A Vehicle for a New Parish in a Diocese of Haiti

Father Jean Wilner is delighted with the new all-terrain vehicle he received for his parish work in Haiti. Thanks to the generosity of our friends and supporters, we were able to provide him with the $28,100 he needed to complete the purchase. Previously, Father Wilner had to visit the various settlements in his Parish of St Bernadette Soubirous of La Visite either on foot or by moped as he traveled on the appallingly bad roads. 

The Diocese of Port-de Paix, to which his parish belongs—a very young parish founded only in 2018—is one of the poorest and most remote in this already desperately poor country. Many people have to walk long distances merely in order to collect drinking water, and diseases such as cholera are rampant. 

Despite these difficult conditions, Father Wilner’s parish, which has some 8,700 Catholics, is very active. There are four youth groups, an adult parish group, and there are many opportunities for deepening people‘s faith, all well attended. The number of baptisms, First Holy Communions and Confirmations is happily very high. Now the new vehicle will make it possible for Father Jean to still further intensify this pastoral outreach. He also uses the vehicle as an ambulance, to ferry people to the hospital.

“The people are thirsting for the Word of God,” Father Wilner writes. “Thanks to your help, I can now visit them regularly. The presence of the priest is important for evangelization. Often I am called out, even at night, to visit the sick and dying and administer the Sacrament of the Sick.”

“Please be assured of our gratitude and our fervent prayers,” he writes. And a heartfelt thank you to all of you who have helped the Catholics in Haiti!

Aid to the Church in Need commits to invest your funds where they will have the greatest impact for the Church that we serve. Funds donated to Aid to the Church in Need’s projects will be used towards the greatest need in our programs to help keep the Faith alive.

Code: 224-01-29