I believe it is not an overstatement to say that the hearts and minds of a large part of the world are focused on the situation in Haiti. The great devastation that has occurred, the unfathomable loss of life, and the continued suffering of a resilient people who have been through so much over these past few decades, causes all of us to stop and consider what we can do to help our brothers and sisters in need during this time.
It is also clear that the Church of Haiti has suffered a tremendous loss as well. I received word from a friend of mine that in his community at least one seminarian is missing in their Haitian province. The Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, Joseph Serge Miot, as well as a number of clergy and seminarians have lost their lives as a result of the earthquake. Msgr. Bernardito Auza, the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, has reported that combined with the tremendous loss of life, all of the city’s major churches, its cathedral, and seminary have all collapsed.
In the face of this disaster, I believe, however, one central characteristic of the Church emerges clearly once again: its charity. Ignatius of Antioch in the prologue to his Epistle to Rome, writes that the Church of Rome, “presides in charity.” Indeed, in the face of the suffering of others, it has always been the tradition of the Church to reach out and do all it can to aid those in need. This situation is no exception. Archbishop Dolan, Archbishop of New York, recently commented that Haiti is “the broken and bloody body of Jesus.” As members of our Lord’s mystical body, therefore, we live in communion with each other and can do nothing else but respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Therefore, by our prayers, by our financial contributions, and by our care and concern for those among us who might have lost family or friends in Haiti, let us once again live that charity, so essential to who we are as Christ’s mystical body on earth.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, Pray for Us!