Friday, January 15, 2010

Update on CSCs in Haiti...

From the Office of the Procurator General,
Congregation of Holy Cross, Rome

January, 15 2010

We still remain without contact with our brothers in Haïti. Hopefully communications will be reestablished soon and we will be able to give you an update from Rev. Michel Eugène C.S.C., the Provincial Superior. However, because of the continuous coverage of the terrible effects of the earthquake all of you are aware of the devastation which has taken place in Port -au-Prince, the loss of human lives, the structural damage and the lack of food and water. With continuing aftershocks the damage continues.

The Congregation of Holy Cross has been in Haïti since 1944. We began in Haïti at Collège Notre-Dame in Cap Haïtien. In Port-au-Prince we currently have Ensemble Scolaire Basile Moreau, our house of formation for philosophy and theology, the provincial house and a residence. We also have parishes in the area. As of know we know that in Port-au-Prince, the high school building at Ensemble Scolaire Basile Moreau has collapsed. Also there has been massive damage to the provincial house and some damage at the house of formation. As of the last report from Haïti there is one scholastic missing. We expect that the damage reports will continue to be worse as the aftershocks continue. We will continue to update you.

Many of the religious of Holy Cross want to know how to respond to this crisis. We would suggest the following steps:

1. All religious houses and individual religious should pray for the people of Haiti and especially for the religious of Haïti.
2. All of the Provinces, Vicariates, and Districts and all of the apostolates and works within the Provinces, Vicariates and Districts should collect and send monetary resources for the aid of Haïti.
3. The monies should be sent to Holy Cross Mission Center, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 USA attn: Rev. James King C.S.C. and to Rev. Jean-Pierre Aumont C.S.C., Provincial, 4901 rue du Piedmont, Montréal, QC Canada H3V 1E3
4. All of these monies will be sent to the Province of Haïti, when it is possible and appropriate to do so. There will be no administrative charges and all of the monies will be used for the emergency in Haïti.

We know that all of the religious in Holy Cross are concerned about Haïti. They are currently 49 finally professed members in this province together with 25 temporary professed, 5 novices and 6 postulants. The Ensemble Scolaire Basile Moreau with several hundreds students is both a grade school and High School which was begun in 1989 to serve the poor in Port-au-Prince. We will continue to keep you informed as to the situation.

On January 20, 2010 we celebrate the feast of Blessed Basile Moreau. It is appropriate at this time that we ask the intercession of our founder for the people of Haïti and that we begin collecting funds to aid the people who are suffering and to begin the rebuilding of the structures of Holy Cross in Port-au-Prince.

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