Two years ago (in February 1999) I first came to Jacmel, seeking a few days of rest and regroupment of my battered senses and emotions before returning to Port-au-Prince. One afternoon I set out for (I thought) a hike along the bluffs overlooking the sea. I didn’t get far, for I was soon beset by several young men with a thousand questions to ask… and found myself doing my best to offer them a brief Church history and introduction to Orthodoxy in French. One of them kept contact with a few letters… and seven months later, together with his cousin, made the difficult journey to Port-au-Prince for the parish feastday. On subsequent visits, we spent a little time together, talked some more of matters of the faith… and again, last fall, the two of them appeared at the Church for Vigil on the feastday. I came again to Jacmel later in the visit, and this time arranged to meet with them, and a few other young folks who were interested, for an “inquirers’ session” at the hotel, the Friday before I was due to return to Port-au-Prince for Vigil on Saturday. Three of them asked to be allowed to go with me for the services. At that time we talked of the possibility that some of them might come together on Sundays for Orthodox prayers… very limited in scope, as there was no opportunity for liturgical instruction, and for that matter no appreciable books available. They did it.
When I arrived at Jacmel this time, I found that their numbers had grown. Several of them had indeed, over the past months, met every Sunday for prayers. A few of us talked together informally on the beach in the afternoons, and we again arranged for a more formal meeting on Friday. Not quite enough… Ernstceau asked me to come visit at his home (a few hundred yards away), where I met his parents and brothers and sisters and cousins… and spent a pleasant hour again talking with several of them. From there to the home of another of the young inquirers (I had to duck to get into it or move around once inside), again with more family to meet… and a charming 4-month-old baby girl to hold while I was there.
This time, when we came together in the afternoon, the number of inquirers had doubled. Beginning with prayers, we spent a very fruitful time together, with lively interest… ranging from the meaning of the word “Orthodox”, to the explanation of puzzling words (bear in mind that French is a second language for nearly all Haitians) in reading the prayers, to basic Orthodox faith and morals, and an attempt at explaining the Orthodox calendar and fasting discipline. A couple of those present have been a part of this from the beginning; a couple of others made their first contact (apart from participation in the Sunday prayers) today.
They tell me we are going to put one large American and five not so small Haitians in the little four-seater rented car (thank heavens it has a generous luggage space in the rear!) for the trip to Port-au-Prince tomorrow. It can’t be any more crowded than the average tap-tap, but the available space is considerably less flexible. We’re allowing extra time for the journey to allow for a stretch or two. (We didn’t get that… a flat tire a few kilometers out of Jacmel required a tire change, return to Jacmel for repair… and the whole operation took an hour and a half.)
When they return to Jacmel on Sunday… an arduous (and for Haitians expensive… the Mission will cover the cost) trip, the little community here will have in its midst five newly-made catechumens… and a few more books for resources. Their intention is to continue to meet faithfully on Sundays (and perhaps a few of them daily) for prayers, the reading of the appointed Holy Scriptures, and the beginnings of an at least partly self-taught catechesis.
All of these are youngsters, struggling to keep their
school fees paid so they can continue their education. Consequently,
they are without the resources which might permit them (even if at
great sacrifice) to make the difficult trip to Port-au-Prince for
services at the parish church. Perhaps, among you who read this, there
might be found one or two willing to commit a monthly pledge to help
them make this trip, even if they could only do it once a month?
Round-trip cost, including a small allowance for food along the way, is
a little under $10/person. Should the funds be available, certainly
five or six of them would make the trip regularly, perhaps even more.
Since the undertaking would occupy, to all intents and purposes, all
their weekend “free time”, there is little reason to be concerned that
in so doing one would merely be giving away free trips to the big city
(not a very pleasant place to go, in any event).
