Au revoir, Haiti
[ed. note: Bishop Chilton's arrived home safely on March 8. Below is her farewell note to the people of the Diocese of Haiti.]
8 mars 2009
Eglise de St Jacques le Juste, PetionVille, Haiti
Et pour tout les members de l’Eglise episcopale d’Haiti,
So, now, dear friends; a personal word to you all as I prepare to leave Haiti this afternoon. Although I am eager to be home with family and friends, I am (feel?) sad about finishing our time together. My first visit to L’eglise Episcopal d’Haiti was in 2003 and that visit was just for 6 days. For this visit, we have been together for 6 weeks. I will never forget this season of mission here with you in Haiti. Our time together has been one of the most significant experiences in all my 28 years of ordained ministry.
Et maintenant, chers amis, un mot plus personnel pour vous tous tandis que je me prépare à quitter Haïti cet après-midi. Bien que je sois impatiente de me retrouver chez moi avec la famille et les amis, je suis triste de terminer notre temps ensemble. Ma première visite à l’Eglise épiscopale d’Haïti a eu lieu en 2003 (« deux mille trois »), et n’a duré que six jours. Au cours de cette visite, nous avons été ensemble pendant six semaines. Je n’oublierai jamais cette saison de mission ici avec vous en Haïti. Notre temps ensemble a été l’une des expériences majeures de mes 28 ans de ministère ordonné.
I have seen many parts of L’eglise Episcopal d’Haiti: from Port au Prince to Cap Haitien to Leogane to Les Cayes and many parts in between. You have shown me your churches, your schools and your educational programs, your seminary, your medical facilities and your youth camps. You have made we welcome in your homes. Again and again, you invited me to celebrate the Eucharist with you and preach the Word of God in your congregations. We sang and prayed together. We laughed together! You have shared your dreams, your sorrows and your faith. You haveasked me good questions and we have talked heart to heart. I have seen your courage. I have seen the powerful work of the Holy Spirit here. My love for you, and for this beautiful country of Haiti, has grown stronger every day.
J’ai vu plusieurs composantes de l’Eglise épiscopale d’Haïti ; de Port-au-Prince à Cap Haitien à Leogane à Les Cayes et beaucoup de lieux entre ceux-ci. Vous m’avez montré vos églises, vos écoles et vos programmes d’éducation, votre séminaire, vos établissements médicaux et vos camps de jeunes. Vous m’avez accueillie dans vos maisons. Encore et encore vous m’avez invitée à célébrer l’Eucharistie avec vous, et à prêcher la Parole de Dieu dans vos assemblées. Nous avons chanté et prié ensemble. Nous avons ri ensemble ! Vous avez partagé avec moi vos rêves, vos chagrins et votre foi. Vous m’avez posé de bonnes questions, et nous avons parlé à cœur ouvert. J’ai vous votre courage. J’ai vu le formidable travail de l’Esprit Saint ici. Mon amour pour vous, et pour ce beau pays d’Haïti, est devenu plus fort chaque jour.
Everywhere I went, I have met dedicated people who work hard (in the name of Jesus Christ, to fulfill the Great Commandment of loving God and loving our neighbors. I have no words sufficient to describe my respect for you all — for what (all?) you do for our Lord and for the Church. I promise to tell the stories of what I have seen here in Haiti. I will work to raise support for your ministries; support both spiritual and financial.
Partout où je suis allée, j’ai rencontré des personnes dévouées qui travaillent sans relâche au nom de Jésus Christ, pour répondre au grand commandement d’aimer Dieu et aimer nos prochains. Je n’ai pas de mots qui suffiraient pour décrire mon respect pour vous tous – pour tout ce que vous faites pour notre Seigneur et pour l’Eglise. Je promets que je raconterai les histoires de ce que j’ai vu ici en Haïti. Je travaillerai pour trouver un soutien pour vos ministères, soutien spirituel et soutien financier.
I am not sure if or when I will be able to return to Haiti in the future. Monsignor Duracin and I first talked almost 2 years ago about my coming to Haiti after retiring. Since that first conversation, circumstances in my family have changed. For one thing, my husband was diagnosed several months ago with Parkinson’s Disease. It is very difficult for him when I am
apart from him for more than one or two weeks. We have also had some other difficulties. SO…I have great hope that I will return to Haiti, but I cannot make a promise. We will have to wait on the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
Je ne sais pas si ou quand je pourrai revenir en Haïti dans l’avenir. Il y a bientôt deux ans, Monseigneur Duracin et moi, nous avons évoqué ma venue en Haïti après ma retraite. Depuis cette première conversation, les circonstances de ma famille ont change. D’abord, mon mari a appris il y a quelques mois qu’il souffrait de la maladie de Parkinson. C’est difficile pour lui quand je suis absente pendant plus d’une semaine ou deux. Bien entendu, il passé avant tout dans ma vie. Nous avons eu aussi d’autres difficultés. Donc… J’ai grand espoir de revenir en Haïti, mais je ne peux pas le promettre. Nous devrons attendre pour voir où nous mènera l’Esprit Saint.
But whatever may happen, you can be sure that I WILL be in Haiti; if I am not able to be physically present here with you, then I will always be united with all of you in my heart and in my prayers.
Mais quoiqu’il arrive, soyez certains que je SERAI en Haïti ; si je ne peux pas être ici physiquement présente avec vous, alors je serai toujours unie avec vous dans mon cœur et dans mes prières.
My profound “thank you” to everyone. I don’t give specific names of everyone who has been so kind to me, or we will besitting here until tomorrow! May God bless you all, and give you strength, and watch over you every day. Thank you, thank you.
Mes plus profonds remerciements à tous. Je n’ose pas donner les noms de tous ceux qui ont été si gentils avec moi, ou nous serons là encore demain ! Que Dieu vous bénisse tous, qu’il vous donne de la force, et qu’il veille sur vous tous les jours. Merci, merci.
Monsignor Chilton A R Knudsen
8~ Eveque du Maine, Retraitee
The people of Carrefour – caring for each other in the ‘hot zone’
I celebrated and preached (in French!) at Eglise Ascension today in Carrefour. Although it’s a journey of about 3 miles, it’s a 45 minute ride on a terrible road (I will never complain about Maine potholes again…), swollen with human and vehicular traffic.
Bishop Chilton with Pere Franz Cole, priest-in-charge of Church of the Ascension, Carrafore, and a member of the diocesan staff.
Carrefour is a “hot zone” as identified by the United Nations and various other bodies; poverty, suffering, pain. Bless them, MDF (Medecins sans Frontieres — Doctors w/o Borders) have a huge compound here. The poverty, filth and suffering is beyond words. YET, here is our church, the parish of Ascension, thriving in the very midst of it all. I preached and celebrated here today. It’s a large congregation — with lots of young families and kids and a wonderfully joyous spirit. As one of them said to me today: “What is more important than being together in Jesus?”. Each week, one night a week, they have “pastoral care evening”, when folks first gather at the church for prayer and then disperse in teams to visit the homebound and the sick and bring them the sacrament. I have told +Zache that I hoped to dwell a bit with one congregation rather than being schlepped around as a drive-by bishop, and this is the one. I’ll be at Ascension for Last Epiphany and for Ash Weds.
This evening (after liturgy and brunch at Ascension), there was a concert at Holy Trinity Music School back in Port au Prince to benefit Holy Cross Hospital, which is struggling faithfully to re-open. The Symphony Orchestra, fed by that Music School here, is partnered with the Boston Symphony! And they are GOOD. The guest soloist, Jeanne Gabrielle Pocius, has been here in Haiti at summer music camp; a renown trumpeter born in the US, she loves Haiti. A local trumpet soloist is Carlot Dorve, who plays every Sunday at the cathedral, loves Jesus, and has only his left arm…a superb trumpeter. Jeanne GP conducted
the orchestra for his solo. Maybe it’s emblematic of Haiti that a white female trumpeter conducted the orchestra while a one-armed trumpeter played Haydn and the audience was on their feet applauding.
Life is good and tough here in Haiti. And God is always good. +Chilton
First Lutheran ordinations in Haiti
[editor's note: I've reposted the video, so I hope it will work now. If you're having trouble viewing it, please visit www.youtube.com/episcopalmaine.]
Saturday’s ordination of Lutheran pastors, in the cathedral here, was a high point in ecumenical relations in Haiti. I was proud to represent Bishop Duracin at this service. Given the strong links between Lutherans and Episcopalians, our shared worship was glorious.
The Lutheran Bishop presiding at this service was Bishop Ed Benaway. Here’s what he said about the liturgy of ordination: “What a joy to join together as Episcopalians and Lutherans for this inauguration of the full ministry shared between our churches in Haiti. We look forward to more collaboration in the years to come.
Safely arrived and already serving
Hello dear ones,
I am safely arrived in Haiti and settled in at the Convent of the Sisters of St Margaret (SSM) in Port au Prince where I have a “cell”, a tiny room in this house of love. Thanks be to God, my departing airline in Portland, Maine, waived extra charges for overweight baggage and lots of humanitarian aid is now in the hands of the Sisters for them to distribute as they see fit.
THANKS to all who helped me — with financial or other donations — to fill my suitcases with humanitarian aid (vitamins, food, mosquito nets, etc). It’s impossible to tell you how important these items are. Our friends in Haiti have NOTHING.
It is so good to be living with the Sisters in this first week in Haiti. A blessing to be part of their Daily Offices and sacred fellowship. The light which the Sisters hold up in Haiti is quite amazing — keep them in your prayers.
Today — Sunday — was a grand liturgical celebration at the Cathedral for the annual UTO ingathering. I took part, per the invitation of Bishop Duracin, in the service, using the French I have been studying this fall. I hope my videos — which I will post tomorrow — give you a sense of the joy which our sisters and brothers in Haiti are feeling about GIVING to others.
As I’m able, I’ll keep posting more. Merci beaucoup…+CHILTON
Safe Travels
Bishop Chilton departed for Haiti on Saturday, January 24. Look for her posts, photos and video, as soon and as often as she has good access to the Internet. Please keep her and her ministry with the people of the Diocese of Haiti in your prayers.
