DIOCESAN NEWS
01/29/10
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Candlelight vigil calls for prayers for Haiti
By Fabvienen Taylor
     JACKSON — Hugs and greetings were exchanged as a global mix of people quietly streamed Thursday evening, Jan. 21, into St. Peter Cathedral Center.
     A staff member from Catholic Charities Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) program made sure everyone signed the guestbook while other staff set out a variety of dishes for the reception to follow the Haitian Candlelight Vigil.
     In the crowd were about 15 Haitians and a mix of young people and families from Burma, Sudan and Latin America.
     “I think it is important we pause, reflect on what is happening in Haiti,” said Greg Patin, executive director of Catholic Charities Inc., in reference to the Jan. 12 earthquake that devastated the poor Caribbean country.
     “Our prayers are with you, our thoughts are with you as you seek out and pray for family in Haiti. Know we are there with you. Know that Catholic Charities is part of your family and is praying for you,” he said.
     Debra West, URM director, said the candlelight vigil brought together area Haitians and current and former URM clients and staff for prayer and support.
     “There are about 35 Haitians from URM in the Jackson area,” West said. “More would be here but they either had school or work.
     “We want to let them know we support them and are praying for them because we are a family. When they suffer, we suffer.
     “We also wanted to bring greater awareness to the community of how the earthquake has impacted the lives of Haitians right here in Jackson,” said West.
     Jean-Ones Austin, 30, Haitian cultural specialist for seven years at URM, lost seven members of his extended family in Port-au-Prince.
     “Fifty percent of my family live in Port-au-Prince and the other 50 percent live in my hometown, Dame-Marie, in southwestern Haiti, which is a 10-hour drive from the capital,” said Austin.
     His uncle, aunt and several cousins perished in the earthquake. Austin was scheduled to go to Haiti this week to help his family.
     “We Haitians are a people who believe in God and know he will bring better things to Haiti and its people.”
     As soon after the earthquake as possible, Allain Pierre, 29, an ROTC (Reserved Officer Training Corps) cadet and Jackson State University graduate student, talked with his grandmother in Saint Marc, a small city an hour and 45 minutes from Port-au-Prince.
     “She told me her house was cracked by the earthquake but she was okay. I have cousins and uncles there and they are doing pretty good. They told me a lot of people are coming there from the capital because they have no place to stay,” he said.
     In Port-au-Price one cousin is dead and several others are living on the streets, Pierre said.
     “They want to go back home to Saint Marc but need money for transportation. I tried to send them money but Western Union was not working earlier this week so I sent the money to my brother in Miami and he got it through,” said Austin.
     He last visited Haiti in August 2009. “I saw my grandmother and family and had so much fun. It is going to hurt me so much to go there now and see how everything has been destroyed.
     “It is very hard for me and for every Haitian. My heart goes out to them,” Pierre said.
Contrary to some media portrayals, Pierre said most Haitians believe in God and are a very proud people.
     “I know disasters happen everywhere around the world but our government did not have the infrastructure in place to protect the people of Haiti. We need the international countries going in to stay and help us make things right for the citizens,” said Pierre.
     “I want to thank all the people sending money and aid from the United States and all over the world. But people need to make sure they give it to reputable agencies like the (American) Red Cross, UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) and churches,” he said.
     In the Diocese of Jackson, Bishop Joseph Latino has asked parishes to take up a special collection for Haiti.
     In 1995, Linda Raff, former Catholic Charities executive director, oversaw URM’s resettlement of 250 Haitian children in Jackson and other cities through the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ (USCCB) Office of Migration and Relief Services.
     “Watching what has happened to Haiti on television brought great grief to me,” she said.      “Many children over the years had to leave Haiti and many more lived in orphanages there. I watched with a heavy heart as I saw more and more children who have lost their parents in this earthquake.”
     The media attention on Haiti will educate a lot of people about the country, Raff said.
     “So many people don’t know about Haiti and its people and hopefully they will get a better understanding as they watch the news.
     “The Haitians are a very wonderful, talented, resilient people who are very hopeful about their future. I am certainly praying for the Haitians and particularly for all the children and their parents to be brought to safety,” Raff said.
     Jean Philip Walnes, 22, was among the group of children resettled in Jackson 14 years ago by URM.
     His calls to family members in Haiti have gone unanswered for days, he said.
     “All of my family lives in Port-au-Prince, my mom, my dad, sisters. I am so afraid for them seeing the news and how many people are dying.
     “It is just killing me inside. I just want everybody to pray for my family, to pray for Haiti, to pray for everyone in the whole country,” Walnes said.

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