Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and has been plagued by natural disaster, political instability, and gang violence for the last 20 years. The situation has worsened since 2023 and on March 3 of this year, the Haitian authorities declared a 72-hour State of Emergency in response to escalating violence in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and the jailbreak of 5,000 Haitian inmates. On March 11, due to mounting political pressure, the prime minister of Haiti pledged to step down from his office following the creation of a new interim government.
Helping Haiti
Despite the unrest, displacement, and unfathomable hardship facing the people of Haiti, the Church remains present. In 2021, the Diocese of Madison established a sister relationship with the Diocese of Jacmel, Haiti. This relationship has been one of mutual benefit and prayer. It has allowed the people of the Diocese of Madison to broaden their understanding of the universal Church and her needs while providing resources to help support Bishop Glandas Toussaint and his flock in the Diocese of Jacmel.
This Lent, the Diocese of Madison is raising money for the construction of St. Jude Preschool in Jacmel through the “Nothing is Impossible with God” campaign. The situation in Haiti is dire as the people struggle daily with hunger, poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and rampant violence. In the midst of the instability, school is often one of the few places of structure and safety for children.
Fourteen schools across the Diocese of Madison have joined the Lenten fundraising campaign in solidarity with the universal Church and her children in Jacmel.
“If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy.” (1 Cor 12:26) St. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians that as Christians, we are all members of the body of Christ and that if one member of the body suffers, the other members suffer with it. One of the goals of the “Nothing is Impossible with God” campaign is to increase solidarity and foster connection between the Diocese of Madison and the Diocese of Jacmel. This is happening most noticeably in our Catholic schools as our students pray for Haitian students, raise money for St. Jude Preschool, and learn about what life for children in Haiti looks like. This increased awareness of the global situation opens up space for gratitude, compassion, and action. “Give to one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow” (Mt 5:42). Another goal of the St. Jude Preschool fundraising effort is to provide for the financial needs of our sister diocese and put into practice the Lenten penance of almsgiving. This Lent, schools are raising money for St. Jude Preschool both online and through classroom donations. Children and their families have the opportunity to be generous with what they have in service of those who have less. The Diocese of Madison has set the goal of raising $107,000 for the construction of St. Jude Preschool.
Support our sister diocese
While the “Nothing is Impossible for God” campaign is primarily taking place in our Catholic schools, we encourage all those who would like to support the Diocese of Jacmel to donate online using the following link madisondiocese.org/haitilent: Donations can be made in honor of a participating school or using the “Other” category. The choice to support the schoolchildren of Jacmel does not go unnoticed by our brothers and sisters in Haiti. “We greatly appreciate the way the Diocese of Madison shares Bishop Glandas’ pastoral concern for the education of children. Archbishop Glandas is very moved by these marks of ecclesial fraternity,” wrote Fr. Jean Claude Lauture, deputy director of St. Jude Preschool. Father Lauture thanks everyone for their support in the construction of St. Jude Preschool. More information about the Diocese of Jacmel can be found at madisondiocese.org/jacmel.
God bless you and the remainder of your Lenten journey!
Grace Cutler is the program coordinator for the Diocese of Madison Office of Catholic Schools.