town
of Caracol (distinct from the Village of Caracol) a distance of about 6 miles, where
they visited the family apartments and restaurant of the translator Ronel
Joseph. This was an opportunity for the team to relax and destress briefly
after a tense day. Several small purchases were made in the town, including
more bottled water before the team headed back to Cap Haitien around 4 pm.
Arriving back at the hotel, the team discovered that the hotel
dining room had been stripped of all tables and chairs which had been taken to
the banquet center at the hotel where a large college graduation banquet was planned
for that evening. Arrangements were then made for dinner to be brought to the
room. Dinner was then eaten overlooking the pool and banquet area on a small
table procured from the room and the patio chairs on the veranda outside the
room. The team then retired for the
night with the pulsing music and happy chatter of more than two hundred and
fifty guests at the open-air banquet center across the way ringing in their
ears.
Pictures of Day 3
On Sunday October 28 (the feast day of Saint Simon and Saint
Jude) the team awoke early to find that there was no water in the hotel. After
bringing this to the attention of the hotel management and following some loud
banging and metallic noise, water was restored. After a light breakfast the team
was ready and waiting to be picked up for the journey to the village of Caracol
and the biggest day of the trip. Unfortunately, the team’s driver and
translator, Mr. Ronel Joseph, was late arriving due to a flat tire problem with
the taxi. About thirty minutes behind schedule the team traveled to Caracol. As
traffic was light on Sunday the team made good time and arrived well ahead of
the scheduled start time of 9 am. After vesting in the area prepared for the
service, the team met Fr. Paul D’Haiti, an ACC priest who lives in a town
nearby (Tierre Rouge) and who had been invited to take part in the service.
Once vested the altar party, all the clergy, and confirmands and their families
walked over to the rental house, which was conveniently just across the street.
Once the preparations were complete the group then processed across the street
and into the area serving as the church. During the preparations Fr. Mews
distributed a bulletin for the service which had a different order of service
from the one that had been used at the rehearsal the day before. The bishop
informed Fr. Mews that they would stick with the order of service as rehearsed
yesterday.
The service
commenced a few minutes behind the scheduled start-time with about eighty-five
people in attendance. People continued to arrive throughout the service so that
at the end there were around two hundred and fifty people present, including a
twenty-member choir that had come from another church. The service proceeded
very smoothly when compared to the rehearsal the day before and lasted just
over three hours. During the service Bishop David ordained Mr. Steevens Morency
to the Diaconate and Deacons Wilfrid Ulysse, Rosemond Etienne, Yvon Thermidor,
and Nacius Pierre Nelson to the sacred order of Priests. In addition, Francisco
Ause-Kynsie, Compere Rose Carline, Ferdinand Djoubny, Compere Djounia, Gelin
Lovendy, Metellus Martha, Pierrestil Telismene and Noel Velez were confirmed by
Bishop David. Fr. Mews Guerrier was the presenter of both the ordinands and confirmands.
Bishop David preached the sermon and Fr. Paul Rivard read the Litany for
Ordinations in French, while Mr. Ronel Joseph led the congregation in the
responses. Fr. Paul D’Haiti sang the regular Litany in French-Creole and the
congregation sang the responses. The newly ordained Deacon, Rev. Mr. Steevens
Morency read the Gospel. Following their ordinations, the newly ordained
priests concelebrated the Mass with Bishop David and Fr. Mews. At the end of
the service the newly ordained priests were able to give their first priestly
blessings, first to the Bishop and other clergy, then to their families and
other members of the congregation.
Towards the
end of the service, Fr. Mews, the newly designated Coordinator of the
Missionary District of the Caribbean, announced the assignments for each of the
clergy. Fathers Wilfrid Ulysse and Yvon Thermidor are to serve at St. Francis
of Assisi Church, Caracol and Fathers Rosemond Etienne and Nacius Pierre Nelson,
together with Deacon Steevens Morency are to serve at St. Yves Church, Balan. After
the service a sumptuous Haitian meal together with drinks and desert was enjoyed
by all the guests and clergy in the adjoining cafeteria building. This was a fitting end to a glorious day in
the life of the Anglican Church in Haiti.
At the
conclusion of activities, the team drove Fr. Paul D’Haiti back to his home in Tierre
Rouge (a distance of about 6 miles), where they were introduced to Fr. Bruno (a
retired Episcopal priest) who runs an organization called Esperance Et Vie, (Hope and Life) a philanthropic organization serving
mostly children in northern Haiti. He discussed several of his experiences over
the years working in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic and talked about
several of the projects that his organization has initiated in the community.
One project involves the collection of plastic water and soda bottles and using
them to construct fences using rope and PVC pipe. These make colorful barriers
as well as making use of a large number of plastic bottles that litter the
streets and highways of Haiti.
The team
then returned to Cap Haitien, stopping at a local grocery store that sold
American and other European groceries where they purchased Haitian chocolate,
French cookies and American Chobani yogurt for treats. They then returned to
their hotel where they had a light dinner followed by fresh mango gathered from
the hotel garden, cookies and yogurt. The day ended the way it began with no
water in the hotel so the team was un able to wash after a very long, hot and
sweaty day. The team considered using the swimming pool at the hotel to freshen
up but the discovery of a dead bat floating in the pool a few days earlier,
resulting in the hotel swimming pool being referred to as “The Bat Pool,” discouraged
them from trying it. Before retiring for the night, the Bishop and Fr. Paul
hung up their soaked vestments to dry.
Pictures of Day 4
Elementary school in Caracol, venue for ordinations and confirmations
Lining up for the procession
Ordinands prostrate before the altar
Ordaining Steevens Morency as Deacon
Bishop’s charge to ordinands for the priesthood
Vesting the new priests
Anointing priestly hands
Confirmation
Holy Communion
First priestly blessings
Fr. Paul D’Haiti, Bp. Haines, Fr. Wilfrid Ulysse
Plastic bottle fence
On Monday
October 29 after a relaxing breakfast the team prepared for a meeting and teaching
session with the clergy. All of the clergy with the exception of Fr. Mews were
there on time and the meeting began at 10 am as scheduled. Fr. Mews was unable
to be there because he had a problem with the brakes in the car he had borrowed
and had to get a roadside repair done before being able to drive to the hotel
for the meeting. In the course of the morning various aspects regarding the
calling, vocation, service, and sacrifice of the priesthood were discussed with
good participation from the newly ordained clergy. Logistical aspects regarding
channels for official communication were also discussed. Fr. Mews was able to
get to the meeting just before noon and in time for a lunch of shrimp in creole
sauce, rice, beans, fried plantains, cucumber and tomato. The discussions
continued informally during the course of the meal. It was during this time
that we learned that Fr. Yvon Therimidor, who had been living in a Roman
Catholic Rectory together with Roman Catholic clergy and who had been employed
as a catechist at a local Roman Catholic Church, had been asked to move out
since he was now an Anglican priest. He was also told that his services as a
catechist would no longer be required. This experience served as an excellent
example of the earlier discussion regarding the sacrifice that often comes with
serving God in the priesthood. This young priest had lost his accommodations
and part of his livelihood all on the same day as a result of his ordination.
After lunch
the teaching continued with a discussion of Anglican Church Polity looking
specifically at the structure and election of vestries and the election and
appointment of officers. Diocesan structure and synods and the election of
delegates and representatives from each parish were also discussed. Fr. Paul
Rivard also talked about the Dioceses in the APA and drew a diagram to
illustrate the geographic distribution of the Dioceses in the US. In addition,
the necessity for clergy to teach about tithing to their congregations and for
the congregations to take on the responsibility of purchasing their own church
supplies from these collected funds was stressed. The meeting was then closed
with the Lord’s Prayer shortly before 4 pm.
Following
the meeting the team said their goodbyes to the Haitian clergy and retired to
their room to debrief before preparing for the departure back to the US the
following morning. On returning to their room the team were informed that the
TV repairman who had been promised soon after our arrival four days ago, was
now here to repair the TV. Within two minutes he had the TV working and was on
his way out of the room. The team then ate a light dinner and returned to the
room to watch a little television and to pack for the journey back to the US.
The team
then returned to Fort Pierce on October 30 where they spent the night before
undertaking the ten-hour road trip back to Simpsonville, SC and Wilmington, NC
the following day.
Please
continue to pray for the ongoing work in Haiti and for the men and women who
are working there to establish and maintain God’s Kingdom in that part of the
world.
Pictures of Day 5