Petion-Ville, Haiti, June 2, 2025
Fr. Barnabas Jerome (Facebook)
A joyous celebration was held at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist in Haiti yesterday.
Fr. Barnabas Jerome, the rector of the church, reports that a mass Baptism was held at the church in Petion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince:
We give thanks to the Lord for his grace to our ministry. Today we baptized 20 peoples into the Orthodoxy world. We are happy to continue our work no matter what. Things aren't easy at all here yet God always provide us with his love.
Photos show that both children and adults received the holy Sacrament at the parish, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople’s Metropolis of Mexico.
The church is able to thrive with support from International Orthodox Christian Charities. Fr. Barnabas writes:
Thank you to IOCC for supporting our ministry since 15 years, without its support thing wouldn't be difficult. 300 families are receiving food because of financial support of IOCC we are grateful to that. May God continue assisting his mission which is the Haitian Orthodox in Haiti!
IOCC has been working in Haiti since the devastating 2010 earthquake near Port-au-Prince that affected 3 million people and destroyed over 3,900 schools. The organization responded within a week with emergency aid and has since focused on building and rehabilitating Church-run schools, which local priests say are often the only option for children's formal education.
The organization has supported three key Orthodox schools: St. Joseph School in remote Embouchure with earthquake-resistant construction that serves as an emergency shelter; Foyer d’Amour School in Petionville, one of only five schools in Haiti serving children with developmental disabilities; and St. Jean de Freres Orthodox Elementary School, also in Petionville, which serves 400 students mostly free of charge on just $5,000 monthly. All three projects involved complete reconstruction or significant upgrades to facilities and equipment.
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