Monthly Archives: January 2010

Inter-Council Meeting in Cuernavaca, Mexico

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Passionists from the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dom. Republic, Canada, Portugal and Spain.

Passionists from many parts of the world met in the Passionist Retreat House in Cuernavaca, Mexico for the annual Inter-Council Meeting. Present were representatives from the Communities of St. Paul of the Cross and Holy Cross Provinces, the Mexican Province of Cristo Rey, the Portuguese Province of our Lady of Fatima, the Vicariate of Our Lady of Peace in Puerto Rico/D.R., the Configuration of the Sacred Heart. Also present were several Provinces of Passionist Sisters, from both Mexico and the United States and the Secular institute of the Passion.

The four day meeting focused on collaboration between these Passionist entities in the areas of Formation, working with the poor, spreading the Memory of the Passion in our world and inter Province
ministries.

The meeting concluded with and featured an historic look at the Colonial Monasteries of Central Mexico’s rich religious past.

Fr. Rick Sanctifies the Graves at Ti-Tanyen – Haiti

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On January 16, Anderson Cooper of CNN reported that thousands of victims of Haiti’s earthquake were being unceremoniously dumped into mass graves in Ti-Tanyen.

See this report at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/15/haiti.earthquake/index.html?hpt=T1

Please note that Haitians always show tremendous respect for their dead and that this thoughtless act should not in any way reflect who they are.  As of today, Haitians have started the process to provide all the bodies dumped in Ti Tanyen  a decent sepulcher.  In reality, over 1500 bodies were buried today and the remaining 1000 or so will be buried tomorrow.

After learning of Mr. Cooper’s report, Bishop Pierre André Dumas, Father Rick Frechette and volunteers from Food for the Poor burnt incense, sprinkled holy water on the bodies, recited the rosary of the painful mysteries of Christ’s life, dug mass graves and gave these poor souls a decent Christian burial.

Caution! Graphic photos.

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Please consider a donation to help Fr. Rick help the people of Haiti: Please make checks payable to PASSIONIST MISSIONARIES.

Passionist Missionaries Inc.
526 Monastery Place
Union City NJ 07087-3398
Tel: 888/806-6606
E-mail: DLisotta@cpprov.org

Donate on-line by clicking the button below.
The link for our Donate Now button will redirect you to Caring Habits, Inc. (CHI) which is the credit card processing company for The Passionist Missionaries website.

Haiti Hospital Relief Report from Fr. Rick

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Dear Friends,

We are very appreciative of your concern, prayers and support. Today the workers started to break up and haul off the tons of cement and iron that used to be our Fr. Wasson Center in Petionville. It is very important to us that this location is cleaned up and a new initiative is started there. I still admire the teams of 20 and 30 people who dug without stopping until they found Dr. Castro, Erin, and the bodies of Molly and Ryan. We are not sure what we will rebuild there yet, but for sure we will make a prominent memorial dedicated to Molly and Ryan, and to all of our Haitian staff and friends who died elsewhere in the tragedy.

We estimate that we are missing about 20% of our Haitian staff. Some have gone to the United States, some are dead and some are still absorbed in their tragedies. We are not sure of the total deaths yet and it will take some time.

When we have a good idea, we will have a memorial ceremony for them and a page on the website to honor them. We have offered many masses for them already.

At the orphanage in Kenscoff, things have been fine. Busloads of our children from St. Helen have come to the hospital so they can have an idea of the problems, pray for the suffering and the dead and also visit the injured children.

The situation in the hospital has calmed down and we are better organized with a infrastructure in place. Patients that were sent for surgery to the USS Comfort will be returned to recuperate at our facilities. Also we will accept patients from the general public hospital. We are anticipating as many as 200 post operative patients.

Medical teams from many countries are doing all they can and all are working together in the best capacity. Four medical teams are going out daily to work in the poor areas. The team working at Christ Roi are working in the only standing building in the area.

We have a team that went to Leogane and Jacmel, two destroyed cities, to assess how we might be able to help. Alain and his team have been working in parks where children gather on the streets to offer food and other help. They are also starting to search for orphans and other vulnerable children. We have begun free water deliveries with the St. Luke water truck and the St. Helen orphanage water truck and we are starting food distributions tomorrow.

Gena Heraty and Norma Lopez are developing the team for the rehabilitation of the many children and adults who lost arms and legs. It is bittersweet to walk through our hospital and see so many children that are missing a limb, still with a big smile.

We have many homeless employees who prefer to live in a tent rather than taking them onto our property. It is important that they keep their social and family networks vibrant and our hope is to help them build their own small homes in the future with blocks we make ourselves at our Francisville industrial center.

There are many ex-orphans as well with nowhere to live. We hope in the meantime to get tents for them and to have stations where they can come for food. Hopefully one day we can also help them rebuild their own homes.

The problems are overwhelming. In relation to health, education, family, life, employment and social stability, the earthquake will have severe ramifications well into the future.

Please keep up your important prayers and support.

Thank you again and God bless you.

Fr. Rick Frechette

“We dedicate ourselves with Love to the Passion of Jesus Christ.”

Please consider a donation to help Fr. Rick help the people of Haiti: Please make checks payable to PASSIONIST MISSIONARIES.

Passionist Missionaries Inc.
526 Monastery Place
Union City NJ 07087-3398
Tel: 888/806-6606
E-mail: DLisotta@cpprov.org

Donate on-line by clicking the button below.
The link for our Donate Now button will redirect you to Caring Habits, Inc. (CHI) which is the credit card processing company for The Passionist Missionaries website.


Doctors from St. Peter’s help Fr. Rick

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Today, our parish sent 8 doctors, 2 operating room registered nurses and an assistant for Rick’s St. Damien’s Hospital for children in Port-au-Prince. Dr.Greg Murphy organized the medical professionals. Six of whom are among our loyal parishioners. We are deeply touched by their generosity to our Passionist Mission. They are slated to be there for close to two weeks. They flew out of Greenville yesterday with all sorts of supplies. Fr. Rick said that these doctors, especially the surgeons, will be of great assistance to the suffering people there. Bishop Burbidge of Raleigh came at noon to commission them as Missionaries from our Passionist parish to the Passionist Mission in Haiti. We presented each one with a cross. Bishop spoke of what a great honor this was for the Church of Raleigh to have these men responding to the suffering Christ in Haiti. I ask you to pray for them and their safety and their families here.

Fr. Paul Wierichs and the Passionists at Our Lady of Florida hosted the doctors and medical team from St. Peter’s last night. They picked them up at the airport, gave them rooms for the evening then had breakfast with them and then drove them up to the airport in Port St. Lucy for the trip to Haiti.

Fr. Rick will meet them at the Port-au-Prince Airport today. I am so proud to be Pastor of such a loving parish.
In Christ,
Justin Kerber, C.P.

Attention Turns to Rebuilding Shattered Haiti

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A look at the work of Father Rick Frechette before the earthquake. The task now is to rebuild.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBf1oBagcIw

As search-and-rescue teams head home after abandoning the search for survivors in the ruins of earthquake-shattered Haiti, international efforts are beginning to focus on the task of rebuilding the devastated country. Even before the earthquake, Haiti was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The World Bank estimates that in 2008 Haiti’s annual average income per person was just $660, ranking it 180th among 210 economies.

Fr. Rick Frechette, C.P. has worked in Haiti for over 20 years. He has been instrumental in founding hospitals, orphanages and schools that serve children, the most vulnerable of Haiti’s people.

The quake badly damaged walls at the new St. Damien’s, the only free pediatric hospital in Haiti. The old hospital, which was still functioning before the quake, has been completely destroyed. The orphanage was also severely damaged, but everyone survived. The street schools are in ruins.

Fr. Rick needs our help now to buy emergency medicine, to supply badly needed water and food, to help fly in doctors for the wounded children, and so much more. He will need our help in the months to come as he begins to rebuild.

Your donations will help to rebuild the Fr. Rick’s hospitals, orphanages and schools. We thank you for your generosity and support.

Please consider a donation to help Fr. Rick help the people of Haiti: Please make checks payable to PASSIONIST MISSIONARIES.

Passionist Missionaries Inc.
526 Monastery Place
Union City NJ 07087-3398
Tel: 888/806-6606
E-mail: DLisotta@cpprov.org

Donate on-line by clicking the button below.
The link for our Donate Now button will redirect you to Caring Habits, Inc. (CHI) which is the credit card processing company for The Passionist Missionaries website.