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Haitian priest renews links to Albany seeking aid

Rev. Joseph Philippe, CSSp, watched from his balcony in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, as neighboring houses crumbled and his house shook for about 35 seconds during the Jan. 12 earthquake. It was all he could do.

"Jesus, save us," he heard people cry as the impact pushed him toward the center of the house. As the dust settled, he felt peaceful.

"It was a spiritual experience," said Father Philippe, "to see the power of God and also to say to myself that God is in control."

His own house was undamaged. The experience reminded him of the biblical story of Job: God gives and God takes away.

Father Philippe passed hundreds of corpses as he walked five miles to a Spiritan seminarian's funeral. The Diocese of Port-au-Prince also lost its archbishop, cathedral and 15 churches.

Recently, Father Philippe visited the Peace and Justice Commission in the Albany Diocese, with which he has previously collaborated on charitable projects. It's part of a tour of several American cities to discuss relief efforts in Haiti. The priest studied at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, so he has many friends in the U.S. He will return to Haiti Feb. 12.

Close losses
Among the approximate 200,000 dead in Haiti are Sister Odile, a member of the Sisters of Fondwa, the community that Father Philippe founded in 1996, and two-year-old Jude, a boy who lived with 65 other children in the orphanage the sisters ran.

The orphanage and convent, as well as a health clinic, radio station, school for 700 children, university and house for international volunteers, were de-stroyed. Father Philippe founded these institutions in Fondwa, where the epicenter of the quake hit about two hours from Port-au-Prince.

"Everything has gone," he said. "All of the infrastructures I have been building the last 22 years are gone."

The Fondwa community lost 25 people. Survivors have been trying to sift through wreckage by hand, but equipment such as a backhoe loader is needed. So far, Father Philippe added, Fondwa awaits outside help.

Into action
Father Philippe has a plan. First, emergency relief is needed in the form of food, water and temporary shelter for Fondwa staffers, sisters, students and teachers.

They need to remove waste and restore the energy and communication systems. They need builders, development specialists, engineers and volunteers with strong morale and psychological skills to address the emotional ramifications of the disaster.

How to help
Sending money is probably the best option right now, Father Philippe said; but he also wants a small group of people to lead the effort on the ground. There are more than 200 flights from the U.S. to Haiti every day. The town of Jacmel, about 45 minutes from Fondwa, serves as a temporary home to refugees and volunteers.

Father Philippe recommends sponsoring a child from the school or orphanage or adopting the university so he can eventually reach his goal of enrolling 700 students. He needs a business manager to coach small business owners and create vocational schools.

The priest is also the founder of Fonkoze, an alternative bank for the organized poor - mostly women street vendors. Five Fonkoze employees died in the earthquake, five branches were damaged and the main branch in Bizoton was destroyed.

A mobile van is stationed there now, and 35 branches are operating. Father Philippe said he hopes to give $1,500 to each employee to rebuild.

Fonzoke is especially needed now because people have lost their cash hiding spots, Father Philippe said. The organization has $20 million in its loan portfolio and 75,000 borrowers.

(02/11/10) [[In-content Ad]]

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