St. Joseph the Worker Parish Mission to Haiti

November Medical Mission To Haiti Highlights

2011-12-07T19:28:00.002-05:00

St. Joseph the Worker Parish Medical Mission to Haiti

A thirteen-member medical team traveled to Sts. Simon and Jude Parish, Port-Au-Prince (PaP), Haiti November 12-19, 2011. The team included four physicians, a nurse practitioner, four nurses and four support staff members. Seven of the team members had experience on similar missions in PaP. The clinic provided medical care without regard to religious beliefs. The clinic was open to all members of the community; many of those served were not members of the parish.

This was the second mission by St. Joseph the Worker parish of Orefield, Pennsylvania, to support Fr. Andrew Labatorio, CICM, as he continues to serve the desperately poor Delmas section of PaP.

Thanks to the help of so many people from St. Joseph the Worker, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Bethlehem, Pa.), St. Francis of Assisi (Allentown, Pa.), St. Paul (Allentown, Pa.), St Patrick (Pottsville, Pa.), St. Elizabeth of Hungary (Fullerton, Pa.), and Sacred Heart (Palmerton, Pa.) parishes and St. Ann School (Emmaus, Pa.), we were blessed with another incredibly successful mission. Some of the accomplishments included:

- Acquired, pre-packaged, transported and dispensed nearly three quarters of a ton of medicines and supplies representing a retail value of over $75,000.

- Transformed the St. Jude church into a clinic, operating as many as five exam rooms at a time.

- Provided primary medical care to an estimated 1,100 patients treating high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria, acute infections, coughs, colds, allergies, eye irritations, asthma, GI and skin conditions, malnutrition and various types of pain.

- Over four hundred reading glasses were prescribed and distributed.

- All patients were provided a three-month supply of medicines, vitamins, toothpaste and toothbrushes.

- Administered de-worming medicine to all the eligible patients.

- Furthered the relationship between St. Joseph the Worker, Fr. Andrew Labatorio and the parishioners of Sts. Simon and Jude, Port au Prince with a week of service and spiritual growth.

The success of the mission was due to the support of so many individuals and groups within St. Joseph the Worker, the Allentown Diocese, and the Lehigh Valley community. During the week-long mission, parishioners at home worshiped our Lord in perpetual adoration praying for the team. People from seven churches contributed supplies during our parish medicine drives. The St. Joseph the Worker parish youth group IHS, and parishioners at large performed approximately 300 hours of service prepackaging and packing of our medicines and supplies. The St. Joseph the worker school and PREP students donated toothpaste, toothbrushes and other supplies. Monetary contributions from hundreds of donors allowed the team to leave surplus funds in excess of $1,000 with Fr. Andrew for his ministry at Sts. Simon and Jude.

While some of the missionaries had experience, nearly half traveled to Haiti for the first time. Each paid their own expenses. With the prayerful support of friends and family back home the team remained healthy and returned safely. The week offered the team a wonderful time for daily prayer and reflection and the opportunity to simply serve others. The team visited the Blessed Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity orphanage in Port-au-Prince’s slum, where they held babies and prayed the mass with the holy sisters. Those who served at Sts. Simon and Jude all agreed they received much more back from the people of Haiti than what they were able to leave behind. They developed a tangible relationship between the parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker and Sts. Simon and Jude.

We hope to continue to support Fr. Andrew and his vision of providing on-going medical care to his many parishioners who do not have access to doctors or medicines. St. Joseph the Worker is one of three parishes, partnered with Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Doylestown, Pennsylvania and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Carmel, Indiana, coordinating medical team visits throughout the year. Each team attempts to provide enough medication to last each patient until the next clinic operates. A fourth parish, St. Henry’s in Dayton, Ohio has provided the funds to enable the construction of a permanent clinic building, which is nearly complete, in the vicinity to the Sts. Simon and Jude church. Someday the parish will rise up physically from the poverty of Haiti for it is already spiritually healthy and growing a solid faith in an engaging community.

The parish neighborhood

Dr. Russ Rentler records a patient’s concern.

Ruth Joyce RN, bandages a women’s leg. The patient is suffering from elephantiasis, a parasitic disease causing disfiguring thickening of the skin and underlying tissue

Patricia Milot RN, assists a patient selecting reading glasses. The team dispensed 400 pairs of glasses.

Caroline Clee, a Junior at Central Catholic High School in Allentown, PA,
dispenses a dose of de-worming medicine to a child

Dr. David Meehan, pediatrician, gives vitamins to mother and child

Dr. Marc Shalaby, internist, excising a sebaceous cyst

The 2011 St. Joseph the Worker – Sts. Simon & Jude medical team.

(L to R) Jeff Joyce, Patti Milot RN, Karen Badellino CRNP, John Fagan, Nancy Clee RN,

Caroline Clee, Rev. Andrew Labatorio CICM, Sarah Marino-Meehan, Russ Rentler MD,

Cassie Strohl RN, Dave Meehan MD, Ruth Joyce RN, Marc Shalaby MD

Medicine Collection for August

2011-08-13T16:13:00.001-04:00

Our preparations for the parish mission trip in November are coming along very well. We are in the process of procuring prescription meds as well as collecting non-prescription medications from the local parishes.
Here is a link to a flyer that you may download to distribute. It contains a list of still needed medications.
Feel free to contact us at the links on the right to find out how to get the medications to the team. Thanks very much.

BTW, Fr. Andrew is in the states and will be at Our Lady of Mount Carmel next week. You can contact Jeff or myself to find out how to get down to visit with him. God bless and as always thanks for your generosity and prayers for the people of Haiti.

Father Andrew's Lenten Reflection

2011-04-05T22:05:00.007-04:00

We all need some kind of healing. That’s how I celebrated my last birthday. I went to visit for the first time the mass grave of hundreds of thousands of victim last January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Under the ground were nameless individuals whose life was sacrificed for this country. One of them was a good friend who we used to celebrate birthday together. I went there to pray for them and pray for myself. For about 11 years now in Haiti, I have seen, heard and lived what they had lived, suffered and hoped for. Today, I and the many who survived are still living, enduring the same struggle and hoping for the same promises. While kneeling and touching that holy ground, I was humbled and blessedly lifted. Part of me was buried there and I believed of those who survived today. I constantly hope and pray that we may never forget them as we walk the uncertain future of Haiti.

As I lingered into this memory, I look forward for a hopeful promise. Yesterday’s announcement of the presidential election was greeted with jubilant Haitians. The streets turned into dancing and singing as they welcomed the popular rock-star newly elect president. His election was welcome with great joy and celebration; it could have been a disaster if he was robbed of it. The country might be on fire today. As people put hope on him for change, I only pray he can deliver a minimum promise at the early days of his office. Otherwise history can only tell. The Haitian people are known to have a very short political memory.

The euphoria of the election will be over soon. We will be back to face the old drama of human life in Haiti. As hundreds of thousands still living in tents, waiting for the government to give them some answers if not solutions to their miseries, we still have a long and winding road ahead of us. The recent fuel increase, about 30%, has still to affect us.

The reality maybe so discouraging and frustrating, but we are surviving. Faith is the number reason why in spite of all these, the Haitian people remains hopeful. Our liturgies remain very alive and well attended. At the parish, people attending to our Sunday liturgy are standing even on the streets. We are blessed to not have just a church but a living community of faith. Our women livelihood project that assists the poorest mothers in the parish is growing and helping a lot of families to become more economically independent. The education program keeps on receiving generous responses from individuals across the States. Our health care response is becoming one of the most organize projects in the parish. Soon we hope that a proper clinic structure will be available for the people in the community. Today, we are able to form another pastoral group particularly intended to address health care issues in the parish. They are about 20 or more nurses in the parish who meet regularly and discussed issues on how to address the health care needs of the parishioners. This month, we hope to gather pregnant women in the parish and offer them pre and post natal care. The gift clean water buckets (about 250) were well received by families and school communities. As we try to address the basic needs in the community, people began to see the importance and value of the church. Our church continues to offer a living witness of hope and solidarity to a suffering people.

The parish close collaboration with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has intensifies our commitments to help the people. Through CRS we were able to provide temporary shelters to about 800families already. Likewise, we already started to provide cleaner and safer latrines to communities and individual families. We also provide basic entrepreneurial skills and financial assistance to about 75 families. CRS has become a parish effective partner in helping this community becomes a better place to live.

Someone once asked me if his small contribution (about 20$) is making a difference in Haiti. It is not the amount that makes a difference in Haiti. This country had seen more than that but to one dismay. What makes a difference here is respect and genuine concern. I could never forget few months ago, a young man about 25 years old, he came to see after a heavy rain, he was still soaked wet. He begged me to give him a small tarp. He and his other 5 siblings were living in a small tent made of plastic and cardboard. Their small house collapsed during the earthquake and killed both their parents. He is the oldest and all the responsibility left by their parents fell on him. I helped him rebuild a small home for them and I asked him what else I can do. He told me just a small amount of money so he can go and sell something so he can feed his younger brothers and sisters. All he wanted was to feed them and keep them dry and warm. Many would ask what sustains me in Haiti. This is one of the reasons why I am happy to be here. Standing above the mass grave yard, I thanked all of them for allowing me to share in their lives and be part of what they hoped for. And I made a promise. I believed they all heard me.

Father Andrew

Port Au Prince, Haiti

Concert for Haiti

2011-02-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

On May 14th at 7 PM, I will be performing the second annual Concert for Haiti. The concert will be held in the fellowship/event hall of the parish center and free refreshments will be available. Admission is free and there will be a free will offering as well. I will also have several of my CD's available for purchase. All proceeds of CD sales and the offering will go to St. Joseph's Parish Haiti Mission.

So put the date on your calendar and c'mon out and find out what a "One Man Catholic Folk Festival" sounds like and support your brothers and sisters of Sts. Simon and Jude's Parish in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti.

You can sample my music at itunes and learn more about my performances at www.russrentler.com

Haiti Information Night at St. Joseph the Worker

2011-02-13T21:52:00.007-05:00

Plans are now underway for our second parish medical mission to Haiti, this one in the fall of 2011. Everyone in the parish can do some simple tasks to ensure we provide the doctors and nurses with necessary supplies and support. There are several committees forming to help collect medicine, provide transportation, pack supplies, raise funds, etc.

Please join us for an informational session at 7 PM on Sunday, February 27^th, 2011 in Room #3 of the Parish Center at St. Joseph the Worker to learn how you can make a real difference for those who live in one of the poorest slums in Haiti.

For more information, call: Jeff Joyce at 610 391-1362

or email STJW-Parish-Mission@hotmail.com

Thanks so much and please continue to keep our brothers and sisters in Haiti in your prayers.

"We can not do great things, but we can do small things with great love."

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Anniversary Of Jan 12th Earthquake

2011-01-10T07:29:00.004-05:00

At 4:53 PM EST this Wednesday, it will be one year ago that Haiti suffered one of the most devastating natural disasters ever to befall a country.
After two trips down there since the quake, little has changed and the poverty and devastation just continues. The cholera epidemic only added to the misery.

This Wednesday, I am asking that we all take a moment at 4:53 PM to pray for Haiti.
Pray for the souls of those who died and those who are still living and suffering in a way that no humans should have to.

Our sister team from Our Lady of Mount Carmel will be leaving next weekend to do a 4 day medical clinic at St. Simon and Jude parish in Port-Au-Prince. Please keep them in your prayers as well

Thank you.

More News on the Cholera Outbreak

2010-10-23T20:28:00.000-04:00

Here's an article on the outbreak.

Cholera Outbreak In Haiti

2010-10-23T13:20:00.002-04:00

In the past few days, over 150 Haitians have lost their lives to a very treatable illness. Cholera. It started in the country but is working its way to the capital.
Despite the scary name, it is basically a severe diarrheal illness which can be treated by simply supporting the patient with replacement fluids of saline and glucose. This can be done orally unless there is accompanying vomiting, which complicates it quite a bit.
Then you need IV fluids. Fortunately, the cost of a few liters of IV fluids and tubing and IV catheters is negligible and the main issue is getting the patients the fluids emergently. Time is of the essence. Please pray that the aid money sent to Haiti will find its way to the Haitians in the form of saline, catheters and trained medical personnel to assist the Haitian people.
It was only a matter of time before an outbreak would strike Haiti. The conditions before the earthquake were ripe for this, and now the tent cities with poor sanitation and unclean water have increased the opportunity for this life threatening but so treatable outbreak to ravage the people.
Lord Jesus, we pray for your mercy on the Haitian people and that the resources that can so easily treat this disease will be available to those in need. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Morning Call Article

2010-10-10T12:33:00.003-04:00

After our recent trip to Haiti, the Allentown Morning Call's writer Daniel Sheehan, interviewed several of us to "Revisit Haiti," 8 months after the earthquake. Check out his article here.
Tom Kardish and his team from Our Lady of Mount Carmel arrived home yesterday from their trip to St. Simon Jude and I will post any news from their trip as soon as we hear from them.
Again, thanks for all the prayers and support for Haiti.

Return From St. Simon and Jude Parish

2010-09-20T18:50:00.005-04:00

Dr. Marc Shalaby and Dr. Dave Meehan consult over a young patient

We returned from Port-Au-Prince on Saturday night 9/11/2010 after a 7 day trip to the parish of Sts. Simon and Jude pastored by Father Andrew. We were able to bring 1/2 of a ton of medication worth over $100,000 retail through customs with only a 60 dollar "fee" from the customs agent. In the past we have had to pay almost 200 dollars to get our baggage through customs.

Four clinicians saw 1010 patients in just 4 very busy days. The temperature was near 100 degrees for most of the week and it didn't cool off at night.

The team of 12 of us from St. Joseph's parish in Orefield remained healthy the entire week and we were truly united in spirit and in purpose. Back at St. Joe's the congregation was supporting us in prayer 24/7 with perpetual adoration set up for the week while we were away. We surely could sense your prayers.

Sadly, Port-Au-Prince has not changed and much of the destruction is still evident and looks unchanged from my last trip in March, 2 months after the earthquake. There has been little to no progress in removing the rubble on the streets and collapsed homes and buildings are still evident throughout the city. The tent cities which were to be temporary have become permanent and the people are reluctant to return to their homes even if they are still standing. 98% of the poor in PAP have to rent their homes and they are currently living for free in the tent cities. You can't blame them when they need to decide between food or rent payments.

Despite the grinding poverty, their faith is alive and well and there were even more people in Mass then I have ever seen. Fr. Andrew says that every Mass has been packed since the earthquake! The joy that was evident in the Haitian Catholic Community is truly a wonder to see and challenged all of us to re-examine our own walks with the Lord.

Thank you once again for all the prayers and support. We could not have done it without the tremendous outpouring of time, volunteers, packing parties, medicine collections, financial contributions, prayer vigils and transportation to and from JFK by faithful parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker. God bless you.

Haiti Mission Team Leaves Tonight

2010-09-03T18:46:00.003-04:00

At 3:45 AM this upcoming morning we leave Pennsylvania for JFK airport, assuming the flight is not canceled because of Hurricane Earl.
We have 24 duffle bags packed with medications for the Haitian folks of St. Simon and Jude parish as well as anyone who gets in line to be seen. (Though the clinic is held in Fr. Andrew's parish, we see anyone regardless of religious affiliation of lack thereof.) We have been preparing for this trip for the past 6 or so months and it's hard to believe it is finally here.

Thank you all for the prayers and support and please do keep us in your prayers for another 7 days.
St. Joseph the Worker Parish here in Orefield will be having 24 hour adoration and prayer for the Haiti mission this upcoming week.

God bless you and thanks so much. Pictures and stories will follow!

Father Andrew Visits St. Joseph The Worker

2010-08-22T23:12:00.003-04:00

This weekend we had a special treat at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church. Father Andrew from St. Simon Jude Parish in PAP has been in the states and visited us for the whole weekend. He spoke at each and every mass and our priests kindly let him concelebrate one mass and act as chief celebrant for another mass. He gave a moving homily regarding the needs in Haiti as well as how we as a parish have helped the Haitian people already. A reception was held after the last mass on Sunday and everyone had an opportunity to meet this wonderful missionary priest. Despite living in such a difficult part of the world, he remains optimistic and is encouraging to all he speaks with about Haiti.

In just two weeks, the team leaves JFK for PAP for a 7 day medical mission. We have amassed a huge inventory of medications and the majority of the packing will be accomplished in the next two weeks when we try to get all the meds into 24 duffle bags.
Please pray that God will perform a"reverse miracle" of the loaves and fishes and we will get all the meds packed in under the weight limits of 50 lbs per bag! If not, the parish has been extremely generous and we should have enough money to cover extra shipping charges.
Please continue to keep us in prayer. St Joe's will be having 24 hour adoration and prayer for the team from Sept 6th to until we return on the 11th. Thanks so much for your prayers and support. This trip will be the answer to much prayer and long preparations over the past 8 months involving hundreds of people both inside and outside our parish.

Update on Conditions in Haiti

2010-07-11T15:05:00.003-04:00

Here is a CNN video of recent conditions in PAP. Aid is still not getting to the people.
Father Andrew of St. Simon and Jude Parish will be at St. Joseph the Worker Parish the weekend of August 21-22 and will be at several masses to talk about the needs in Haiti.
The St Joseph Parish Mission to Haiti will be meeting up with him in Port-Au-Prince a little more than a week later for our first St. Joseph-sponsored medical mission.
Please continue to pray for the people of Haiti as well as the preparations our team here in Pennsylvania is making for this upcoming trip. Thank you.

Update on Our Upcoming Mission Trip

2010-06-05T13:07:00.003-04:00

The St Joseph Parish Haiti Mission team will be leaving September 4th for Port-Au-Prince. The preparations are in full swing!

Thanks to the support of some many generous people, fund-raising has gone very well. We are currently procuring the prescription medications and medical supplies with the monies raised. We expect to transport over a half ton of medicine and tend to the needs of 1,000 people in the community of the parish of Sts. Simon and Jude Parish in Port-Au-Prince.

We have a strong mission team with a good mix of skills, abilities, and personalities. We will surely have a successful mission. The team includes four doctors, three nurses and five support staff. All are parishioners of St. Joseph the Worker (although one couple recently moved their home to a neighboring parish).

So many people are supporting the mission with great ideas, hours of service, and prayer. We are so blessed and grateful. We have already received bins full of individually donated vitamins and medicine through the weekly church collection. The IHS youth group, Lite Weigh, Pro-Life, and other organizations are all engaging in the mission work. The Women’s Guild and Knights of Columbus have provided substantial financial offerings. We are truly a parish of giving and serving Catholics.

Soon we will begin packing and labeling the medicine in patient packages. Parishioners are answering the call to join the support team to get this done across several evenings this summer. If you wish to join us, drop us a note at: STJW-Parish-Mission@hotmail.com

Finally, we are excited to announce, Father Andrew Labatorio, CICM, the missionary pastor of Sts. Simon and Jude parish will visit the St. Joseph the Worker parish on the weekend of August 21-22, 2010! We will be encouraged even more than now as we hear him speak about his work, just two weeks before we represent our parish alongside him in Haiti.

On behalf of the medical mission team - THANK YOU!
Please keep Haiti in your prayers.

Praise God For Successful Benefit Concert

2010-04-18T14:12:00.004-04:00

Last night we had over 175 people in attendance as well as three of our priests!
4000 dollars was raised through CD sales and generous donations. This money will be used by St. Joseph's Parish Mission to purchase supplies and medicines for our trip in September to St. Simon Jude in PAP.
Enjoy the video from the concert last night. My brother Bob showed up for the second half and joined me on the penny whistle, fretless bass and harmonies.
Thank you all so much for the prayers, support and generosity.

Benefit Concert Tonight!

2010-04-17T11:19:00.003-04:00

Tonight at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Parish in Orefield, PA, I will be performing a benefit concert for the medical mission in Port-Au-Prince, sponsored by St. Joseph Parish Mission Team
The show starts at 7 PM.
I will be playing songs from my new CD Way to Emmaus as well as my last two CD's.
Refreshments will be available.
A free will offering is encouraged and all proceeds from CD sales will go to supporting our upcoming medical mission to Haiti at Fr. Andrew's parish in Port-Au-Prince.

If you can't make it, please offer up a prayer for a successful event. Thanks and God bless.
Pics and video from the event will follow in the upcoming days on this blog.

Port-Au-Prince 90 days After the Earthquake

2010-04-14T16:56:00.002-04:00

The following is the latest update from fr. Andrew, pastor of St. Simon and Jude Parish in the Delmas area of PAP.

The sun was up and high, reaching between 90-100 degrees but people are eager to clean up their collapsed houses. Picking up rubble slowly, patiently by hands. They hope to clean up whatever is left from their ruined homes. They can put a tent over it. At least, it can be called their own place.

Refugee camps are congested. Sanitation is lacking. Security is unwarranted. Reports of raping young women and children has been received in several evacuation camps. Stealing has been very common in the camps.

Three months have gone by since the January 12 earthquake, and people are still afraid to get back to their homes. For so many, there’s no choice, there is no home left to return to. They are waiting for anything, from the government and from whatever hopeful future. How long will they stay at the camps? There is no easy answer to this. With about 80% unemployment, most of them hope that by staying at the refugee camps, they can received free food and relief- good. Sadly, the government wants to scale back relief operation and may soon stop giving free food to people. They want to keep the business sectors happy. Good and bad. Good for it will keep the economy going. Bad for it may generate to social frustration leading to an uprising. So far, people are resilient, the momentum to recovery is high.

Schools are encouraged to reopen, under tents. Government promises subsidy and help. Very few are getting it. School owners and administrators complain about government inadequate help. As often as it is, all complaints fall on deaf ears. I talked to the children. They all want to go back to school even under tents. They just want to learn.

In optimistic response to people hopeful attitude, the parish wishes to offer a more effective ways to help the community. As we maintain our effort of feeding about 600 children in the parish and giving food relief to about 300 families, we hope to offer people pay for cash activities. Cleaning up streets from rubbles will take years if we will wait for the government to act. This inner city slum parish is the least of the government priority. The pay for cash cleaning up drive will help people participate in rebuilding their community and at the same time, receiving cash to sustain their family needs. Most relief agencies are going for this direction. Instead of dole-out charities, we will offer opportunities for people to work, in spirit of community service. We hope that this effort will help people find dignity in work and in service for others.

The parish hopes to provide pay for cash activities to about 100 men and women. USAID for example pays people about 5$ per day of work. Our goal is minimum. We want this to done in the spirit in community service and an act of faith, so we will offer them about the same amount per day of community service. Noting that this offer is much higher than a day wage of an ordinary factory worker (about2$).

Today, as Haiti fades from world headlines, we are asking every people who have come to love Haiti to be our constant advocates. You can’t be silent now, you can’t stay at the sideline longer. Haiti needs a voice. The road to recovery maybe a very difficult one but the momentum is high, We need more hands to lift us high. Thank you for reaching out, together we are making miracles of hope and life.

Father Andrew

14 April 2010

Hope Will Not Surrender

2010-03-22T07:21:00.002-04:00

Here's an update from Father Andrew of Sts. Simon and Jude Parish:

Every newly born Haitian child has a given inheritance: to struggle and to survive. Today, the struggle seems to be worst. Each family struggle to adopt in living inside a tent, where there is scarcity of water and sanitation is almost absent. Hunger has always been Haiti worst problem even before the earthquake. Most people living in slum areas are often forgotten in this tragedy. Government is almost absent. Foreign relief workers are worried of their safety inside the slum areas. It took me weeks before I could manage to bring help inside the parish.

Contrary to the report of tons of food aid, there were very few food lines available to the people. Many complained that food aid is not getting into them. In the parish, there are still many smaller evacuation camps that are not getting help at all. The obvious need today is food and water. But as long as people stay in tents, the needs will just keep increasing. Sanitation for one, I was lucky to have an organization working with me to provide latrines for the people in my parish. Proper tents and stronger quality of tarpaulins is desperately needed as people seem to be living in camps for many more months.

Weather in Haiti is unpredictable as the economic and political situation of the country. After three months, so many people still have no proper tents, most of them using only bed sheets to cover their heads. Their worst fear is rain. It had rained heavily and so many people were completely soaked inside their tents. Some evacuation camps suffered floods. However, aside from the rain, the heat is also unbearable. People complain that they cannot stay inside their tents during daytime when the sun is high. It was reported to me that a child was found dead inside a tent due to heat. The mother left the child alone inside the tent for some errand, after an hour she came back and found the child already dead. We started to educate families living in tents about the danger of heat to small children.

Donations we received from everywhere are use to provide food, water, clothes and tarpaulins to most families living in tents or in the streets. The parish has been blessed with few medical volunteers from the states. Their services had been a big relief to so many who hunger for medical care. Some were just happy and content to be told that are well and doing fine.

The Haitian people are resilient people. Their courage amidst misery is encouraging. I came here in Haiti full of dreams but I end up being blessed instead. Hope never gives up in Haiti. Amidst tragedy, they always find a way to get with it and look ahead. Hope will not surrender because we all believe here we are never alone in this difficult journey.

I beg everyone not to stop talking about Haiti. As the country is no longer at the world’s headline, we need people to rally behind us. The road to recovery is long and very difficult. We are grateful for the outpouring support we received from everywhere. Your generosity was a miracle. It sustains every surviving Haitian to face this ever grim reality. The task is yet unfinished. It is just a beginning. The momentum to recovery and hopeful future is high but we need so many hands to lift us high.

Thank you being always there for me,

Andrew

2010-03-20T13:33:00.002-04:00

Deborah and I returned from Haiti this past Friday night. Thank you all for your prayers.
We were able to see almost 400 patients in 5 days and we were able to visit Fr. Andrew's parish of Saint Simon Jude and do a small clinic there on Sunday as well as one in his rectory when we got back. Through the generosity of you at home through CD sales, coffee sales and fund-raising, we were able to give Father a financial gift of 2700 dollars.
He is feeding 600 people twice a week operating a soup kitchen out of his home(rectory) and can really use the money as the food-aid is starting to dry up. The Missionaries of the Poor (Father Ho Lung's order) were with Fr. Andrew for the past month helping him distribute food and supplies to the poor. We had a great time with the brothers (MOP) and prayed the liturgy of the hours with them. We all slept in tents at the rectory as no one is sleeping inside, though structurally the rectory held up ok.

The earthquake hit as Fr. Andrew was consecrating the Precious Blood. As he held the chalice up in the air, the ground started to shake and he planted his feet firmly on the ground and knew he had to finish the consecration. As he finished, he watched the walls of the parish perimeter collapse in front of him and the houses and buildings beyond the Church crumble to the ground. By a great miracle, the Church building still under construction did not get damaged and everyone at Mass was safe. He quickly ended the Mass and told everyone to get home to check on their loved ones. Soon after he returned to the rectory, families of the parish as well as others started to stream through the broken walls of his rectory compound. In a few short days, the garbage dump near the Church became a tent city and Fr. coordinated the food and water and tent distribution. He then began coordinating the food kitchen back at his rectory which is still distributing food and water twice a week to all in his neighborhood, not just Catholics in his parish. He is also giving out meds that had been left with him from our last mission in November in between medical team mission trips. A small team led by Tom Kardish from OLMC Doylestown helped with this effort a week or so before we got there.

The city of PAP is a mess. Piles of rubble and collapsed houses and buildings are everywhere. The destruction is random though, as some structures are left untouched standing next to others that are flattened. Many streets are blocked off and the people are living in the streets in tents or makeshift structures of tarps, ropes and scrap tin. The buses and taxis are running and people are buying and selling along the roadways as usual.

We spent most of our time at Shiloh Baptist where I worked with a team from New Covenant Christian Community in Bethlehem. Most of the people we saw had the usual hypertension, worms, diabetes, anemia, acid stomach, headaches, vaginitis, skin infections plus post traumatic stress. Several people had poorly healing wounds from injuries suffered in the quake. One young girl came on crutches with one ankle crushed and only a strap-on cast for over two months!

Despite the devastation and suffering continually experienced by the Haitian people, they manifested a joy and confidence in God that is absolutely supernatural. At mass on Sunday, it was packed and the congregation sung their hearts out and lifted their hands in praise to the Lord. God is close to the poor and truly in "the least of these" we experienced His presence and were privileged to have the opportunity to minister to Him in his people.

We are now in the planning stages of returning to Fr. Andrew's parish of St. Simon and Jude in early September for the first St Joseph Haiti Mission.

Father Andrew: "Haiti Will Always Be a Forgotten Eden"

2010-03-01T19:44:00.006-05:00

Her is the latest Update from Fr. Andrew Labatorio of St. Simon and Jude Parish:

"We are bracing ourselves for the rainy season. It has been raining lightly almost every night, we expect strong rain in few days. People are scrambling to put up solid tents as they look forward to rainy days.

Contrary to the call to encourage people to find shelter in the provinces, most of those who went the provinces are now back in the city. The demands for tarpaulins in the parish increases this week as I see most of my parishioners back. They told me there is no life in the province and rain threatens the countryside with flooding. The refugee camps seem to get bigger and bigger everyday. Chile's earthquake added to their fears of returning to their homes.

We were able to set up latrines at the first camp. People are now using it. On the dump site, I was able to clean up the garbage, 16 truck loads of trash. The cleaning was done on the evening of Saturday and Sunday. The driver complained to me about the awful smell coming out from the dump site. I was told yesterday that so many victims of the earthquake were buried there. In just one grave yard about 40 victims were buried there. My heart aches to know that most of the corpses were dug out and were just dumped somewhere. This week we will dig out holes for the latrines. I hope we will not stumble on corpses. A heart-breaking scenario, it never crossed my mind. In this dump site, the future site of the clinic, above the ground the living are trying to survive while underneath, the dead may rest in peace.

Relief agencies scaled back most of their relief operation. Food lines decreased if not completely stopped. At the parish we hope to sustain the operation but our supply is limited. The brothers (Missionaries of the Poor) still have to receive their shipment, it may take another three weeks. With the donation I receive from everywhere, I will secure a supply this week, probably may not be enough for the many. I hope to keep the flow of water supply in different camps even most relief agencies soon stop operating.

I have notice lately that Haiti no longer becomes the world headlines. Media has shifted their focus somewhere else. Their job is accomplished, while Haiti remains to struggle to survive. This has always been the case, Haiti will always be a forgotten Eden. But these courageous people will soon be on their feet and will claim their place. I am just equally blessed to be part of this struggle. I thank you for your constant care, and am forever grateful for continued support and prayer.

Father Andrew"

Going To Port-Au-Prince

2010-03-01T19:27:00.004-05:00

Deborah and I will be going to PAP, Haiti on March 6th for a 6 day short term medical mission. We will be working in Shiloh Baptist Church where we had worked from 1996-2008. They needed another doctor and nurse for their team and we were waiting for an opportunity to go. We will be traveling with a team made up of members of the church we attended as protestants in nearby Bethlehem, PA.

Shiloh Baptist Church lost their pastor in the earthquake and he was always my translator when I did the clinic there. This trip will be a way of honoring his memory as well as forming a bridge between the Catholic community and the Protestant community both here and in PAP. Suffering knows no denominational bounds.

We are also bringing a financial gift to Fr. Andrew at St. Simon and Jude which is less than 5 miles from where we will be working. We hope to attend Mass there on Sunday and Fr. Andrew has asked us to bring some medicine for the sickest people that can't get out to get help. So we will be doing house calls! We are also hoping we can give Fr. Andrew a little encouragement given the stress he has been under coordinating the food and water and shelter for a tent city erected in the parish.

On Monday-Friday we will be working from 8:30 to 3:30PM in a makeshift clinic under tarps on the grounds of the Shiloh Baptist Church. Though the classrooms are still standing where we used to have clinic, the structure is damaged and no one trusts the safety of the building. Please keep us, the team and the Haitians in your prayers.

Update On Fr. Andrew and Sts. Simon and Jude

2010-02-18T07:46:00.002-05:00

Tom Kardish from OLMC in Doylestown took a small team to the parish this week to help out and see what Fr. Andrew is going to need in the future. Here is his Blackberry'd Update:

"Hello everyone
Another good and long day. Early Mass and load the truck for food distribution. One day hot food. Next is bag with 2 scoops each rice and beans
With sugar oil and pop tarts . Really.
Went to church to distribute. Went smoothly as it is women only w tickets. Names are recorded to satisfy aid organizations. Stopped at houses in parish to see damage first hand. Then toured the city to see ruins. Cathedral a shell. Pres palace looks worse than TV. Tent cities much better equipped in parish as it is near airport. Fr Andrew spent much of day trying to get tents water and port o potties for tent camps near church. Church amazingly unscathed. Visited Seminary to visit priests and brothers displaced by quake. All OK. Devastation incredible in downtown. Fr A drove me to Se Tata's. (Se Tata was a vibrant elderly Haitian woman who flew down from Boston several times a year to host us and other medical teams to work in Shiloh Baptist Church. She died in the quake and was found in the rubble of her home) Could not believe 3 story house where I stayed so often totally flattened. Her grave is in back as Michael prepared. So sad. Damage even worse near Baptist Church. Streets totally blocked.
Deb successfully identified stroke victim's source of seizures and stabilized her. BP and blood sugar controlled. Helped orphanage get access to latrines and Fr A hosted his superior to prove he was OK. Packed 100+ beans for Thursday in dark thx to Mike Dineen's headlamps. Evening prayers and scum card games w Missionaries of Poor brothers so had fun tonite for Mardi Gras. Everyone good but tired including Fr Andrew and Sr Mary. Very productive trip as we are coming back w/ specific plans from Fr A re: short and medium term. Hope all is well. Pictures will be worth a million words.
Love. T/Dad
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry"

Everybody Hurts

2010-02-10T12:07:00.004-05:00

Prayers Requested

2010-02-08T18:20:00.003-05:00

Tom Kardish from our sister team at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Doylestown has been in touch with Fr. Andrew at St. Simon and Jude Parish in Delmas, PAP. Tom and a small team will be embarking on a short trip to visit Fr. Andrew, bring some cash, and some meds to run a small clinic. It will give us a better idea of what needs they have in advance of our next trip. Please keep them in your prayers. They are leaving next week flying and into DR and taking a bus to PAP.

Further Updates From St Simon Jude Parish

2010-02-02T21:27:00.002-05:00

Hello All

We heard from Fr Andrew and it sounds as for now things have stabilized a bit. Father has been able to obtain baggies of food rations for about 100 families from Matthew 25 house and the brothers from the Missionary of the Poor did indeed arrive from Cap Haitien (in the North of the country) and are setting up their facility in the camp at the church to feed many people that are housed there. Fr Andrew reports that they are tireless workers and yesterday were able to feed about 600 children! There is at least for now, some relative calm. Please pray that it remains that way.

The clinic at Matthew 25 House remains busy and is likely to remain so for some time. Father reports it seems that there is a fever/flu spreading throughout his parish which is understandable as they all are sleeping out in the elements. He will be evaluating his resources to care for his parishioners weekly. We will be evaluating how best to support the parishioners of St Jude and I'll be in touch!

Peace to you,

Tom

(Tom Kardish is the group leader for the Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Doylestown Haiti Mission team)

Information Night at St Joseph the Worker

2010-02-01T07:01:00.003-05:00

On Feb 3rd at 7 :30, we will be having an informational meeting regarding upcoming mission trips to Haiti. All are invited to learn how they can be involved in supporting the parish mission to Port-Au-Prince. Our parish raised over 26,000 dollars for Haiti relief last weekend. This will be given to Catholic Relief Services as they are already "on the ground" in PAP providing disaster relief.

As the news starts to drift away from Haiti, it is even more imperative to continue to pray and ask God for wisdom as to how we can best serve our Haitian brothers and sisters. Not all the food and supplies have reached the neighborhoods we serve and the situation still remains desperate.

Many have asked if we are going to go now to Haiti for a mission. As much as we feel the desire to go now to PAP, we lack the skills and equipment that would be needed at this point in time. Surgeons, disaster relief teams, food and water are what is needed. Until things stabilize a bit, which is always a relative term in Haiti, we will plan for a trip later this year. That could change though if Fr. Andrew feels we could be of use sooner. Please keep Haiti in your prayers.

Update From Matthew 25 House

2010-01-24T17:37:00.000-05:00

CURRENT SITUATION AT MATTHEW 25 HOUSE:

MATTHEW 25 HOUSE EXPERIENCED MODERATE DAMAGE DURING THE EARTHQUAKE. THE SECOND FLOOR IS UNUSABLE. THE FIRST FLOOR APPEARS PRETTY STABLE AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET IT AN ASSESSMENT BY AN ENGINEER. WE WERE ALL INSIDE AT THE TIME AND ALL ESCAPED INJURY

WE ARE ALL SLEEPING OUTSIDE DUE TO MANY AFTERSHOCKS, 54 OF WHICH WERE 5.0 OR HIGHER ; AND THE FEAR THAT THE TOP FLOOR COULD COLLAPSE. ALL STAFF ARE SLEEPING IN TENTS IN THE BACKYARD, AND WE ARE REQUIRING ALL VISITORS TO BRING TENTS AND SLEEPING BAGS, AND FOOD. WE ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED OUR GUESTS AND STAFF. WATER IS NOT A PROBLEM AT THE HOUSE.

WE HAVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL SUPPLIES AS THEY HAVE STARTED TO COME THROUGH, FINALLY. IN FACT, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE SOME TO OTHER FACILITIES THAT ARE LACKING.

WE ARE OPERATING A FIELD HOSPITAL IN THE ADJACENT SOCCER FIELD AS WELL AS A TENT CITY ORGANIZED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS. THERE ARE ABOUT 1300 SLEEPING IN THE FIELD AND ANOTHER FIELD TWO HOUSES AWAY.

FOUR SURGERIES WERE DONE ON OUR KITCHEN TABLE WITH MINIMUM ANESTHESIA, INCLUDING AN AMPUTATION.

WE THOUGHT THINGS WERE SLOWING AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING WOUND CARE, FOLLOW UP, AND POST OP, BUT THEY KEEP COMING, PROBABLY BECAUSE WORD HAS GOTTEN OUT THAT THERE IS GOOD CARE HERE.

MANY PHYSICIANS, NURSES, DISASTER RELIEF PERSONNEL, U.S. JOURNALISTS, COORDINATORS, ETC., ARE PASSING THROUGH OUR HOUSE, SOME STAYING TO HELP IN OUR FIELD HOSPITAL, SOME TO USE OUR INTERNET FACILITIES. WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW GUEST HOUSES FUNCTIONING, AND WE HAVE POWER (GENERATOR) AND A FUEL SUPPLY. WE SPENT MUCH OF OUR DAY FERRYING PATIENTS FROM OUR FIELD HOSPITAL TO LOCAL FIELD HOSPITALS SET UP BY THE FRENCH, ISRAELIS, BRAZILIANS, RUSSIANS, BELGIANS, ETC., AS SOME HAVE X RAY, SOME NEUROSURGEONS, SOME ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS, ETC.

TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE EMAILED AND CALLED WITH PRAYERS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, OFFERS OF HELP, A GREAT BIG THANK YOU! OUR VOLUNTEER DOCTORS ALONG WITH OUR HAITIAN DOCTORS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS SUPERVISED BY OUR EMPLOYEE AND LOYAL FRIEND THEIL HAVE MADE A TREMENDOUS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY. LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED, AND IMMEASURABLE SUFFERING RELEIVED, IN A TIME WHEN ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF HAITI HAVE ENDURED SO MUCH ANGUISH AND PAIN. EVERYONE WE TALK TO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS. MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BE A GREAT FRIEND OF HAITI, DOING GOD'S WORK HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT TO DO IT.

THANK YOU,

PATRICK

MATTHEW 25 HOUSE STAFF

STAY TUNED

Sister Mary and The Matthew 25 House

2010-01-24T14:47:00.003-05:00

The Matthew 25 House is the Haitian arm of the Parish Twinning Program of the Americas. It was through the Matt 25 House that we were able to first establish our connection with Fr. Andrew and St. Simon and Jude Parish, just a short distance away. Sister Mary in the pic above and in the video clip below, chose to work in Haiti instead of retirement when her order of sisters said she could retire from her nursing education career.(She has a PhD in education)

Today, in Orefield we boxed up lots of antibiotics and pain relievers and oral re-hydration salts (we had in our basement for our upcoming trip) and were able to give them to part of the mission team from Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Doylestown. These folks are then driving the supplies to a medical team in Brooklyn, NY that is leaving tonight for Port-Au-Prince. Accompanying the four doctors is the bishop of Brooklyn! They are going to to relieve the team of physicians and nurses that have currently set up a makeshift hospital at the Matthew 25 House.

The degree of connectivity that exists within the Church amazes me.
Aid is slowly getting to the people in the most unusual ways. God be praised!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Another Update From Sts. Simon and Jude/Fr. Andrew

2010-01-24T09:51:00.003-05:00

This is the site of the future clinic before the earthquake

"We laid the good archbishop to rest today. the funeral service was very moving, in front of the ruined cathedral. Thousands of people and close to a hundred clergy, most of us standing in the sun, to pray together for this country.

What was more painful was the remains of the choir members trapped at the door. Their bodies haven't been recovered and can be visibly seen at the side-door of the cathedral.

Then I went to the UN base at the airport and blessed the remains of the wife a high ranking UN military personal. His wife and son were vacationing in Haiti.

There I was able to talk to the head of the UN responsible for relief operations. He promised me to visit the parish (this afternoon) or tomorrow to bring food and water. He was an American major, I told him we are now beyond medical intervention, people are need of food and water. I will pray that he will honor his promise to deliver food and water to the parish.

To those of you who visited the parish. The garbage site - future site of the clinic- is full of evacuees, I estimate about 1000 people in there. Then the school compound where we use to park our car - about 400 people, and further up the church, a football field with over a 1000 evacuees. So far, I was able to secure few bundles of drinking water. My resources are so limited. I bought drinking water for about 100 families and ordered 2 trucks of water for school-site.

At the rectory, I still have about 50 people. Most of them are now at the provinces. But these 50 people most probably will stay here till things are in order in the city. It may takes a long while though. Although, their presence at my rectory compound gives some sense of security.

There's no way we can access our banks at the moment. Some banks are suppose to open next week, but as foreigners we are a bit hesitant to go to the banks. Western Union and other money transfer offices opened 2 days ago, but the line could extends to miles away. It most catered Haitians with families abroad sending them money. These agencies could not afford to give out substantial amounts.

For now, keep praying for us.

Father Andrew"

Another Update

2010-01-18T22:23:00.003-05:00

I received an e-mail from Fr. Andrew and he is OK but things on the ground are getting out of control. The people are getting desperate for food and water. Father Andrew's rectory compound has been inundated with refugees. He has offered the Church sanctuary for mothers with infants to sleep at night but everyone is afraid to sleep inside. Fr. has no access to getting money in Haiti and he will have to probably leave to get to the Dominican Republic in order to get money from the Missionhurst priests mother house in the states.

I also received word from my Haitian translator, Jacquelin who is with his sister in an apt in Delmas 83. they have run out of food, water, soap, cooking gas, and money. He says that some aid is getting in but the strong and aggressive are getting it. He is afraid to go out on the streets. He advised me that a mission trip would not be safe right now due to the desperate mood of the people. He said the price of food and goods has doubled on the street.
If you want to try to wire money to Jacquelin, contact me at my e-mail on the side bar and I will try to get it to him. He seemed to think that he could get money from Western Union, though the WU site says that several offices in PAP are closed until further notice.
It is so incredibly frustrating not being able to get aid to these folks. Please continue to fast and pray for the Haitians. Thank you

Update From Port-Au-Prince

2010-01-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

(Our last mass with Fr. Andrew Nov 21)

One of our medical team members received a cell phone call from a member of Fr. Andrew's parish where we have our mission. The members of the Church are OK and Fr. Andrew and his household are all right! Thank you God for your mercy.
They are sleeping outside and need food and supplies.

Donations can be sent directly to Fr. Andrew and St. Simon Jude Parish by making checks out to Missionhurst and include "Fr. Labatorio/Haiti" in the memo line. Thanks so much.

Mail Checks to:

Missionhurst-CICM

4651 North 25th Street

Arlington, VA 22207

2010-01-14T07:07:00.004-05:00

I found out that the pastor of the baptist church I used to do a clinic in for 11 years was killed in the quake. His wife and children survived. The house we stayed in during the clinic week was flattened and the elderly Haitian woman who hosted us is presumed dead. Please pray for the repose of their souls as well as for their families.

Still no word from Fr. Andrew of St. Simon + Jude Parish in Delmas, PAP.

Todays Responsorial Psalm in Mass:

Responsorial Psalm
44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25
R. (27b) Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

Pray for Our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

2010-01-13T21:00:00.005-05:00

By now you all have heard of the 7.0 earthquake that struck Port-Au-Prince yesterday. Delmas, the section of PAP where we hold the clinic has been devastated. Our beloved host priest, Father Andrew has not been heard from yet and we are starting to become concerned as the Church and rectory are in Delmas. Somewhat encouraging is that Mother Teresa's Children's home is intact and that is just a short distance from Fr. Andrew's rectory where we stay when we conduct the clinic. So perhaps the rectory was spared, but who knows? The Archbishop of PAP was killed in the earthquake and the seminaries and Cathedral and churches have been flattened.

As soon as we can get in touch with the people of St. Simon Jude Parish , Lord willing through Fr. Andrew, we will know how and where to send money if possible directly so the aid gets to his parishioners and community.

In the meantime, I suggest you donate sacrificially to Catholic Relief Services. They are already "on the ground" in Haiti and will be able to provide services.

Finally I urge you all to please pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters.

We are having a time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament at St. Joseph the Worker Church at 6-7 PM Thursday night for the Haitian people. All are welcome.

The History of St. Joseph's Mission to Haiti

2010-01-11T19:29:00.013-05:00

In 1996, I began making a yearly one week trip to Haiti to work in a medical clinic set up in Shiloh Baptist Church in Port-Au-Prince. My wife Deborah joined me on several trips and was inspired to obtain her LPN degree to better serve the people of Haiti. After 11 trips, we wished to work with a Catholic Church in Haiti after our conversion(reversion) to Catholicism. For over two years we searched for a Catholic parish or medical mission that we could be associated with.

In 2008, after a series of "Godincidences" we were put into contact with Fr. Andrew Labatorio, a missionary priest from the Philippines ministering to the poorest of the poor in the Delmas section of the capital of Port-Au-Prince. He had been praying for an opportunity to provide medical help for his parish called St. Simon and Jude and the surrounding community. A short time later I found myself along with Tom Kardish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Doylestown sitting with Fr. Andrew in his rectory in Port-Au-Prince discussing the needs of his parish.

This led to our first medical mission there in January 2009 where we provided care for over 700 Haitian men women and children, many of whom had never seen a physician before.
This past November we took our second trip, with the support of St. Joseph the Worker parish in Orefield along with members of our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Doylestown. Jeff Joyce, missions coordinator of St. Joseph the Worker accompanied us on this trip and has committed the missions team from St Joseph to support the medical clinic in Haiti.

In just a few years since Fr. Andrew's original prayer for medical help, he now has three US parishes scheduling recurring medical missions to his Church. Another parish in Ohio has committed 75,000 dollars to building a free-standing building to house the St. Simon and Jude Medical Clinic. The ultimate goal is to have Haitian medical personnel manning this clinic, but the US teams will provide primary care medicine until this becomes a reality. Our goal is to establish a long term relationship with St. Simon Jude Parish along with these other US parishes that have partnered with them.

Jeff Joyce, team leader for St. Joseph the Worker Parish Mission will be coordinating the next medical mission to Fr. Andrew's parish in September 2010.