"Gaining ground after Hurricane Matthew and changing math"- From Fr. Rick

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Dear Friends and Family,

Not quite a week ago, after a full day’s work, a small group of us left Port au Prince and headed for Jeremie Province (Lagombri), in the rain.

We reached the muddy river crossings past Jeremie City almost eight hours later (at 2am), and slept, sitting and crunched up in the truck until sunrise, since it is not wise to negotiate the mud rivers when you can't see.

We reached St Victor almost two hours after that, and abandoning the truck for lack or roads, continued on an off road "polaris," for another hour and a half of a hair-raising ride, on mule paths that severely tested all the mechanics of the jeepish buggy, and of our bodies. 

After two flat tires, and reaching where even mules had to give up, we continued another hour on foot. 

As we walked, the rains came again. The red mud made everything slippery, and we spent as much of our time keeping our balance as walking, and we were wet and cold and mud-stained. 

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Happy Birthday Fr. Rick!

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“You have a limited number of heartbeats in your life; it is a finite number. And you have a limited number of steps you’re going to take in your life; it’s a finite number and it can be calculated. The question is, what is your heart beating for and where are your steps taking you?”
— Fr. Rick Frechette

On August 14th, our beloved friend Father Rick Frechette will turn 64 years old.  

Anyone who has been lucky enough to meet Father Rick is inspired by him. This is a man with an extraordinary commitment to peace, justice, and service – and we believe he deserves to be celebrated.  

In honor of Father Rick, his team, and all the St. Luke Foundation has built to serve the poorest of the poor in Haiti, please join us in celebrating 64 remarkable years. 

The best part? Your generosity will be put to good use. All donations will benefit the amazing work of Father Rick and the St. Luke Foundation for Haiti, whose programs include 32 schools with 12,500+ students enrolled, high-quality healthcare for 60,000 patients each year, and community outreach programs that deliver 19,500 gallons of clean water every day.  

Let’s use this opportunity to show our solidarity and give Father Rick and his team the gift of our continued love, appreciation, and much-needed financial support! Happy Birthday Father Rick! 

The Resurrection and Survivor's Guilt

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Dear friends and family,

No matter how beautiful and wondrous nature around us is, no matter how glad we are to see our family, especially the newest members (the sheer joy of being with the children), no matter how many friends we have gained over the years, with whom we can let down our hair, rant and rave, cry and laugh, no matter how full is our storehouse of good memories, we are never far from tragedy and its ability to turn upside down all the good things of our lives.

When we read about Lazarus, called back to life from his tomb, we put the period on the last gospel sentence, and assume the rest is glorious.

Yet we know from the scriptures themselves that Lazarus, survivor of death and burial, was stalked by the curious (and even more so by the morbidly curious), and there were even plans to kill him, because his resurrected life gave too much credit to the claim that Jesus was Messiah. 

I remember reading a book years ago called The Last Temptation of Christ. In it, Lazarus was asked by cynics, 

"You have known both life and death. Which do you prefer?" 

He replied, "it's six of one, and half dozen of another."

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Singers who lost their songs

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Dear Friends,

The story of the last days of Jesus on earth tell of the very worst forms of agony any person can endure.

The story also shows, in a very painful way, the most noble way to suffer.

Later, the story happily reveals the glory that awaits those who have been baptized in the fires of life, and have not been found wanting.

Those of you who who are still grieving a childwhose life ended at the hand of another

Those of you still grieving someone you loved dearly whose life ended by their own hand,

Those of you still grieving for someone torn from your life, swiftly or slowly, in such an unbelievable awful and unfair way,

for sure you understand, with your heart, the first five, of the seven high holy days.

Maybe you also (hopefully) grieve deeply for the stranger, for the children who were just killed by sarin gas in the Bombing of the Innocents, in Syria. 

About six months ago, a popular young Haitian singer, on leaving the stage after midnight, and getting into his car on Delmas road, was hit, and run over, by a wreckless driver, who then fled the scene.

That Evans is a completely broken young man, in every conceivable sense, is the understatement of the year.

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The Old Man of the Sea

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Hello friends

On Monday, after finally unloading from the barge and tug boat:

  • 140,000 lbs  seeds
  • 25,000 lbs of food
  • 17 tons of construction rebar
  • 5000 cement block
  • 2000 sacks of cement

We left Jeremie province  by land for a port au Prince

As we were in the small boat going from the barge to Damie Marie where our trucks were, Roseline interviewed myself, Nebez, Brett Jackson, to Mayou and some people of this hurricane devastated area.

The videos are heavy to upload, but here is mine. We will find a way to send the others.

Thanks for your support

God bless you

Fr Rick