Today, April 9, the school community of St. John the Evangelist just gave a moving tribute to the victims of the tragedy of January 12. On the incomplete list of the deceased there were 45 names. Now we have begun getting ready for courses to begin Monday, April 12.
Conditions are difficult, but with the support of the ministry of National Education, we were able to build hangars to welcome our students with more protection from aftershocks and more comfortable than tents. We will use the first week of the re-opening for psyco-social activities to help the students to get over their trauma. As a preparation, we gathered the teachers for a week not only to help them through their stress by means of psychological and physical exercises but also to give them the tools to better support on the emotional level the students entrusted to them .

As you can see from the photos, not everything is perfect, but we are doing what we can.

That's the news from St. John the Evangelist.

 

Union of prayers,

Brother Augustin Nelson, S.C.

Principal

Scroll down to read the latest information from our Superior General. Rome, January 25, 2010

Haiti Relief: Brothers of the Sacred Heart

Brothers, Colleagues, Friends,
Many have asked for information about the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Haiti and how they fared in the earthquake. We have also received many questions about how to send donations to Haiti in a secure way to help our brothers and the students in our schools to recover from this enormous catastrophe.

To make donations
We are working with our  generalate in Rome and the Provincial of Canada to ascertain the best method to assure that donations for the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Haiti go toward  the designated purpose of helping our Brothers and their ministry. 

The Province of Canada manages an account belonging to the Province of Haiti. Since direct contact with Haiti is impossible, sending donations to Haiti’s Canadian account through a foundation set up for that purpose would be a sure way to know that the money will reach its destination and its intention of direct help to the works of the brothers in Haiti.

Our office in New Orleans  will collect donations for the Brothers in Haiti and then direct them to the proper entity as the direction of our Superior General in Rome and in cooperation with the Provincial of Canada.  So donations may be directed as follow:

Make checks to: Brothers of the Sacred Heart, with Haiti Relief in the Memo Line.
Send checks to:  Brothers of the Sacred Heart - Haiti
   c/o Brother Ronald Talbot, S.C.,
   4600 Elysian Fields Avenue
   New Orleans, LA  70122
   
Information
We have 58 brothers in the Province of Haiti.
The provincial secretary sent this note January 15:
 "We thank you for your expressions of Solidarity. All the brothers in Haiti are alive. The country is anihilated.  Canado and St. Jean [two schools -- one a high school and the other an elementary school] near each other in the heart of Port-au-Prince, collapsed with their principals under the debris. But God saved them. There is no longer any way to communicate. I will not be able to receive your response [to this message]. I had to go a long way to connect to the net. But I wanted to give you this information. The situation is chaotic. Decaying cadavers line the streets. The people cannot go back into their houses.  This earthquake had the force of three bombs launched at the same instant."
Fraternally,
Brother Nelson Augustin, S.C.

Donations to Brothers, students, schools

The Brothers in Haiti have
• Five schools in Port-au-Prince:  Canado-Haitien College, Canado-Haitien Technical School, St. John the Evangelist, Juvenat-College de Carrefour and John XXIII. The latter is a no-tuition school in an impoverished neighborhood.  All of these schools collapsed.
• Schools in three towns away from the capital: Les Cayes, Miragoane, and Port-Salut.
• Two communities of novices and student brothers, in different sectors of Port-au-Prince: Thor and Pacot.
 
 
Medical Donations
Other than educational needs, some have said they want to donate to medical necessities. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart of the Province of Montreal founded a hospital in Haiti in 1986; its operations have since been transferred to a non-profit non-governmental corporation called Milot Foundation.

 Hôpital Sacré-Coeur, or Sacred Heart Hospital, is located in a town not badly affected by the earthquake, Milot, near the city of Cap Haitien, which is the largest city in northern Haiti. Milot has an airport, and therefore means of transportation and communication. It is staffed by 15 Haitian doctors and a staff of 160.  It is a triage site for Project Hope and will serve many refugees from the capital.

Those who want to make medical donations destined for Sacred Heart Hospital should send checks to:

Brothers of the Sacred Heart, with Milot in the Memo Line.
These checks will be placed in the Haiti account and destined for Sacred Heart Hospital.

For more information about making charitable donations to the Brothers of the Sacred Heart and works of the Province of Haiti, please contact:
Brother Ronald Talbot, S.C.,
4600 Elysian Fields Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70122

Tel:   504 301 4758
noprovince@hotmail.com

Rome,
January 25, 2010

In this message, I want to share with you the emotions that overwhelmed me as soon as I heard about the disaster that struck the Haitian people. I want also to echo the cries of our brothers who are grieving and the messages of solidarity that many of you have sent me. I wish finally to commend your effort of solidarity.

Two weeks have gone by since the day of this terrible disaster that has destroyed Port-au-Prince and its surroundings; and we are still in shock by the ghastly dimension of this tragedy. Images are dreadful: collapsed buildings, considerable dead bodies without proper burying, countless wounded people without proper care, orphans walking about in the streets like sleepwalkers, thousands of people homeless, without water and without food. It is reality outdoing all we could say or imagine.

In spite of this sight of devastation, our 58 brothers of the province of Haiti are alive. Each one of them has survived the calamity; no one is suffering from a permanent injury, no one is lacking the bare minimum. Sadly, we know that some confreres have lost members of their family, as we know that some of our collaborators and pupils are dead; we do not know yet how many exactly.

Material losses are huge. At this time, we cannot size up the whole of the damages. From the information we have received to this day, Canado-Haïtien and St.John the Evangelist colleges, St.John the Evangelist and Canado residences have collapsed, as also has the novitiate of Thor. The Centre of Professional Formation building of the Canado College has been greatly damaged. The Provincial House is still standing, although cracks require caution. John XXIII College, a new building, has held out, but the other buildings are seriously damaged. We do not know if they will be able to resume their studies, and if so, at what time.

The Lord, God of life, is telling us something through these events. In similar situations, we experience our weakness; we are more aware that our lifetime is the passing of the shadow; we look for security in God, Rock that saves us and Good Shepherd for his people. We feel that we must be more united, among us and with all the others. Even if it is not easy to understand, we know that this disaster has not been wanted by Him; on the contrary, this happened in spite of Him.

We do not understand why so many sons and daughters of God, mostly among the poorest, have to go through long nights of sorrow. It is hard to proclaim the love of God when suffering in darkness. But to love is to be faithful, even when we do not see clearly. Our prayer today could be this one: «Lord, increase our faith so that in spite of the darkness in which we are immersed, we proclaim your fidelity in keeping in us a compassionate heart and a sense of solidarity.»

The fidelity of the Lord for his own people will be revealed through our loving care towards the hurt population and by our own commitment to provide for their needs and finding a relief of their sorrow. In other words, the love of God for our suffering brothers will be shown by our solicitude towards them. In this way, the Haitian people today plunged in darkness will be able to look ahead for a promising dawn. As brother Jean Élithère, Provincial of Haiti, wrote: «In spite of all, we, the people of Haiti in general and us the province of Haiti in particular, hope, that after having lived this Good Friday. we will reach Easter Sunday.»
We firmly wish that with the help of God comes this new day as a result of the effort of the people who suffers and of the support of millions of people that want to show their solidarity.

Brothers, I know your generosity. This is why I am convinced that all over the Institute will arise – it has already started – a great wave of solidarity towards the Haitian population. In this very moment, we hear, deep in each one of us, more clearly than ever the words of Jesus: «You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.» (Matt.: 37-39). And John declares that the love of God is measured by the love of our brother: «If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him?» (1 John 3: 17)

I have been communicating with the Provincial of Haiti who has convened his council last Saturday, January 23. The provincial council has identified two main needs: the young brothers and their studies and the financial support. He invites strongly the entities that can afford it to welcome student brothers so it will be possible for them to resume their studies as best as they can. Moreover, he needs money to support the local communities and follow up gradually on the apostolic works. His suggestion is that the funds collected be sent in Canada. In addition to this letter, the different administrations will receive relevant information concerning the Bank accounts where they can transfer donations.

A Thanksgiving Hymn is offered to the Lord for the life of the Brothers and the Haitian people reached by the charism of Father André Coindre. I thank Him for their generosity and their courage, for their faith and their commitment to the service of children and young people, especially those who are more in need. I praise the Heart of God for the fraternal spirit and the solidarity of all those who, moved by the same charism, are in other regions of the world. If, up to now, the mission of the Institute for the service of the Haitian people was important, now this service is urgent. I pray to the Lord to sustain the courage of all of us in spite of great difficulties.

May the Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary comfort all the distressed people in Haiti, may they bless them and bless us all!

Brother José Ignacio Carmona, S.C.
Superior General