Haiti Priests' September 1, 2002 Addresses to the St. Charles Parishioners (translated into English)

Dear parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo, hello!

The church is defined as people of God gathering to celebrate their faith in God, "Communion" and Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In fact, desiring to strengthen the spirit of communion that lives in the faithful of Cavaillon and St. Charles, I am delighted this Sunday to be with you to convey from the parishioners of Cavaillon their sincere and warm affection, their attachment and especially their gratitude concerning your support and your contributions to the people of Cavaillon.

Also, there is an old saying, "reconnaissance est la memoire du coeur" [gratitude is the memory of the heart]. That is why, in the first place, I thank the Lord to have crossed paths with the sympathetic personalities of the caliber of Fr. Horace ["Tuck" Grinnell, pastor at St. Anthony's in Falls Church] and Fr. Gerry Creedon to forge this path.

Without a lot of discourse, I am going to link the word to the act. To give you some background, I will tell you a list of completed projects from the parish community of St. Charles' grace and the devotion of Fr. Gerry:

1. construction of the St. Joseph and St. Charles Clinic in Flamand
2. financing the reconstruction of the chapel in Flamand
3. training for teachers and liturgical assistants
4. co-financing by St. Charles and St. Anthony's the construction of Notre Dame High School
5. sponsors for 200 students at Boileau and Berrette – 100 students per elementary school
6. creation of the school lunch program at Berrette and Boileau
7. financing of 12 pews for the chapel at L'Oiseau (from the father of Linda Hill)
8. the gift of 48 French-English dictionaries for Notre Dame High School
9. monthly support of the Cavaillon Parish for multiple needs.

And now I will describe other vital projects that I propose as short, medium and long-term in the partnership of Cavaillon and St. Charles:

A) Short-term projects

• buy a mill engine to process corn and millet – $4,000
• buy a photocopier – $5,000
• finance computers, batteries and solar panels

B) Medium-term projects

• financial aid for pews in the chapel in Flamand ($1,500)
• buy desks for Berrette and Boileau – $2,000

C) Long-term projects

• a bus to transport students between Notre Dame and their homes
• financial aid to finish the Berrette school – $4,000

May God bless you and yours. Thank you.

Brothers and sisters, hello!

This morning, I am happy to have the opportunity to share with you the Eucharist of the Lord. I bring you greetings and thanks from Gros Marin Parish, your sister parish in Haiti.

Gros Marin thanks you for all the gifts that you have given: photocopier, financial aid ranging between $500 to $700 per month that is used for paying teachers, liturgical help, support for the presbytery and the vehicles. A big thank you for your help in finishing construction of the school. The parish of Gros Marin will never stop praying for you and for your pastor, the Rev. Gerard Creedon.

However, I want to ask you for one last thing, to help me finish the construction of the presbytery at a cost of about $25,000, and to help me give a nutrition program for the children with $1,000 each month. Maybe you can share the expenses with the parish of St. Anthony.

A thousand thanks to Fr. Creedon and you. May God bless you and yours.