In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul shared, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
If we stop and think about it, through our faith we come to know God and His great love for us. Through this gift of love, we are able to love God, ourselves and others.
It is the gift of love that inspired lay Catholics in the Diocese of Norwich to visit Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in the early 1980s and compelled them and the Bishop of the Diocese of Norwich to establish a mission there. It is love that inspired Bishop Cote, in 2010, to create the Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti by joining together Haitian Ministries and Hospice St. Joseph.
Today this great love is evident in our staff and the services provided to help those who live in the neighborhood where we are centered, Christ Roi (Christ the King), and in the 14 neighborhoods whose parishes are part of our Parish Twinning Program. This program provides a very special opportunity to twin parishes in the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince with parishes in the Diocese of Norwich and other dioceses in the United States.
It is God’s love that leads us to provide medical care, healthcare services, food and nutritional supplement programs, education sponsorships and other educational opportunities to men, women and children who through no fault of their own have very few, if any, places to seek help. It is this same love that hopefully compels you to help the Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti and the many ministries and charitable organizations who depend on your compassion to do good in this world.
We show our love to our Haitian brothers and sisters through the services we provide. Our Haitian brothers and sisters respond by reminding us that faith, hope and love are the real treasures in this life.
If you would like to learn more about our ministry and support our work, please feel free to call Susan Wallace, OTH Executive Director, 860-800-3604 and or visit our website https://outreachtohaiti.org/
By Susan Wallace