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Images of Haiti
St. Jérŏme at Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite
Sister Parish of St. Timothy, Walkersville
(June 2003 visit)
click on thumbnails for larger image
[Read related story] |
 Interior of
St. Jérŏme at Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite
This beautiful and simple sanctuary seats
1000.
If you enlarge this photo, you will spy a
bird's nest in the upper left, as well as two women praying near the
altar of the church.
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 St.
Jérŏme at Petite Rivière de l’Artibonite
church (right), and rectory (below). Both church and rectory were
built by French missionaries during the late 1920's, when the parish of
St. Jérŏme was established. |
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 Fr.
Murphy, pastor of St. Timothy parish in Walkersville, on the upper balcony
of the rectory where he and St. Timothy parishioner, Bob Peters resided
during their stay in Haiti. |
 Fr.
Christoph, Pastor of St.
Jérŏme (right) and his associate, Pere Faubert
(left). These two priests minister to over 65,000 faithful, spread
over the central parish and 17 missions. |
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 Kitchen of
rectory. Note refrigerator in background: because there is not
enough electricity available to run large appliances, it is only used
for storage; not refrigeration. |
 All of Haiti
experiences "roving blackouts" daily due to the shortage of
electricity. Pictured above are batteries and an electric inverter
used for storage of electricity to be used during the blackouts. |
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St.
Jérŏme
Parish School |
 Classroom
of parish school. (St. Timothy parish currently helps support this
school.) Primary grades attend school in the morning and are
dismissed after lunch. Secondary grades attend classes in the
afternoon. |
 (L
to R): Pere Faubert, Bob Peters from St. Timothy's,
Fr. Christoph, Class teacher. |
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 Chalk
boards are the primary instruments for learning in the Haitian
classrooms. Some books and writing tables are also used. |
 Another
class in the parish school. These students, who stand whenever an
adult enters the room, were singing a welcome song (in Creole) for Fr.
Dick and Bob Peters. Note the bench seating. |
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 Kindergarten
class of parish school. |
 School
kitchen. In the center of the picture are mothers, preparing the
school lunch. These mothers work in the kitchen in order to
provide tuition for their children to attend the school. A typical
school lunch consists of beans, rice, salad and water. For some
students, it is the only meal they receive all day. |
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St.
Jérŏme
School for the Very Poor |
 St.
Jerome runs 8 schools. Located on the grounds of
St. Jérŏme's
rectory is the school for the very
poor. It is tuition free. Walls are of metal and woven palm
fronds. The structure has a metal roof and dirt floors. There are
no fans, due to lack of electricity, however the school is built under
trees which render some shade. |
 Interior
of school for the poor. These students also attend classes either
in the morning or afternoon. This school is unable to provide
books or lunch for the students. All learning takes place on the
chalkboard. |
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 First
grade class in school for the poor. Fr. Christoph is pictured in
blue shirt, and the class teacher is in a red shirt. |
 Typical
street scene in l'Artibonite. The majority of people here are rice
farmers and live in homes made of tin or wood. Few are made of
concrete, which is the most expensive. There is no indoor plumbing
and little electricity. Many homes house 2 or 3 families.
Primary means of transportation is on foot or by bike. |
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Reaching Out: Missions of St.
Jérŏme |
 BEFORE
Future chapel at one of
St. Jérŏme's missions, constructed with
sticks and without roof.
 AFTER
Fr. Murphy and Bob Peters helped Fr. Christoff deliver pieces of tin
to this site one morning and were amazed to see, that very afternoon,
that the roof had been completed.
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 Current
location for Mass at mission pictured at left, while chapel is under construction. |
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 "Welcome
dear visitor..."
Fr. Murphy and Bob Peters are greeted with a song of welcome by members of
the Mission Savane-a-Roches.
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 Chapel
of another of St.
Jérŏme's missions. This chapel is similar to the
type St. Timothy hopes to help the parish build with funding. |
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 Interior
of the chapel at Mission
Savane-a-Roches.
This chapel is well constructed, with cinder block walls. All this
mission needs now is a rectory in order for the bishop to sanction them
as an independent parish, and hopefully assign them a priest. |
 The
chapel at Mission
Savane-a-Roches
doubles as a classroom for
the mission school. |
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Members of La Chapelle de Sequr Mission meet with
Father Murphy to explain why they are in need of chapel.
Note, current facility used for chapel is
made of palm fronds walls and tarp roof.
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 Father
Murphy meets with children at one of
the mission schools.
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 In anticipation of building their chapel,
these mission parishioners have been collecting sand and stones.
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 Many
parishioners must walk hours to attend Mass. Pictured above is the
home of a man who cares for his three disabled sisters. Because of
their disabilities and the great distance to travel,
Fr. Christoph is only able to deliver Communion, as well as food, to
them once a month. |
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 Home for the aged,
run by the charity organization, "Hands Together." |
 Orphanage, also
funded by "Hands Together." |
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