Once again, a very busy visit, somewhat longer than usual this time (16 days instead of nine), both because of the earlier missed trip(s), and because of the need to visit almost all of the parishes — not terribly far apart in distance, but very far apart in practice.  Baptisms and the first patronal festival at St. John of San Francisco in Les Cayes, and the parish feast at St. Augustine’s in Cyvadier-Jacmel.  Not to be forgotten, however — an instructional meeting with many of the Church’s readers in Port-au-Prince, the feast of All Saints at Nativity in Port-au-Prince, an evening service at SS Peter & Paul in Léogane (with a side trip to Tombe Gateau to pick up 240# of coffee beans). 

The flight to Les Cayes was smooth and uneventful (the preferred kind!), followed by the inevitable bone-jarring ride into the city (getting better — some day the paving job will be completed) and, at once, vespers at the newly-expanded temporary church.

Next morning, baptisms at Les Cayes were, as usual, in the sea, at a beach on the far edge of the city (not too far from the newly-purchased land which will one day be the site of a permanent church).  The baptismal party arrived piled, as usual, in the back of a pickup truck (I was the privileged character who got to ride in the cab).

Nearby boats are not pleasure craft!  Indeed, I’ve never seen a pleasure boat in Haiti — but plenty of working boats, all of them sailboats or rowboats — never seen an outboard either.

Saturday evening, vigil, then liturgy Sunday for St. John (transferred from its normal day with the blessing of Bishop Gabriel), and afterwards a bite to eat together in celebration of the feast.

Back to Port-au-Prince by air, just minutes too late to catch the last plane to Jacmel, so an overnight wait before flying once again the next morning.  From Maison Mission to Cyvadier by car is at least four hours, sometimes much more.  By air — 15 minutes to the airport, an hour or more wait, then 12 minutes in the air, and a few minutes by car to Cyvadier.  Happily missed, the trauma of two hurs of driving through Port-au-Prince — but I do miss the beauty of the trip through the mountains and back down to the sea on the south coast.  Maybe next time!

A bit of time to relax, and then preparations for the parish feast in the newly-completed (more or less… much still remains to be done) church — now minus the construction detritus (mostly) which “adorned” it on my last visit.  Many of the faithful came from other parishes, including Fr. Grégoire’s family, and Fr. Jean and Matushka Rose-May.  As you can see, here as well as at Les Cayes, there is great need for suitable icons and other furnishings for the church.  Look around!

The church wasn’t crowded — but the old chapel would have been filled twice or more over.

A nicely-prepared festal meal concluded the celebration — and then a whirlwind return to Port-au-Prince in the evening for departure for home the next morning.  Next:  the Orthodox liturgical seminar at the beginning of September — with prayers that the current unrest does not worsen.