Mission Statement
Mission Haiti experiences the vitality and love of Jesus Christ by reaching out beyond our community and sharing Christ’s presence in the impoverished communities of Cité Soleil and La Saline.

Holy Family Travels to Haiti
A Holy Family video team traveled to Haiti in December, 2007. Mission Haiti Chronicles Promise and Progress journals their trip.

About Mission Haiti
Since 2001, Holy Family Church has been building friendships and offering hope to people living in two of the most desperate slums in the western world. The slums of La Saline and Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, are home to the Little Schools of Fr. Bohnen and the schools and other ministries of Fr. Hagan.

All parents have hopes and dreams for their children. Haitian parents are no exception. They too want promising futures for their children. However, due to overwhelming poverty and political instability, building dreams and hopes is a daunting task. Our community, blessed by the Haitians, is inspired to help.

In 2006, Holy Family expanded its efforts for the Haitian people by offering assistance to Fr. Tom Hagan, who lives and works in Haiti. His non-profit organization, Hands Together, builds and maintains schools, medical clinics, nutrition programs, adult education centers, houses for the elderly and hospice services.

Parishioners of Holy Family have traveled to Haiti to meet the people, tour the programs and assess how we might help. Haitian representatives have come to California and visited parishioners, educators and the students of both Holy Family and Dolores Mission. They taught us about their culture and shared the vision and ambitions for the future of their schools and other projects.

In addition to financial support, Holy Family has shipped multiple sea containers to Haiti filled with school supplies, janitorial goods, musical instruments, generators, a compressor, soccer balls and uniforms, pick-up trucks, hand-made toys and gifts from students, linens, medical supplies and dental equipment. These donations were given by generous parishioners, corporations, and businesses.

The success of these relationships would not have been possible without the many individuals who have donated their time, treasure and talent. It will remain so only with continued support. As Mother Theresa said, “Having food, a home, dignity, freedom, health and an education are all of God’s gifts. This is why we must help those who are less fortunate than ourselves."

About Fr. Tom Hagan and Hands Together
Twenty years ago, Fr. Tom Hagan, an American Priest and Oblate of St. Francis de Sales, visited the slums of Haiti with a group of college students. Overwhelmed by what he saw, he committed his life to the Haitian poor. He founded Hands Together and began building schools offering free education. Stunned by the tremendous malnourishment of the children, and its effect on their ability to concentrate, he added food programs. He now educates 5,000 children daily and feeds over 10,000 children a day.

Hands Together’s long-term development projects are aimed at improving the quality of life in rural areas through education, agriculture, reforestation to protect the fragile environment and collaborative community projects. Many programs are currently underway – 160 wells have been drilled, 5,000 trees have been planted and an agricultural education center focused on teaching farming techniques has been built.

How you can help
A compassionate thank you to the people of Holy Family for ongoing donations to the children of Haiti. Your financial support helps to nourish the 26,000 children who live in the impoverished community of Cité Soleil. Thank you for making a difference in their lives.

We welcome your contributions
100% of your gift goes directly to assist the poor of Haiti.
Please send your tax deductible contribution to:
Mission Haiti
Holy Family Church
1527 Fremont Avenue
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Donations
Schools supplies are very important to the children in Haiti. Father Tom Hagan from Hands Together has said that although new supplies are fabulous, he would very much appreciate used supplies as well. Three quarters used pencils, erasers, pens, and rulers are valuable. Used composition books or spiral notebooks would be put to good use in Haiti. Students in the slums cut up the notebooks, rebind them and use them or sell them in the market place. One child’s discard can be another’s treasure.  Please consider saving your used school supplies. Rip out used pages, clean up the notebooks as you can and drop them off at the Pastoral Center.

Computers, sewing machines, machinery and tools are just some of the many other items that would be beneficial to the people in Haiti. See Haiti Wish List.

Packers Needed
The sea containers sent to Haiti are packed by a group of loyal parishioners who answer the call to help when a plea is sent out that there are items to load. Most donations need to be sorted, placed into boxes, taped and labeled. Others, like linens, are put into plastic bags. Heavy items are loaded and then secured to the walls of the sea container to prevent movement and possible damage. Each gift is itemized.

All ages participate. Volunteers are students from grammar school through college, scouts, teachers, professionals, moms, dads and grandparents. When teenagers or young adults are available, their muscle and enthusiasm is hugely appreciated. Everyone is put to work. The miracles are generally performed by a few men: Bennett, Steve, Jim and Karl, the later of whom provides us with encouragement, advice and faith that our efforts are worth every drop of sweat! These men are the ones who make certain that every square inch is occupied, that the tremendous number of items is packed so that all angles fit and that no item is crushed. It is a cheery group. There is lots of conversation. There is no time commitment. Some come for an hour, others for three.

We invite anyone to help us. Our commitment to Mission Haiti continues to grow. We need as many people that we can get. If you are interested in helping for a day, if you need service hours for school, if you are simply interested in getting involved with a worthwhile project, please consider joining us on a Saturday morning. Please call to see which Saturdays we are working.
 

A Prayer for Haiti
Dear God,
Hidden somewhere in the mystery of life is the incredible privilege which you have given us to belong to the Holy Family community of faith, a community of life and love. And with that privilege comes awesome responsibility: the realization that we are all in Christ, neither slave nor free, rich nor poor.

We look beyond ourselves to the slums of Cite Soleil and La Saline in Haiti. As long as our brothers and sisters live in that misery, we live there too.

We pray in thanksgiving that our community of faith has reached out in love, in respect, in aid to our wounded brothers and sisters.

We beg you to help us keep alive in our community the pain of Cite Soleil and La Saline. Make our dedication not a passing whim, but a crusade to eradicate this suffering, so that indeed we may become worthy of our Christ. We pray in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Contact
Mary Mather Nally
Mission Haiti Chair
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Karl Holtsnider
(626) 403-6101
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