Haiti Ministry
Contact: Rebecca Oxenreider, Min. Human Concerns/Social Justice
Our Mission in Haiti:
Our Faith in Christ calls us to help those in need. But more importantly, it calls us into relationship with one another.
For this reason, working through the Diocese of Richmond, in 1988 St. Mary's formed a twinning relationship with Notre Dame de la Presentation (Our Lady of the Presentation) Parish in Los Palis, Haiti.
Our goal in doing so is to answer God's call by building connections that will nourish and sustain both parishes. Each partner can contribute to the other: St. Mary's can help meet the basic needs of the parishioners of Los Palis, who in turn can teach us much about living simply, growing in faith, and about what it means to see Christ in our brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Our Response, Our Responsibility:
Since the establishment of our twinning relationship, St. Mary's has accomplished the following:
Helped build and furnish a school
- Built a bakery and helped establish food programs
- Supported the creation of a micro-credit program to grow small businesses.
And our work continues. Below are just a few of the plans and projects St. Mary's is currently working on with Notre Dame de la Presentation:
- Providing educational materials and supporting teacher salaries
- Developing communication between students at St. Mary's School and students of Los Palis
- Supplying livestock for sustainable farming
- Building more school space
- Building roads
- Creating sustainable agriculture
What can you do?
Give your time: Join the St. Mary's Haiti Ministry Team
Give a donation: Red envelopes are available in the CareNotes rack in the Commons.
Make a pilgrimage to Haiti: Working through the diocese, St. Mary's has organized group trips to Haiti to help our twin parishioners with a variety of projects.
Diocese of Richmond's Twinning Program
Visit the diocesan Haiti web page.
Learn more About Haiti
Learn more about the Diocesan Haiti Outreach program