IHM: Haiti Aftershock

Haiti

Haiti - The Aftershock

By Anne Wisda, IHM little sisters Seminary

Since the time of our sesquicentennial, three IHM congregations have 'twinned' with the Little Sisters of St. Therese in Riviere Froide, Haiti. With the January 12, 2010 earthquake, the lives of the Little Sisters changed forever. In May of 2010, the OSP/IHM Board sent Scranton IHMs Eileen Coleman, Susan Hadzima, and me (members of the OSP/IHM Haiti Committee) to visit the sisters to give them support and to assess their needs.

In Port au Prince, Sisters Bernadette, Mocla and Kaline came to the airport. It was raining. Herman, their driver, drove us through the streets where 1.5 million victims of the earthquake are living under sheets and plastic and sleeping on the ground. We passed the collapsed palace, the cathedral, the building where the Bishop was killed and hundreds of collapsed buildings before we crossed the little bridge to Riviere Froide. Most of the buildings were completely destroyed - the Novitiate and Formation buildings, the Generalate, the Chapel, the Guest House, the school, the home for the developmentally disabled and several of their missions. Four of the sisters, three lay teachers and 150 children were killed in the earthquake. Up to the time of our arrival, the sisters had been sleeping in tents. They welcomed us and expressed gratitude for our presence. One aftershock took place while we were there - and the sisters became distressed just talking about it. Sr. Bernadette, the Superior, said that it was important to have the sisters continue their ministries as soon as possible after the earthquake in order to give some stability to the children. Eight hundred and fifty children in Riviere Froide attend classes out in the open under tarps.

Many of the sisters and others are suffering from post traumatic stress. On our 'Way of the Cross' with the sisters, we visited Faustin where three of the sisters died. It was a sacred place. About six men were demolishing the rubble with picks and shovels. We traveled to Pelerin and Tabarre. The classes are held in open spaces and the sisters sleep in tents. In Sigueneau, the two story 350 bed hospital collapsed to the ground. The Swiss Red Cross provided six large white tents to accommodate 250 patients and they provided four simple, open wooden structures for the children to attend school. The sisters' home was damaged and they sleep in tents. We had torrential rain all day. Several times during our visit, Sr. Bernadette said: "People say to me 'How are you?' What can I say?" On the day before we left, Eileen, Susan and I were sitting quietly with Bernadette on a little porch. After a while Eileen got up and gave her a gentle hug and left. After a few minutes, Susan and I went up to her to give her a quiet, gentle hug of support. Tears filled her eyes and she began to weep.

As we look back on our experience of the sisters living 'Way of the Cross,' it would be easy to despair. But we cannot lose hope. The Little Sisters of St. Therese are moving forward and dreaming dreams. Sr. Bernadette realizes that many of the sisters are suffering from post traumatic stress as are many people in Haiti. She said that she wants one of her sisters to go to school in Canada to become trained in this field not only to help the Little Sisters but to provide long-term psychological help for the people in Haiti. Already she is looking for funding to educate one of the sisters. There is much work to be done in Haiti. Work that will take years and years to accomplish. The earthquake brought destruction and death - but it did not extinguish the light of hope. The sisters continue to hope for a brighter future for their congregation and for the people of Haiti.

The Oblate/Tri IHM Board and Haiti Committee will continue to hope with them, walk with them and support them in whatever ways that we are able on their journey of healing.

"Rather than mourn the absence of the flame,
Let us celebrate how brightly it burned."

- Author Unknown