Catholic Religion

Here is a picture of the new Bishop of Fort-Liberté, Mgrs Quesner Alphonse who is meeting President Michel Martelly at the National Palace

On Saturday, 25 October, 2014 Pope Francis appointed Monseigneur Alphonse Quesnel, the SMM of the Province of Haiti, as the ordinary of the Diocese of Fort-Liberté. Fort-Liberté is a commune and the administrative capital of the North-East Department, Haiti, under the French rule it was known as Fort-Royal and Fort Dauphin, it is very near to the border of the Dominican Republic with a population of about 371,000 Roman Catholics and served by a presbytery of 48 priests and 68 religious. Monseigneur Alphonse Quesnel had been serving as the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince since December 2012. After completing his probationary period in 1972, he started his profession as Montfort missionary. In July 16, 1977, he was ordained a priest on the Feast of Our Lady Mount Carmel. Bishop Quesnel is known throughout the congregation for his contribution in the work of formation and as a parish priest.

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On Saturday, November 22, 2014, a transitional Cathedral was inaugurated in port-au-Prince. Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Port-au-Prince

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is also known as the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, it was constructed between 1884 and 1914 and became the church оf the Roman Catholic Archdiocese оf Port-au-Prince on 13 December 1928. The church was almost destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Prior to its destruction, the cupola of the north tower used to serve as the front lighthouse for guiding mariners into the harbor of Port-au-Prince. Monseigneur Guyre Poulard, the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince launched an international designers competition in the fall of 2012 to rebuild the cathedral. After scrutinizing a total of 134 designs, 30 finalists were shortlisted and the winner was selected in February 2013. The winning designer to rebuild the church was Segundo Cardona, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). The main requirements for rebuilding designs included: (a) Preserving the remains of dilapidated structure; (b) Plan should be suitable for the rituals of the church; (c) Creating civic space for non-religious purpose; (d) Creating a space for remembrance of the 2010 earthquake tragedy.

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Here is a picture of Cardinal Robert Sarah who will be visit Haiti in November, 2014. He was appointed by Pope Francis as the one for the Vatican congregation that oversees and determines liturgical practices for the Catholic church worldwide

Cardinal Robert Sarah, who has been named as the Prefect for the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, by Pope Francis on 23 November 2014 visited Haiti from 25th to 29th November, to show solidarity with the Haitian people who are still struggling to rebuild their lives from the 2010 devastating earthquake. Cardinal Robert Sarah is the current president of "the Pontifical Council Cor Unum", the charitable arm of the church. During his visit, the Cardinal inaugurated the "Notre Dame des Anges", a school in Leogane, built with the financial assistance of the local Church and funds sent by the Holy Father since the earthquake. The Cardinal has appointments with the Haitian President, Msgr. Erick Touissant, president of Caritas Haiti, and representatives of humanitarian organizations and local authorities. The Cardinal's visit comes with an announcement made by the Pope Francis that he has convoked a special conference on Haiti for January 10, 2015, at the Vatican. The conference will ensure a spotlight on the earthquake related humanitarian catastrophe and Church's closeness to the Haitian people.

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Cardinal Chibly Langlois to celebrate Mass in Little Haiti, home to the largest Haitian community in U.S.

Mass in Little Haiti, Miami this year was a special service for all those who attended the November 23 event in what is the largest concentration of Haitians in the United States. This special service was made so by the presence of Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois, the Diocese of Les Cayes, Haiti. The yellow T-shirt-clad parishioners came out en masse to see Haiti's first cardinal, the youngest appointed in his batch earlier this year, and the only one not already an archbishop, a title he was honored with shortly after.

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Here is a picture of the Cross re-enactment on Good Friday at Notre-Dame Catholic Church in Little Haiti, Miami

How Haitians Celebrate Good Friday

About 80% Haitians follow the Roman Catholic faith. Protestants make up another 16%, 3% practice other religions and 1% Haitians do not follow any religion. Thus, Good Friday is an important day in Haitian calendar. It's customary for Catholics to fast for the day, eating only one full meal that includes fish but absolutely no meat. Although one of the most important parts of the Easter tradition in Haiti is the meal, there are many Haitians who don't eat anything and others only eat bread and water. No one, whether Catholic or Protestant would put red meat on the table on this holy day, because as the myth goes, red meat put on the table would turn into blood. Food is generally served in the noon; people eat rice and fish cooked with white beans and beets root. During dinner time, the boys wander around with their friends, make and fly kites. In some areas, there are contests for the nicest kites or the kites that fly the highest.

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Here is a picture of the Catholic Saint that means so much for immigrants in such of a better life in the United States. Mother Cabrini is the Saint of Green Card

Did you know that there is in fact a Saint for Green Card?

November 13 has been declared the Feast Day for Mother Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini,

Mother Cabrini arrived in New York from Italy in 1889. Her original mission was to aid Italian immigrants. She later created orphanages, schools, pharmacies. She was credited for a variety of Immigrant Services such as English as a Second Language classes, legal support and help with citizenship applications

Mother Frances Cabrini was born in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano in the province of Lombardy, northern Italy, on July l5, 1850. She arrived in New York in March, 1889, off the boat from Europe with over one thousand immigrants ready to begin a new life. She established sixty-seven schools, hospitals, and other institutions of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, worldwide. At the age of 67 she died in Chicago's Columbus Hospital on December 22, 1917. In 1933, her remains were moved to the chapel of Mother Cabrini High School and following her canonization in 1946, the place became a spot of pilgrimage. She was the Universal Patron of Immigrants in the Catholic Church, well known for her love of God and her service to His people. Today, the Shrine continues as a center of welcome for new immigrants and pilgrims of many nationalities who come to pray and reflect. Recently, when the Feast Day for Mother Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini was being celebrated during the second weekend of November at her Fort Washington shrine, amid many immigrant worshippers, Father Julian Jagudilla who is from Manila, while presiding over the Sunday's ceremony, he said, the politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, should stop making immigration a pawn. Instead of offering the poor immigrants what they want, they are playing the game in their own interest. He indicated over 200 pending appeals to his church-- ranging between people without status to parents petitioning for children, lying undecided. He considers the current immigration policy, even from the economic standpoint is senseless.

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Catholics followers believe in the almighty God who is the originator of their lives.

Voodoo followers believe in a creator god, Bondye, who is the originator of their lives

Catholic have various saints with specific roles and duties where followers warship them through adoration and reverence of sacred objects

The Voodoo Religion has various Lwa who are also referred to as Mystères who are intermediaries between God "Bondye" and human

Catholic followers belief that a Eucharist is transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ during Mass

Voodoo followers believe that spirits are transformed into living beings after occupying a person

To hide Voodoo practice from their European slave masters, the enslaved African people in Haiti syncretized the Loa with the Roman Catholic saints by frequently having images of Catholic figures displayed

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As Haiti has been blessed with its first ever Cardinal in Cardinal Chibly, many may question just what this post denotes. Cardinals are, usually, ordained bishops and are described as princes of the church. They have the duty of making themselves available to the pope and to other individuals, as well as for meetings of the College of Cardinals. Mainly though, Cardinals play their most important role in electing the church's new pope once the old one has passed on.

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The new Cardinal from Haiti, Bishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes is a 55 year old tireless man who was born in a poor family from La Valle in southeast Haiti. He never forgot his impoverished childhood and always has maintained a close contact with the most vulnerable, distressed ordinary people even in most difficult circumstances. His ascension as the Cardinal is regarded by many as the recognition of his great service to the destitute victims of earthquake and a mark of trust to someone who can lead the work of Vatican in a new direction. Bishop Chibly Langlois is the president of the Haitian bishops' conference, youngest among the 19 new cardinals who will be formally elevated in consistory on February 22nd and the only non-archbishop in the group.

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Here is a picture of Cardinal Chibly Langlois with some of the Haitian political Parties at the Karibe.

The picture was taken after their first meeting where the parties agreed on the protocol of the debate.

His Eminence Cardinal Chibly Langlois is in charge of an attempt to revive the dialogue. The official dialogue will start on Friday at Hotel El Rancho

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