Recently, a group of
parishioners returned from our first parish mission trip to Haiti, where they
visited the geographically remote but personally embracing pastor and people of
the parish of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus, in the diocese of
Jeremie. Immediately after returning,
one of the missioners handed me the following letter, which I now share with
you.
From: Father Samuel
Auguste
Sicard, Jeremie, Haiti
To: Msgr.
Smith Barthelemy
Ste. Bernadette Parish, Washington
Object: Thank
you!
Msgr.
Smith,
I greet you on behalf of Jesus
Christ.
On behalf of the followers of the parish Saint Therese of the
Infant Jesus of Sicard, and on my own behalf, I write you this letter in order
to thank you for all your support and your heartfelt friendship.
Sicard is a new parish that needs
very good cooperations. Thanks be to
god, we have started cooperating with some awesome people which you are.
I was very happy to receive the
friends from Saint Bernadette parish of Washington and the gifts that they
brought for me and for the kids, such as: copybooks, crayons, school bags,
keyboard, t-shirts, the computer, and the pictures drawn by your students.
I have also received an email
regarding the transfer of the 8,000 US dollars to my account. Unfortunately I haven’t had enough time to
withdraw that money before they came to visit my parish, but I thank you a lot
for that.
Finally, I am kindly asking you to transfer
my greetings and thanks to all of the ones who contributed to send gifts and
money to my parish.
May God bless you and all of the
followers of Saint Bernadette. Thank
you!
Sincerely,
Father Samuel Auguste
I hope that warms you
more than the summer sun – which I understand is even warmer in the hills of
western Haiti! Our Haiti mission
committee, led by Maureen Johnson and Jim Weisgerber, did a marvelous job of
discerning the needs of the people of Sicard and how we could offer them
something that would bear good fruit in their lives. They were also eager to remain open to the many
gifts that their newfound Haitian brothers and sisters could offer them. Mutual generosity is the fabric of communion
in Christ. To all who have participated
in launching this relationship that will result in a deeper participation in
the love of Christ, I give not only Father Samuel's thanks, but also my own.
Nothing makes one
grateful for his own nation like visiting another, as I have several times
experienced. This note comes at perfect
time to thank God for the unique gifts and genius of our country, whose
abundances we enjoy. Our Independence
Day observances should not fail to include sincere thanks to God for this
singular grace, as well as our fervent prayer for guidance and protection from
all evil, within and without, that could threaten our earthly homeland. God bless America.
Monsignor
Smith
