by Katie Vasquez
The congregation at Holy Innocents church showed off their Haitian pride on Monday night,
from dozens of flags waved in the pews, to the Creole hymns filling the Flatbush church.
but among the joyful noise, sounds of sadness,as people of faith think of the havoc happening now in Haiti. Over the last few days, Haiti has been gripped by violence as gangs have been launching attack after attack against the government.
The constant gunfire has left people in the country locked in their homes,
So Brooklyn Bishop Robert Brennan wanted to offer some comfort to their families in Brooklyn, dedicating the latest stop in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Lenten pilgrimage to prayers for peace in Haiti.
“The people here are connected to their families and they’re worried about their families. and it’s not just in these last couple of weeks with the big violence that’s been happening, but there have been kidnappings that people have told me about, cousins, brothers and sisters who’ve been kidnapped themselves and having to pay ransom.”
The mass gives those who are feeling the effects of this crisis a sense of purpose even though they are thousands of miles away.
“Our family there, this suffering, this suffering, we cannot even have the opportunity to send food for them. so it’s a terrible situation. They have to do something,” said Adeline Sanon, a parishioner at Holy Innocents Church.
“It was much needed because we feel so powerless. we feel, you know, we are in the lenten desert and even more so by what’s going on in Haiti,” said Michele Guerrier, a member of the Haitian apostolate.
And as they waved the flags of their heritage, they prayed that God will watch over the nation.
“What gives us hope and what gives us comfort is that the Lord has been so, so good to us. and the lord is always faithful,” said Bishop Brennan.
“The Haitian people, they are my family. so like the Bishop said, when one part of the body hurts, the entire body hurts. so, you know, I’m crying with all the Haitians,” said Guerrier.