Political Unrest Still Prevalent in Haiti

Editor’s Note: A few U.S. born Oblates still serve in Haiti and one in particular, Fr. Real (Joe) Corriveau, OMI, a native of Maine, keeps in contact with Br. Richard Cote, OMI., Director of the Oblate Foreign Missions Office in Lowell, MA. Bro. Richard relayed this recent e-mail from Haiti, giving an eye-witness perspective from this desperately poor island nation.

“Fr. Michard Jean-Jacques, OMI and I (Fr. Real (Joe) Corriveau) pray that this Easter season will be happy and full of God’s blessings.  Haiti is having political problems, violence, strikes, riots, roadblocks etc. Some major airlines have had to cancel flights.   Agape Flights out of Venice, Florida which handles our mail and packages has been unable to fly its mercy flights into Haiti and the Caribbean for over a month now.  Fr. Michard suffered a motorcycle accident earlier this year and fortunately another Oblate priest and Seminarian has been helping out at St. Anthony Parish, in Fond-Oies, they also visit the sick and handicap in the mountain chapels.  One such is St. Joseph Chapel that had a priest come say Mass for the first time on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19^th.   The chapel is made of bamboo and wooden poles held up by a temporary canvas roof.  Please continue to remember the Haitian people as they are living with much insecurity because of gangs and bandits especially in the larger cities and on the roads.  We are all praying for God’s help so that the Haitian people can live at peace in justice and security.”

– Fr. Real (Joe) Corriveau, OMI