St. Edward Church, in response to the gospel call of Jesus Christ, has dedicated and focused our efforts in the island country of Haiti. We are committed to a twinning relationship between St. Edward Parish in Richmond and Holy Family Parish in Cerca Carvajal, Haiti. The relationship is viewed as a growing and dynamic experience between brothers and sisters in Christ. Recognizing the deep spiritual wealth of the Haitian people, it is the desire of this committee to enhance the spiritual journey of the members of both parishes.

2012 Parish Pilgrimage to Haiti

Our travelers to Haiti have returned.  Please click here to view some scenes from the trip, including tent villages in Port au Prince, the countryside, rabbits from our project and more!  Here are the latest photos of the new church (first three were taken by our travelers).

Check out these amazing videos or the men pouring the second section of the roof of the church:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB_gP1QTDnY In this video, the men mix and move the cement to the bucket brigade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQysI38IBZo In this video, the bucket brigade moves the cement to the roof, pours it and others smooth it.

Why are we building a new church?

View other pictures of the old church.

The original church was nearly 90 years old and the walls were leaning so badly that we were concerned that they might fall and injure people.  The church is at the heart of the village, both literally and physically.  The church is being constructed so that it will be capable of withstanding the elements, including strong hurricane winds and earthquakes.  It can be used as a shelter.  Please view the pictures of the progress of this project.

Construction Progress

Check out pictures of each stage of church construction.  Notice that there is no heavy equipment, all of the work is being done by hand.

	Ground Breaking June 2nd, 2011 View 6 pictures.
	Construction Phase 1 June 29th, 2011 View 11 pictures.
	Construction Phase 2 September 3rd, 2011 View 10 pictures.
	Construction Phase 3 October 13th, 2011 View 10 pictures.
	Construction Phase 4 Feb-Apr 2012 View 12 pictures.

Sponsorship Opportunities

St. Edward Sponsorship program began in 2004, as a means of providing funds to our brothers and sisters in Cerca Carvajal, Haiti.  We offer five different sponsorship opportunities detailed below.  Each serves to connect our parishioners with our twin parish.  Regular updates are provided in the bulletin and in mailings to sponsors.  No matter what area you are called to support, we would like to offer you a photo of a child at Holy Family School.  We hope that you will use this photo as a reminder to pray for our brothers and sisters, as they do for us.

Sponsorship funds are pooled and used to help meet the individual and group needs of all children at Holy Family School, including children awaiting sponsorship. These funds are used to pay teachers' salaries and to help provide a nutritious lunch, possibly the only meal some children will have.  We cannot yet provide books for all of the children, but with more sponsors, we hope we can in the future.

Just complete the Haiti Sponsorship Pledge Form and return it in the collection basket, by mailing it to the Human Concerns Office of the Parish Center, or by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it it.

Education

Donations to the Education Fund provide for the School Operating Budget. Teacher salaries are paid out of this fund. These funds are also used to pay tuition for one student at Normal School (teacher training school).

Medical

Donations to the Medical Fund support the medical clinic in Cerca Carvajal which is now staffed by a doctor three days per week.

People Without Possibilities

Donations to People Without Possibilities are provided monthly for people who come to Fr. Kesner’s door with urgent needs, similar to the people that come to the doors of St. Edward. For example, people come to his door for food when they haven’t eaten in several days, people return from work in the Dominican Republic without the possibility of eating on their way home and need food.

Sustainable Development

Matching funds were received from the diocesan Battaglia Fund to start a project which provides rabbits, a hutch and training in animal husbandry to villagers. This will provide a food source and hopefully an income stream for families. Please check out pictures of the rabbits.  Fr. KK reports that they are taking good care of the rabbits and that the rabbits are having babies.  He also reports that many other families including some Protestant ones are asking for rabbits!  All of this is possible through your generous gifts and a matching grant from the Battaglia Fund.

Where Most Needed

Funds donated “Where Most Needed” are allocated to the current priorities as determined by the Haiti Committee. We have recently provided funds for the newly hired agriculture teacher to buy tools, seeds and other supplies.  These funds have also been used to sustain the satellite internet connection in Cerca Carvajal.

What are Blue Envelopes?

Blue Envelopes donations represent a substantial fraction of the overall financial support for our Haiti mission. Fund received from the blue envelopes support Holy Family Parish Operations. For example, these funds pay for church supplies, for formation for lay leaders and food for them during training, for fuel and maintenance for Fr. Kesner’s jeep as well as fuel for the generator which is used to power the microphones and instruments for mass to give just a few examples..