Haiti (St. Jerome, our sister parish)

The video and slide show we recently showed at our Feast Day Mass for St. Jerome can be downloaded from this dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/fr7x2ro39yxtt4v/AACAKvIqxBPTj2KksvUv_aCqa?dl=0

St. Jerome Church from the street.
St. Jerome Church from the street.
Some of the teachers at Gaibo elementary school.
The cantine at Gaibo.
The cantine at Gaibo.
school children
Haitian children attending class at St. Jerome’s.

Our sister parish in Haiti is Paroisse Saint Jérôme in Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite, founded on December 25, 1725.  St. Timothy’s has been helping support this mission for more than 15 years. There are 11 chapels in the parish which serve an estimated 6,480 parishioners and are spread over a large geographical area of often-remote villages in Gonaives, Haiti. St. Jerome’s also manages five schools in the area.  Four are elementary schools serving pre-school through 6th grade:

  • Emmanuel Constant Primary (17 teachers and 430 students)
  • Notre Dame of Altagrace of Plassac (11 teachers and 380 students)
  • Marie Madeleine of Gaibo (9 teachers and 180 students)
  • Saint Andre of Grand Hatte (9 teachers and 230 students)

There is one Secondary School serving 7th grade and above:

  • Emmanuel Constant High School (37 teachers and 220 students)

In addition to educating the students,  Father Isaac Previlon, the Pastor of St. Jerome, is committed to establishing cafeterias at each school.  In most cases, a meal received at school is the only hot meal of the day, so he feels it is critical to feed each child and staff member at school.

Our Mission

  • Foster a sense of Christian Community between the parishes of Saint Timothy and Saint Jerome, Haiti.
  • Pray for each others’ spiritual and material needs.
  • Discover ways to share our time, talent, treasure, hope, and faith with the Haitian people in our sister parish.
  • Become advocates for the people of Haiti and support actions that will improve the quality of life for all Haitians.
  • Encourage Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy through our interaction with our sister parish.

Spiritual Help

Love for neighbor is how we express our relationship with God.  Prayer and good works are a testimony of that relationship and lead us to better understand the will of our Creator as well as provide grace as we witness our love for Christ to the world.

Material Help

St. Timothy’s is dedicated to providing help with the school lunch programs at the schools of St. Jerome’s.  Our goal is to see that each child receives a nutritious lunch each day.  In addition, we are helping with teacher compensation so that the school can maintain a high level of education.  Each quarter, we send monetary support to our sister parish.  This support comes from our Poor Box Collections (taken up on the second weekend of each month) and our Offertory Envelopes (when there is a fifth Sunday in a month).  We have also had drives to collect medical supplies to send to Haiti.

St. Timothy’s Haiti Committee encourages additional donations of time, talent, or treasure.  We would love to hear new ideas and encourage you to share them at our monthly meetings.  Please email Deacon Rob with any questions, suggestions, or to find out when our next meeting is.

Chairperson:  Deacon Robert Price

Committee members:  Anne Kerns, Dawn Hawes, Linda Morgan, Michele Newton, Serge Bellanton

Thanks for your support!