Haiti: Purchase of land for a new seminary

Seminarians in Port-au-Prince let our photgrapher take a picture of the sleeping tent. @ACN
Seminarians in Port-au-Prince let our photgrapher take a picture of the sleeping tent. @ACN

The Haitian Bishops conference has embarked on a major project, one that it believes will be a source of hope for the suffering people of Haiti. On a new site they are planning to build a brand new major seminary. The old seminary of „Notre Dame d’Haiti“, together with the two departments for theology and philosophy, was destroyed in the earthquake. One professor and 14 seminarians died in the rubble. The apostolic nuncio, Archbishop Bernardito Auzo reported, "Four of the five buildings of the theology department had collapsed, and in particular the building that housed the refectory on the ground floor, the chapel on the first floor and the library on the second floor was completely destroyed. The chapel no longer exists, and the refectory and library have collapsed in on themselves. When I think that the entire community might have been in the chapel at the moment of the earthquake, I shudder at the thought. That would really have been a terrible loss."

„Notre Dame d’Haiti“ was the only major seminary in Haiti. Before the earthquake there were 159 theology students and 98 philosophy students living here, all of whom had to be urgently rehoused. After some hesitation the bishops finally recalled the seminarians and reopened the academic year on April 6. The philosophy and theology departments were moved into the offices of the Bishops conference, while the students were found accommodation locally. Some of the seminarians and teaching staff are still living in temporary tented accommodation. The teaching is also being given in large tents. A discouraging situation, but Haiti's bishops are not giving up. And so, with the help of funding from abroad, they are now hoping to build a new seminary.

Two trustworthy families have now offered the Church a piece of land -- at a more favourable price than usual in Haiti. The property is situated just over 10 miles (17 km) from Port-au-Prince, on somewhat higher ground, so that it will be secure in the event of flooding. It also has an excess to clean drinking water. To avoid a repetition of the catastrophic consequences of the last earthquake, all the buildings will be earthquake proof. Eventually two seminaries will be built on the site, in the second phase the campus of the Catholic University and a pastoral building. For the nuncio Bernadito Auza it is vital to provide the seminarians and priests with a solid training, since the priests will be the link between the Church and the people. "I would like to invite our benefactors to help us to make this great project a reality, for it will mark a real renewal for the Catholic Church in Haiti", he writes. "Like the nuncio, we too want to work not only for the material reconstruction of Haiti, but also for the spiritual revival that the country needs even more urgently than before. The bishops have already managed to raise over three quarters of the sum required. Now, thanks to ACN's benefactors in France, we have been able to promise the remaining €250,000. May God reward you all!"

To know about this and many other similar projects in favour of the pastoral needs of the suffering Church, please contact our national offices.