Dear Fellow Parishioners,

We have been twinning with St. Gerard’s Parish in Lagaudray, Haiti for over 14 years now. We walked with the parishioners of its main parish church, St. Gerard’s, it’s three mission chapels and their first pastor, Fr. Claude Wilnes. You may remember that Fr. Claude came to visit us several years in the summer and shared with us that thanks to our financial assistance, St. Gerard’s was able to open schools at the main church and the three missions.

Fr. Claude was followed these past six years by Fr. Wilnes Tilus who also visited us here at Sacred Heart. Under the leadership of Fr. Tilus we helped supply the financial assistance to build the parish house, the foundation of the parish hall, and the chapels in two of the missions. This past year our assistance not only supplied the salaries for the teachers, but also assisted in hurricane relief to help rebuild the roofs on some 200 homes. This is very valuable assistance that would never happen without the generosity of our parish donors and the wonderful work of our Haiti Ministry.

This September, a new pastor at St. Gerard’s takes the helm; Fr. Claude Renel Elysee. I assured Fr. Renel that the twinning relationship between the faithful of Sacred Heart Parish of Hopedale and the faithful of St. Gerard’s parish in Lagaudray will continue in the years ahead; not to worry.

This weekend after the Sunday morning masses, our Haiti Ministry is holding a Haitian Spaghetti Breakfast (no charge). At this breakfast, we are inviting anyone interested in knowing more about our parish work with St. Gerard’s to ask questions. We are hoping more of you will make a monthly commitment to St. Gerard’s along with those who are already giving a monthly pledge. In the pews, this weekend there are flyers for this purpose. Giving $5, $10, $20 per month is a great help for people who have nothing. Come find out how our assistance helps so many.

Fr. Bill