A Christmas message of thanks from a priest in Haiti

Fr. Yves Anis
·3 min read

Editor's note: This letter was sent by the Rev. Anis of Durissy, Hati to the parishioners at Holy name of Jesus Catholic Church in unincorporated Indialantic, who support his village. But his message can be to anyone who has sought to help Haiti over the years.

In a few days we will remember a happy event that marked the history of all mankind: The Incarnation of Jesus. God who became man to make us become children of God.

Christmas is the feast of love and joy even if the year 2021 was marked all over the world by several crises: political crisis, health crisis, economic crisis, ecological crisis. Still, how beautiful, how nice to celebrate Christmas.

Yes, Christmas, God is among us, it is the time of sharing and a time of joy.

However, here in Haiti nature is gloomy, nature cries out from distress. Life is far from being an existential reality here. Our children have emaciated faces, Haitians are at bay, the population is descending into extreme poverty and can no longer go about their business because insecurity and danger are still present.

The Rev. Yves Anis in a 2014 photo
The Rev. Yves Anis in a 2014 photo

Missionaries and our benefactors can no longer visit us here for reasons beyond their control, because of this insecure situation. Our leaders are absent and we are like a people without a shepherd. Here, it is the bandits, the gangs, the kidnappers who predominate and deprive us of our freedom to live in peace in a country that is ours. Everything becomes difficult.

We don't want to be too negative. We can discern that in the interior of this painful reality, God is there. He does not forsake us; He provides for our needs through you.

Haiti is doing badly, but there is hope.

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Because the reality of large city centers is not that of the countryside. They are two different realities. The rural exodus, with uneducated, frustrated, rebellious people, has turned city centers into agitated areas, so people from rural areas are seen more as peaceful people. The missionaries who visit us here in Durissy can testify to this. There are a lot of good things happening in the country under difficult conditions.

A street vendor pushes his wheelbarrow past burning barricades set up by protesters in reaction to rising fuel prices, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.
A street vendor pushes his wheelbarrow past burning barricades set up by protesters in reaction to rising fuel prices, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021.

In the communities that are supported by our sister parishes, there are many goods and values ​​that are distributed such as: education, health, agricultural development, social housing to name a few. At the relational level, there are many values ​​that we can identify: you discover in the people of the countryside kindness, love, courage, respect, solidarity etc. Haiti is not doing well, however in rural areas there is hope, even though we have financial limits to act and do whatever is necessary to ensure our survival. Yes, there is hope; of course, there is hope, because of you.

Because of you, our children were able to come to school, the path to development and success.

Because of you, our children can have one meal a day for you.

Because of you, our children have access to new technologies in their learning.

Because of you, our students have their library for reading and personal research.

Because of you, the hygienic condition of our schoolchildren is improved.

Because of you, our teachers are better trained to better educate our students.

Because of you, teachers regularly receive their salaries and are always present in the classrooms.

Because of you, our graduated students' success in state exams is always 90% to 100%.

Because of you, even if Haiti does not go well, we can hope that one day Haiti will flourish and experience days of apotheosis and development.

Because of you, we understand that the love that God has for us is not so far away, we discover this love in you.

For all this, we say thank you: a thousand thanks for your closeness to Haiti. Thank you for your very high concern. Thank you also for all the good you have done to us. Thank you especially because you have given us a special place in your heart. We ask God for an abundant blessing for you and your loved ones.

Merry Christmas 2021, happy and holy new year 2022.

Fr. Yves Anis, Durissy

Contact Torres at 321-242-3684 or at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on Twitter @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: A Christmas message of thanks from a priest in Haiti