FEAST OF ST. CLAUDINE – Gros Morne, Haiti
Monday, February 3rd we had a double feast day celebration – for St. Claudine, Foundress of the Religious of Jesus and Mary, and for the 31st anniversary of Jesus-Mary Parish School. There are more lovely photos on the RJM-Haiti Facebook page.
The celebrations began with a well animated mass presided by Fr. Zacharie St. Jean and Fr. Jeremie Bienezar as homilist. Fr. Jeremie, a former teacher at the school and Camp Claudine co-director, was able to make St. Claudine’s life very relevant to the lives of the students.
Immediately after mass Mme Ramon called up the student members of the Toilet Committee and she and Mr. Claude Etienne gave a brief explanation of the importance of having new composting toilets. Then Frs. Zacharie and Jeremie blessed the new toilets and urinals praying that they would function well for the student body and thanking our God for all the donors who made the toilets possible.
Then everyone – students, teachers, invited guests including Srs. Margaret Perron and Mary Bourdon who were visiting from the USA, and some neighborhood parents enjoyed a lovely meal with fish from the local fish ponds of Mr. Jean Desnor and Mr. Claude Etienne prepared by our kitchen team who had started on Sunday.
According to custom, all of the classes had
decorated their classrooms and prepared a skit or dance and song routine that was performed for all. (Two brief videos of the entertainment are attached to Bridges.) Interspersed with the entertainment were the grand raffle drawings for a soccer ball and 13 solar lamps (story on page 2). This photo of the children dressed in their finery was taken before the mass.
– Sr. Pat Dillon, RJM
