January 22, 2010
St. Joseph, Vanderburgh County, committed to Haiti
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
Father Gene Schroeder, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Vanderburgh County, is making plans to go to Haiti “in the next couple of weeks — as soon as we find out that it will be okay with [the parish pastor, Father Alain] and we can get tickets to fly into Cap Haitian.”
Father Schroeder said two parishioners, Butch Feulner and Dr. Steve Elliott, plan to travel together, “to bring some cash and as much medicine as we can fit into duffle bags for them to begin using in their clinic.” (Related: St. Joseph pastor urges parishioners to ‘stand with people in Haiti’)
Before the earthquake struck, organizers had already begun planning two mission trips, one in March, another in April.
The parish shipped a new generator to Haiti last fall, and the original plan for the March mission trip was to “do some final work on getting electricity from our new generator to our clinic.”
Now the group from St. Joseph “may try to arrange for a medical mission trip as well. We think we can get a number of doctors, nurses to go for a week. A lot of this depends on whether we have the medicines and equipment for the doctors to do their work.”
Father Schroeder has invited other parishes to partner with St. Joseph Church, and a number of them have already responded, he said.
“Since our parish is situated along the northern coast of Haiti, about 120 miles from Port-au-Prince, it was spared the physical damage that effected most of the Port-au-Prince area.”
But, he said, the parish is now being directly affected by the aftermath of the quake.
“Many people are beginning to leave the Port-au-Prince area to move to places where they might have a better chance to get food, housing and medicine.”
The parish pastor in Haiti has told the Vanderburgh County group that they are sending buses from the Cap Haitian area to pick up some of these people and bring them north. The new people would live in the school, convent and rectory.
“What they need is money to buy food, medicine and diesel fuel,” Father Schroeder said. “Our parish has the most substantial medical clinic in the area and if we can get medicines to them they will be able to help many people. The more money we can get them will enable them to buy food to feed these people who are coming north.”
The parish has already given an initial $5,000 “to help Father Alain begin to buy food and medicine.”
More money is needed and the need “will continue for many months into the future,” Father Schroeder said.
Feulner, who has been traveling to Haiti once or twice a year for the past several years, said he first became interested in the mission work 25 years ago. Butch and Linda Feulner are members of St. Joseph Church in Vanderburgh County, where the late Father Francis Schroer-ing was the pastor who first made the connection with Haiti.
Father “Shakes” and Deacon Gilbert Fehrenbacher came back from their first trip to Haiti and started the “twin” connection with St. James the Greater Church in Plaine du Nord.
“They were so excited as they shared their stories,” Feulner remembered. “I always intended to go, but decided to hold off until I raised my family.”
Since the first efforts began, St. Joseph Church has continued with a major effort to support the twin parish.
St. James has a large church building, over 300 years old, that can hold about 1,000 people. The adjacent rectory is where the pastor, Father Alain, can host mission groups of about 10 people.
There is also a convent, no longer staffed with nuns; a grade school for 500 to 550 students, a high school for 260 to 270 students, and a clinic which includes a pharmacy, a dental chair and a small lab. There is also an auditorium and a large soccer field.
In recent years, St. Joseph Church members have paid off the Haiti parish deficits for operating the grade school, high school and clinic. Now, 130 students are sponsored locally by contributors who pay $300 a year.
The clinic has a full time physician whose salary is paid by St. Joseph parishioners. Other staff positions are also paid, in an economy where a teacher earns less than $1,000 a year.
Feulner hopes to hear from Father Alain soon, so that he and Father Schroeder and Dr. Elliott can make a quick trip to assess the needs. Going to Haiti means someone has to pick up visitors at the airport and host them, and Feulner does not know if the parish can offer such services at this time.
But he knows that the need will continue to be great for years to come, considering the earthquake casualties, the number of orphans that have been created and the number of people who have been permanently disabled.
The greatest need is for money, Feulner said. “U.S. dollars are recognized” so money that can be carried to Haiti can be used immediately. Funds may also be wired; checks take a while to clear.