Hurricane Matthew Relief Efforts
The South Florida community was blessed to escape a direct hit by Hurricane Matthew. Although getting struck by a hurricane is never something to take lightly, the fact is, that we in the United States are better prepared to take the impact than our neighbors in the Caribbean.
By now, I can imagine that everyone has seen the vast devastation the people of Haiti are having to deal with. So, now it is our turn to act.
Belen Jesuit has joined the relief efforts with the Archdiocese of Miami and the Diocese of Port-de-Paix, Haiti - our sister-diocese. Campus Ministry is coordinating with Amor en Acción (the 40-year steward of the Archdiocese of Miami/Port-de-Paix sister-diocese relationship) in this response.
The Diocese of Port de Paix is the poorest in Haiti. With a population of over 400,000, its dry and deforested terrain exacerbates its poverty. The area is accessible by a road from Port-au-Prince (the capital of Haiti). However, travel by road can take between 6 to 9 hours, due to poor, unpaved and rocky conditions and a lack of bridges to cross several rivers. The diocese is centered in a mountainous area with contaminated water, few roads, and little electric power.
“Hardest hit in this storm are the remote west areas of both the north and south peninsulas,” said Teresita Gonzalez, executive director of Amor en Acción. “Damage to the northwest Diocese of Port-de-Paix extends to over 2,000 homes, and several schools in the areas that include Mole St. Nicolas, Jean Rabel, Bombardopolis and Baie de Henne. In addition there is a critical loss of crops and a deep concern for a resurgence of cholera.”
Students wishing to make a cash donation can do so through their Theology classes or the Campus Ministry Office. Anyone wishing to contribute online can do so by clicking on the link: http://www.belenjesuit.org/haitirelief .
One hundred percent of received funds will be donated to Amor en Acción’s Haiti Relief Effort. Amor en Acción works through the guidance of the bishops, priests and community leaders. Aid from international relief agencies is inconsistent and unreliable, and Amor en Acción is one of only a few sources of consistent aid.
BELEN JESUIT PREPARATORY SCHOOL
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
500 SW 127th Avenue, Miami, FL 33184
phone: 305.223.8600 | fax: 305.227.2565 | email: communications@belenjesuit.org
Belen Jesuit Preparatory School was founded in 1854 in Havana, Cuba, by Queen Isabel II of Spain. The task of educating students was assigned to the priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits), whose teaching tradition is synonymous with academic excellence and spiritual discipline. In 1961, the new political regime of Cuba confiscated the school's property and expelled the Jesuit faculty. The School was re-established in Miami the same year, and over the next decade, continued to grow. Today, Belen Jesuit is situated on a 34-acre site in western Dade County, just minutes away from downtown Miami.