Marking the 2nd anniversary of devastating Haiti earthquake

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (ANS) -- As the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti was marked on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a statement and Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti has narrated a powerful video depicting the damage still evident in Port-Au-Prince as well as images of rebuilding.

Bishop Duracin, right, welcomes Bishop Leo Frade,
Bishop of Southeast Florida, to the ruins of his Haiti home.
Photo by Archbishop Bryan Hobbs

In a statement on the second anniversary, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said: "The people of Haiti have suffered enormously in the aftermath of the earthquake in 2010. At the same time, their creativity, faith, hope, and joy continue to lead them into a more gracious future. Yet we are all diminished by the reality of the situation in Haiti. Reconstruction has been painfully slow, funds promised by other nations have not yet been paid or paid in full, and many, many people still live in tents.

"The Diocese of Haiti has been serving the people of Haiti with schools (with more than 250 of them back in operation a few short months after the earthquake), with medical facilities, and the beginnings of spiritual and cultural healing. The partnership of Episcopal Relief & Development has helped to provide shelter, clean water, and some employment.

"The Episcopal Church as a whole is partnering to help the Diocese of Haiti rebuild the cathedral complex in Port-au-Prince. Before the earthquake, that complex included not only the cathedral with its world famous murals (three have been conserved), but a music school and philharmonic orchestral, a vocational school, a convent, and diocesan offices. Partnerships have helped to provide necessary infrastructure for strategizing and planning the redevelopment work."

She went on to say, "The Episcopal Church as a whole has had its heart expanded in the support and partnership with our sisters and brothers in Haiti. I encourage you to continue your prayers, your active partnership in fundraising, and the solidarity that comes from learning about the situation and caring about the future. We all begin to experience more abundant life in caring for our neighbors. I give thanks for the treasure that is Haiti, and urge the faithful accompaniment of the whole Episcopal Church with Haiti!"