Sr. Judy Dohner, Sister of the Humility of Mary, arrived at NPFS Haiti in 2002.
Poor Judy. None of us knew we were about to face the worst political and social violence we would ever know in our 30 years of work here.
Since the earthquake in 2010, various international organizations throughout Port au Prince have provided trauma expertise for burns, accidents, high-risk maternity and various other emergencies. Some of these trauma centers were located just a few miles from St. Damien and St. Luke hospitals. Unfortunately, at the end of July of this year, one organization announced the closing of two of their hospitals, cutting back funding to maternity and trauma services, with trauma being closed altogether after June of 2019.
Read MoreOn April 27th and 28th, the St. Luke Foundation successfully held their second international conference on Acute and Emergency Care at the St. Luke Hospital with 110 attendees.
Read MoreToday we are very honored and blessed to receive the visit of the new Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Max Leroy Mésidor, who was appointed by Pope Francis three months ago, to replace our good friend Archbishop Guire Poulard.
The archbishop said when he first came to Port-au-Prince, he had a list of places that he would like to visit in the city and he wrote them on his agenda; he has heard a lot about both Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs and the St. Luke Foundation and for sure we were figured on his list.
Read MoreTwo baby girls were born. Alleluia!
The gift of life.
They are 9 days old today. Each of a different family and circumstance.
In one family, this baby is so very precious. All kinds of tiny baby wardrobe already fill the drawers, the bassinet is ready, the family glows with the light of new life. The name is carefully chosen, a christening is carefully planned. The life of this new bundle of joy is offered to God.
For the second baby, the circumstances of the mother changed during her pregnancy. Her husband has left her, she has no work, she is afraid. Where she lives is riddled with violent crime, even rape. Her baby is also very precious to her, but her life is full of desperate worries.
Read MoreDear Family and Friends,
I remember when I was a child, I often heard my grandmother say, “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
After 39 years of priesthood, and 30 of these years as a priest and physician in Haiti, I am afraid I have seen plenty of people considerably and permanently wrecked by “what didn’t kill them.”
Read MoreFrom November 11-18th, 58 surgeries were performed at the St Luke Hospital led by our Friends from Global, Surgical and Destination Healthcare (GSD Healthcare), which is comprised of health care providers from all over the U.S., including Mayo clinic Arizona.
Read MoreDear friends,
A little over a week ago, when I was driving across Port au Prince to help the Sisters in their clinic, I found a woman on the street in the grips of death.
She was entering a coma from eclampsia, in only her 8th month of pregnancy, and I had to act fast on her behalf, calling a friend at a private hospital to assure her a place. I paid a truck (tap-tap) to race her there, since I could not, in any way, fit her in my small off road "polaris", and there was no time to lose looking for an ambulance.
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."
Read MoreDear 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.
Read More
Order Fr. Rick Frechette’s book of essays via Amazon.com
The St. Luke Foundation for Haiti is a 501 (c) (3) and tax-exempt charitable organization that supports Haitian-led programs.
A special thanks to Angela Altus, Rebecca Arnold, Giles Clark, Denso Gay and Ami Vitale for the photographs, as well as the teams of NPH and Artists for peace and justice.
