It is really amazing what remote corners of the globe Russian Orthodoxy has reached. Recently I saw an appeal from a trusty foundation on the needs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) to support the Russian spiritual mission in Haiti. It turns out that our Faith is there as well, even though there are no Russians in that mission. Alena Plavshich, development manager of the foundation, told how our brothers and sisters are living in a country that had suffered several devastating earthquakes and hurricanes in the past 12 years, rampant crime, and, most recently, the assassination of the president.
– I think I am not the only one who is surprised that there is a Russian spiritual mission in Haiti. Tell me, how did it come to be there, and what is it like?
– The founder of the mission was Father Gregory Williams, an American Orthodox priest who served at ROCOR. It was he who went to preach to seekers of truth in Haiti in the 1990s. The mission now has seven parishes and about 3,000 members. They are all local, Haitians.
One of the main challenges in our work with Haiti is that there are many cultural differences. From my own experience with these people, I can tell you that they don't like to talk about their problems or complain about anything.
They stoically endure all difficulties and prefer to say, "It's okay, we've moved on.”
– Although it's hard to call life normal in a country that has suffered so many disasters, and it's not easy to move on, is it?
– After the earthquake in 2010, many people still live in tents. We send money to people. The Haitians don't always give us detailed reports but we know that many of the mission members have built their homes with our support, although very small, sometimes with no windows or doors. They just cover the openings with sheets. These people live because of the support of our contributors.
– What kind of assistance does the foundation provide to the mission?
– I have been working with Haiti since 2008. At first, we gave a little support, but in 2010 there was an earthquake and people there were in great need. At that time the whole world was watching what was happening in Haiti. Our foundation raised about $220,000. This is a huge amount for us because we were a very small non-profit organization at that time, and we still are.
Last year, we gave a little over $100,000, and the total amount over the years has exceeded $1.6 million.
– Earthquakes and hurricanes have nearly wiped half the country off the map, and lately, all the hardships have been aggravated by a terrible rise in crime: criminals can easily drive through the streets, they can kidnap anyone, and even the president, Jovenel Moise, was recently shot and killed by attackers. How do Orthodox people live in such an environment, how do they keep their faith?
– It seems to me that these people live just like everyone else, the only difference being that they are Orthodox and receive help from us. The mission is led by Father Jean Chenier-Dumais, assisted by Mother Rose Legoute, widow of the second priest, Father Grégoire Legoute. These are highly educated people, and their work is very important.
There are two or three Russian churches in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the rest are scattered in other cities. Several years ago our foundation sent two people to Paris to study at the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute so that when they finished they could come back and become priests.
By the way, one of the difficulties is that most Haitians speak French only. This makes it necessary to send them to Paris to study, although it might have been easier for us to bring people to Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, the USA.
Unfortunately, only one of the seminarians returned home from Paris but we cannot condemn the person who decided to stay in France. After all, even those who do not return try to support the mission as much as possible. In my opinion, Haitians are really wonderful and very heroic people who do a lot for their fellow men. Many of them may get out of all these problems and go live in a more prosperous place, but they say, "This is my country, I'm not going anywhere and I'm going to stay here.”
– How does the foundation support the Russian mission now?
– We regularly hold fundraising campaigns and write letters to our contributors, and people respond. They are very supportive of our mission in Haiti and really help strengthen Orthodoxy there. Of course, there is an element of conversion but it is not the church that many people first come to. They just observe how the mission lives, and they like it.
For example, Mother Rose and Father Gregoire established a school for handicapped children in their parish, a center of love. The children are introduced to Orthodox culture through this school.
I would say that in Haiti it is particularly difficult for people with disabilities because there is a kind of social stigma. Sometimes people just hide the fact that they have children with disabilities. They just stay at home and can't go out because others will think something bad about them.
This school, which is one of the few schools for such children in the country, helps them feel like members of the community. There are excellent teachers there - by the way, members of the mission. This is very important because it shows that the mission can support itself, although not financially yet. Most families in the mission are very poor, just like in the rest of the country, so it is very important to them that the children get a hot lunch at school. For many of them, it is the only meal of the day. The same is with school uniforms - they are the only decent clothes and are taken great care of to be kept clean. The situation with education in Haiti is tragic, and parochial schools with the help of our foundation help these children not only become Orthodox Christians but also have a chance for a better life.
One more important thing to note: as far as I know, all the good schools in Haiti are private, and are founded on the basis of parishes - Protestant, Catholic, and sometimes, as in our case, Orthodox. As a rule, it turns out that children accept the religion where they study. Earlier I mentioned the most well-known school of the Russian mission, but there are also schools in our other parishes. When the children study there, not only their parents, but also their neighbours see how good it is, and they follow. That's how the mission develops.
– Listening to your story about Russian schools in Haiti, I was reminded of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco who established an orphanage, first in Shanghai and then in San Francisco, thereby helping many to find Orthodoxy. Is it the same story here?
– Yes, one hundred percent. Haiti is very fond of St. John, they even have a parish in his honor.
– What do people need most of all, besides education?
– A few years ago, one of our leaders went to Haiti. When she came back, she said, "I don't care what they spend the money on. If someone sends $5, it could save someone's life." People are in a very difficult situation, they need all the help they can get with everything.
First, people have nowhere to live because, as I said, many are still living in tents. They need food, water, and medicines. For example, the daughter of one of our cantors in Port-au-Prince was injured during the recent unrest. She was at home hanging laundry. A bullet from the street came through the window and wounded her. There are no hospitals there now, they are simply closed. But the mission found a doctor and she was operated on and her life was saved.
She was at home hanging laundry clothes. A bullet from the street came through the window and wounded her.
We also have a special program to help Orthodox families in Haiti. We donate funds, and the members of the mission decide what to spend them on. Let's say people can't work because they are crippled by the earthquake and need support.
– How do people in the U.S., in other rich countries, respond to your appeals to help Haiti?
– In most cases, they react kindly. Ninety-nine percent understand that people are simply dying there. There are those who did not know at all that there is a Russian Orthodox Church in Haiti. You know what I mean - this is something that is hard to imagine, especially since there are no Russians there. Some are willing to donate to other causes but do not understand why we should help Haiti. This does not mean that such people are bad: perhaps they have not encountered such a situation, and it is hard to perceive it because it is somewhere far away.
– Why is the Russian Spiritual Mission in Haiti so important to ROCOR and Russian Orthodoxy in general? Wouldn't it be easier to really hand this help over elsewhere?
– Such voices are sometimes heard, and this point is perfectly understandable: one must first take care of one's neighbors. As Christ said, you cannot take bread from your children and throw it to the dogs (cf. Matt. 15:25). But Haiti is an entirely different matter. These are people who have truly embraced Orthodoxy, they have fallen in love with Christ, the Russian Orthodox Church, and Russian saints. They came under the omophorion of ROCOR, they were accepted, which means that they are our people, we should support them. After all, if not us, then who will do it?
Source: Pravoslavie.ru
