24 february 2010, Sharing of "today"in Haiti
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Some reflections on the visit of Sr. Evelyne Franc, Superioress General of the Company, and Sr. Iliana Suarez Perez, General Councillor, after their return from Haiti.
With God’s blessing, for five days we had the privilege to share the present reality of life with our Sisters of Haiti in the heart of a people profoundly marked by suffering. Arriving at the Port-au-Prince airport in the afternoon of the 3rd of February we quickly went to meet the Sisters. As we greeted them we could sense a great mixture of sentiments: sorrow, joy, union of heart and spirit. Through us, all the Company was meeting our Sisters…”a beautiful experience of communion…source of life!”
After we were settled in our “new provincial house”, among the tents, we quickly organized our stay in order to make the best use of our time to visit the Communities: Marie-Madeleine (Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal); Our Lady of Providence (Cité Soleil) and St. Vincent de Paul Mission (La Périère).
The following day began very early with morning prayer and the Eucharist celebrated in the open air of a fresh, Caribbean morning. This sustained our day as we left immediately afterward to visit the Communities and share the day with them.
During our visits we had the opportunity to greet persons who, for one reason or another, had come to our houses. It was a privilege to hold a hand that held such profound sorrow that perhaps could not even be expressed. Taking a hand was a moment of prayer, being able to offer the comfort that comes only from God.
Next we prepared ourselves for the very important and delicate experience of listening and sharing with each Sister of the Province as well as those who came after the earthquake. Sunday afternoon there was a Provincial Council meeting to reflect, discern and make plans for the immediate future. Together we confided everything to the Holy Spirit.
We want to highlight our gratitude to the Sisters of the Province of the Dominican Republic because their cordial welcome gave us the strength to continue along our journey.
As we left Port-au-Prince we realized the terrible reality that these people are living, to the point where one could speak of a “land of martyrs”. We placed them in the heart of Jesus crucified. We heard that there was a great silence for several minutes after the end of earthquake after which came one word heard almost as a cry: “Jesus”. To Him who is the base of our hope we offer the lives of our brothers and sisters, the Haitian people.
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