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Church of the
Nativity’s OPERATION STARFISH® NEWSLETTER September, 2010 |
Dear Friends of Operation Starfish®:
Let us begin with a photo meditation…
DURONA
PREVIL – ONE MORE STARFISH SAVED
PREVIL
FAMILY SAVED FROM THE HORROR OF SHADA
This
past July, Church of the Nativity Pastor, Fr. Dick Martin, and Nativity
parishioners visited the slum of Shada, along the Cap Haitien canal in Northern
Haiti, where they encountered Durona Previl and her 5 sons. Food For The Poor
organized this visit as part of Nativity’s 2010 mission trip to Haiti. Mrs.
Previl had lost her previous home because she could no longer afford the rent
of less than $10 (US) per month. So she found shelter in a shed made from tin
scraps. It was so small that all of her children could not fit inside at the
same time. Three of her boys were lying in the dirt outside. One of them, an
18-month-old, was in serious distress with malnutrition and respiratory
problems.
Fr.
Duken Augustin, Food For The Poor’s liaison in Northern Haiti, led the Nativity
visitors through the rabbit warren of mud, stench and rickety shelters that is
called “Shada.” “In Polish, the word
‘Shada’ connotes deep pain or deep sorrow,” according to Angel Aloma, Food For
The Poor’s Executive Director.
Here some 3,500 people live
without clean water, sanitation or adequate food and medical care. These are
the people who will be moving into Nativity’s next development project,
“Nativity Village at Chastenoye.” This 6th “Nativity Village”
project will provide safe, decent shelter, clean water, sanitation, access to
education and health care, and opportunities for small business for many Shada
families and for earthquake refugees.
Because of Mrs. Previl’s
immediate plight, Fr. Duken arranged for her to have one of the first houses
being built at Chastenoye. Just a week after Nativity’s encounter with her, she
was moved into a new, bright blue house. Her reaction speaks volumes: “It is
only because God brought you to me, that we are saved,” she said to Fr. Duken.
WEST VIRGINIA CHURCH HOSTS OPERATION
STARFISH AGAIN
By
Bonnie DelBalzo, Operation Starfish Coordinator,
St. Leo
Catholic Church, Inwood, West Virginia
St. Leo is a
parish family located in the panhandle of West Virginia. Fr. Brian Shoda, Pastor, decided to have annual
Lenten Starfish Projects after parishioners Mike and Bonnie DelBalzo
participated in a week-long Food For the Poor Mission trip in April 2004. They knew that they were called to bring
their life-changing mission experience back to their parish family and partner
with Food For the Poor. Mike and Bonnie
knew that their parish family would be responsive to the needs of the poor and
they certainly have. Since 2005, St. Leo
Parish has raised funds to provide a fishing village, build single and double
homes for 10 families, and repair and renovate an elementary school, all in
Jamaica. The photo shows the attractive
“Starfish” display at St. Leo’s.
Even before visiting Haiti on a
pilgrimage with Nativity Church 2 years ago, the Lord put it on Mike and Bonnie’s
heart to help provide life-saving water projects in desperately needed areas in
Haiti. Last year, St. Leo raised enough
to build 49 water cisterns in Haiti.
This year, their Starfish Project raised money for Haiti’s Earthquake
Disaster Relief. Recently, Bonnie was
able to visit a hospital in Milot, Haiti, which was taking care of many men,
women and children suffering injuries from the earthquake. All were being well cared for by dedicated
volunteers. It was difficult to see how
many amputees there were, particularly the young children. Though they were getting wonderful care, the
road ahead of them will be challenging without the rehabilitation services and
prosthetics we have available to amputees in this country. St. Leo’s Starfish Project donations are
helping the victims of this tragic disaster.
It continues to be a privilege and an honor to partner with Food For the
Poor and work alongside Nativity Church in these efforts. Nativity Church continues to be an inspiration
to churches like St. Leo. God Bless…
THERE
ARE NO COINCIDENCES IN LIFE…
By
Linda Lenertz, Parishioner, Church of the Nativity
I
am sitting on a plastic chair and the sweat is pouring down my face. It’s 92
degrees with a ceiling fan overhead and flies everywhere. The place is quite pretty really as the
sunshine shines brightly through the orphanage of the little Children of Jesus,
a Food For The Poor facility in Santo, near Port au Prince. The Home is painted
a bright turquoise blue and the sides are all open in the Haitian style. The
beds that the children lay on are starch white but it is hot and the flies come
and some children are not able to swat them away as most of the children have
special needs. It is hard to look
at.
All
these children want is to be held and as a grandmother of five all I want to do
is hold these babies. But I am sitting on a chair that Father Printemps has put
me in and am waiting for the Nativity Group to begin mass. I realize that I
should be honored as there were only a few seats available. Some of the older children sit next to me,
holding my hand, and their big smiles warm my heart.
I
am about 6 feet from the altar. My mind is having trouble focusing on the mass
and wondering what I am doing here sitting when I could be in the back holding
the babies. Then I get it. I’m embarrassed
to say it took awhile, but right in front of me is a nicely groomed young boy
dressed in black slacks, long sleeve shirt, dress belt and black shoes. You can tell he cares a great deal about his
appearance as his clothes are freshly ironed. But who irons them I wonder? The
boy I find out later is called Phillip but his real name is Fiones. Phillip is playing the keyboard at the mass
and I sit in amazement as I watch and listen. He plays beautifully and with
such passion. The keyboard is old and worn and has seen better days. But that makes no difference to Phillip as he
never misses a beat and just ignores the flies as they swarm. In such conditions this talented child
flourishes. Did I mention he is blind
and only 12 years old?
I then realize
that God had me sit there because I was to somehow help this child. How, is
still a question that nags at my mind as I wonder how does a blind child
survive in Haiti with no family? When
asked what he wanted most, Philip answered “classical sheet music in
Braille.” I took on the challenge. But first, I wanted Phillip to have decent
equipment, so with the help of Food For The Poor, we bought a new Yamaha
keyboard and sound system and shipped it to Haiti.
Then
I tackled the Braille sheet music. You can’t just surf the internet or go to a
music store as very little Braille music exists. There is a top 30 most
requested songs but that is a far cry from the classical that I needed. I have
also learned how much we have in the United States to help the blind but very
little if any in Haiti. After many e-mails and numerous phone calls to anyone
and everyone that could be associated with the blind or just anyone that would
listen, John Hanson, Head of the Music Section at the Library of Congress came
to my rescue with a box of first class scores. I am sure some rules were stretched but John
has a huge heart and a love of music!
I
am learning that there are no coincidences in life, only steps in God’s
plan. This was confirmed when, in my Engaging
Spirituality class at Nativity, I was blessed to have met a friend, Jeannie
Woods, who graciously donated a refurbished Braille machine for Phillip. Yes
this one little boy in Haiti has touched many people’s hearts so far and
somehow I feel it might just be the beginning.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
Linda’s first encounter with Philip was in November, 2009. She returned to
GEORGETTE MARTIN SEWING CO-OP
DEDICATED
On July 1, 2010, Fr. Martin
and Fr. Duken cut a ribbon and celebrated mass at the opening of the Georgette
Martin Sewing Co-op in Nativity Village at Demier, near Cap-Haitien,
Haiti. This sewing center will provide training
for local residents in garment design and fabrication of clothing, school
uniforms, table linens and other items. The skills learned here will lead to
employment and small business development, providing a revenue stream for the
community.
The center is named in honor of Georgette Martin, Fr.
Martin’s mother, an accomplished seamstress who taught sewing skills to young
people all her life. When Mrs. Martin
passed away, her family and friends decided on donations to Operation Starfish
in lieu of flowers. The resulting gifts paid for construction and ongoing
operation of the Georgette Martin Sewing Co-op. Mrs. Martin’s legacy will live
on in the lives of Haitian women and men, who will make a decent living from
the skills they learn.
The Martin family created a similar humanitarian
project on the death of John B. Martin, Fr. Martin’s Dad. The first fishing
village co-op developed in Haiti by Food For The Poor was funded with gifts in
honor of Mr. Martin. Nativity Fishing Village at Petit-Anse includes 4 fishing
boats, named for members of the Martin family.
A larger boat, used to train fishing village captains throughout Haiti,
is named the “John B.”
The
Georgette Martin Sewing Co-op is a multiple use facility, where church
services, health clinics, vocational training and community events can be held.
It is located within Nativity Village at Demier, the 5th “Nativity
Village” development in Haiti. This village was dedicated in November, 2009
during a Nativity mission trip.
NEXT ISSUE: A DETAILED NARRATIVE OF
NATIVITY’S RECENT MISSION TRIP TO HAITI
SEPTEMBER PRAYER REQUESTS
Our readers have submitted
the following prayer requests for this month:
† For all the clergy, religious and lay
ministers who labor “across the street and around the world” to serve the poor
and marginalized, that God grant all of them strength, courage and the
resources they need to continue their mission work;
† For
Carolyn Porter, that she continue to make steady progress as she recovers from
surgery, and for her family;
† For the people of Haiti, who continue to
struggle with the aftermath of the earthquake, that God provide them a measure
of healing, and that He inspire us to keep serving our Haitian sisters and
brothers in their need;
† For the repose of the soul of Carmella
Matanza of Waltham, Massachusetts, and for her family – may the peace of Christ
bring them healing;
† For the repose of the soul of Angelina
Porcaro of
† For the repose of the soul of Betty
Halligan of
† For all whose lives are in need of
resurrection - those who are hurting, families that are divided, and nations at
war, may the peace of Christ be felt by all those who struggle;
For these and all our
intentions, hear us, Oh Lord…
FOOD FOR THE POOR – CFC #10328
Food For The Poor is an official charity of the
Combined Federal Campaign. If you are a federal, postal, or military employee,
you can designate Food For The Poor (CFC #10328) as your preferred charity.
ONE PENNY AT A TIME, YOU CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!
We
have listed Nativity’s Operation Starfish as a benefiting charity on
GOODSEARCH. Every GOODSEARCH click
yields a penny for Operation Starfish.
All you have to do is go to www.GoodSearch.com; find the “Who Do You GoodSearch For?” Box; type “Operation Starfish”; and start searching. After you do this the first time, Operation Starfish will automatically
become your default charity. It’s easy
to change, however, if you prefer that another good cause receive your search
pennies. For example, our friends at Food For The Poor are also listed.
HAITIAN WISDOM
Papa,
Mwen aprann ke yon moun ki fo
Nan kalkil, yo rele’l matematisyen.
Se ou ki pi gran matematisyen an
Paske ou kapab konte tout moun
Men ou we nou chak.
Father,
I have learned that one strong
in calculation is called a mathematician.
You are the greatest mathematician
Because you can count all the people
Yet still see each one of us.
CLOSING THOUGHT…
“Sorrow
looks back... Worry looks around... But, faith looks up.”
-----Fr. Bill Korpi
OPERATION STARFISH:
MAKING A DIFFERENCE, ONE PERSON AT A TIME
As a young boy walked the beach at dawn, he noticed an old man ahead of
him picking up starfish and tossing them into the sea. Catching up with the
man, the boy asked why he was doing this. The old man explained to the boy that
the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.
“But the beach goes on for miles and
there are millions of starfish,” exclaimed the boy. “How can your effort make
any difference?”
The old man looked at the starfish in his
hand and then threw it safely into the waves.
He turned to the boy and said, “It
made a difference to that one.”
--Based on the writing of Loren Eiseley
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OPERATION STARFISH NEWSLETTER (Vol. IX, Issue 3), September 2010: 1010newsltr.docx
Edited this
month by Jim McDaniel (seastar2004@msn.com)