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"Welcome Dear Visitor"
 Walkersville
Pastor visits Sister Parish in Haiti
Father Murphy, pictured at left, at the
rectory of
St.
Jérŏme at Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite in Haiti.
[MORE PHOTOS]
In June 2003, Father Dick Murphy, Pastor of
St. Timothy parish in Walkersville, along with parishioner, Bob Peters,
traveled to Haiti to visit their sister parish,
St. Jérŏme at Petite
Rivière de l’Artibonite. An eye-opening experience, Father Murphy
has renewed energy for the project of partnering with the
poverty-stricken parish of Haiti, coupled with a deeper appreciation of
what we have here. Their visit followed an earlier to the United
States by Father Christoph, Pastor of the Haitian parish.
This
recent trip was preceded by an earlier trip made in August of 2002
by Fr. Murphy and St. Timothy parishioner, Linda Morgan. While
this recent, 2003, trip was extensive in terms of exploring specific
ways St. Timothy can aid St. Jerome and its missions, the trip made by
Fr. Murphy and Ms. Morgan was more of an introductory, orientation type
of trip, which afforded both parishes the opportunity to get to know
each other.
Established over 70
years ago, by French missionaries,
St. Jérŏme at Petite
Rivière de l’Artibonite today
serves 65,000 parishioners. The parish includes 17 missions, some
of which are a 4 hour drive away.
Fr. Christoff and
his associate, Pere Faubert, are responsible for this very large and
widely dispersed flock. Accompanying these priests as they
ministered, Fr. Murphy was at times profoundly moved by the living
conditions he witnessed.
"You can’t
imagine it until you see it – You have no frame of reference," he said.
La Chapelle de Sequr,
one of St.Jérŏme's
missions in need
of a permanent chapel. This
roof.
[MORE PHOTOS]
The majority
of St. Jérŏme's parishioners are rice farmers and live in primitive
homes with no indoor plumbing and scarce electricity. Some live 2-3
families per home. Transportation is by foot or bicycle on dirt
roads. Many of the roads are dried up river beds. Creole is the
commonly spoken language. Those who attend school and are taught to
read speak French. There is a 70% illiteracy rate. Despite this
poverty, Fr. Murphy was amazed at the spiritual richness of these
people. "The people of
St. Jérŏme greeted
me with songs of welcome. They continually remember the members of
St. Timothy in their prayers."
Currently, St Timothy’s
parish in Walkersville has sent over $7,000 to help in supplying food
and providing salaries for the teachers of the parish school. Now Fr.
Murphy
and the parish council are establishing committees of interested
parishioners to help in the continuation and expansion of this support.
Fr. Murphy
is hopeful that in the near future more trips will be made to St.
Jerome, with more of St. Timothy’s members making the trip.
Children of a mission school
[MORE PHOTOS]
There is much to be
done. On their visit to St. Jerome in June the two visitors were
greeted by parishioners from three missions.
Hatte-Jumelle, which
serves 5,000 people, and La Chapelle de Sèqur, which serves 15,000
people are both in need of chapels. Savane-a-Roches, which
serves 22,000 people has a chapel already, but no rectory. The
Diocese of
Gonaives will grant them parish status and assign them their own pastor, once
they have built a rectory.
Looking forward, Fr.
Murphy
is hopeful that this relationship between the two parishes will
flourish. "I
would like this to be an ongoing relationship between the two parishes –
A relationship that goes beyond the financial support and prayers
offered for each other to gain an understanding of each other’s
spiritual heritage through personal contact between the two parishes.
"The sentiments I
heard over and over again during my visits to Haiti expressed such
appreciation on the part of the Haitian people for the personal interest
being taken in them by their American brethren. What I see developing
here is a breaking forth of the Kingdom of God; a Kingdom of peace and
justice."
Bienvenues cheres visiteur
Welcome dear visitor
[Link: Fr. Murphy's Haiti Photo
Album]
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