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The recent events in Haiti have been, and will continue to be, a horror to all of us.
We will be asking you to contribute in the second collection this weekend to the Bishops' earthquake relief efforts.
One would not know it from some media outlets; but the vast majority of Haitians are Roman Catholics. The Church in that country has been devastated by the death of the Archbishop of Port au Prince, and presumably many other clergy, religious, and laity. Our own Diocesan Mission in Santo Domingo (that shares the island of Hispaniola) is preparing to minister to an expected flood of refugees over the border from Haiti into the Dominican Republic.
Just today I saw a quote on Fox News from a physician who said that the "only institution" that was doing any good in Haiti was the Catholic Church. No other news outlet that I have seen have even mentioned the Church with regard to Haiti. There have been some references to "Christian missionaries" (i.e., evangelical Protestants) and a piece on local TV about a Haitian Anglican church ( an unusual combination of an English Church and a French/African people) in Brooklyn.
I must say I have been struck by the absence of Catholic spokesmen on the media these past four days. The Archdiocese of New York, the Dioceses of Brooklyn and Rockville Centre all have significant Haitian populations.
I refer you to the Diocesan website for information about aid to Haiti.
www.drvc.org
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