The new headquarters of the Conference of Haitian Religious in Port-au-Prince is seen May 25. The new facility was built with funds donated by U.S. Catholics following Haiti’s devastating earthquake in January 2010. (Courtesy of PROCHE, the Partnership for Church Reconstruction in Haiti)
Church reconstruction in earthquake-ravaged Haiti continues. Projects totaling about $1.3 million were approved for funding by the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America June 9. The projects are being funded from a $33 million pool contributed by U.S. Catholics for the church in Haiti after the January 2010 disaster.
Reconstruction is being managed under the auspices of the PROCHE Joint Steering Committee. PROCHE, the Partnership for Church Reconstruction in Haiti, is an effort among the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Haitian Episcopal Conference, Adveniat, the German bishops’ agency for solidarity in Latin America, and the French bishops’ conference to coordinate the reconstruction effort.
Trinitarian Father Juan Molina, director of the U.S. bishops’ Office for the Church in Latin America, told Catholic News Service that some of the projects have been underway for months and that funds will allow for their completion.
Projects approved include reconstruction of St. Gerard de Beaudry Church in Petit-Goave ($168,925), the landmark Sacred Heart Church in Port-au-Prince ($742,400) and the novitiate for the Daughters of Mary in Port-au-Prince ($100,000), construction of a multipurpose building in the Diocese of Jacmel ($226,719) and construction of a house of formation for the Little Sisters of St. Therese of the Child Jesus ($31,200).
Additional funds were approved for pastoral work as well. Meeting in San Diego ahead of the annual spring meeting of the USCCB, the subcommittee also approved funding for 99 pastoral projects in 18 countries totaling $1.2 million. The projects include 18 parish-based programs celebrating the Year of Faith and activities supporting the new evangelization, catechesis, lay leadership formation and youth programs. Of the total, $418,000 will fund 31 formation programs for seminarian, clergy and religious men and women involving more than 600 men and women.
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