An Advent Appeal to Magnify the Lord in Haiti

Every Advent, we cultivate hope in our hearts as we wait for Jesus Christ’s entry into humanity. We also contemplate our own role in bringing about the Kingdom of God in today’s world. That’s why, each Advent season, Cross Catholic Outreach invites U.S. parishes to participate in a special mission to bring hope to those in need.

Last year, that outreach helped build 64 homes for families in Guatemala. This year, we are excited to partner with the Kobonal Haiti Mission on a plan to build homes for 44 families, educate thousands of children, and bless surrounding communities with food relief in Christ’s name.

Families in Haiti suffer in ways that are hard for Americans to comprehend. With little opportunity to generate an income, most struggle to escape generational poverty and live in crumbling mud-and-stick homes that bake in the tropical sun and leak during the torrential rains. Nearly half of the country experiences acute food insecurity, and there is a critical lack of dependable and affordable schooling for children.

Emma and Thelius are an example of this. The Haitian couple earns a small income to support their family by farming and selling food products in the rural community of Colladère. No matter how hard they tried, they could not save enough money to afford a home beyond a simple mud-and-stick structure, which could not keep out the elements.

“Sometimes mud falls on the children’s heads,” Emma explained, “sometimes they sleep on the bed with me, and sometimes I can’t even walk in the house without getting my feet wet and muddy.” Thankfully, this family has received help through our ministry partners in Haiti, but many families remain in urgent need of safe shelter. Though they believe living in sturdy homes is beyond their reach, that is exactly the gift of God faithful American donors can help provide!

As we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, we make room for the poor, the starving and the destitute. We invite parishes around the country to participate in Magnify the Lord — a special Advent mission of Cross Catholic Outreach.

This mission of mercy will help build 50 homes for poor families, buy food for 250 of the most destitute families, provide meals for 30 elderly people at a day center, build a new distribution center to store more than 4 million Vitafood meals for undernourished Haitians, and ensure that over 2,500 children and teens have an opportunity to attend school. This outreach will have a positive impact for generations to come!

No place in Haiti is better poised to produce this life-transforming impact than the Kobonal Haiti Mission, which has become a beacon of light in Haiti’s Central Plateau. There, in one of the most rugged and poverty-stricken areas of the country, the people in and around the Kobonal Haiti Mission have developed a loving community that does not suffer from the same upheaval and lawlessness found in the port cities.

The safe environment of the Kobonal Haiti Mission can only be attributed to God’s grace and the power of living out Catholic social teaching. The notable stability in the region has made it a beacon for the rural poor, who come to receive the Catholic faith and the sacraments.

In fact, two years ago, the Kobonal Haiti Mission reported 700 Baptisms, Confirmations and First Communions! These people also come to find help for their hunger, their insecure living situations and their children’s education. United in faith, they develop not just a holy patience but also a true gratitude and willingness to “pay forward” the material aid they receive.

It is here, where the grace of God has created a community centered in Christ, where we can Magnify the Lord this Advent.