There are seasons when a people discovers what it is made of. For Haitians in America, this is such a season.
The end of TPS has brought fear into our homes. But fear is not the only thing moving through our community. Something older and stronger is moving too. In Brooklyn and Miami, in Boston and Springfield, in Atlanta and Chicago, Haitian Catholics are gathering, praying, organizing, and carrying one another. Parishes are opening their doors wider. Young people are stepping forward. Priests are standing with their people.
Cardinal Langlois named it at the Mass of Solidarity: “We gather not only to pray, but also to remind one another that we are one family in Christ. When one member of the Body of Christ suffers, the whole Body suffers with it.”
What unity looks like now
- We check on one another. Call the family in your parish you have not seen at Mass. Isolation is where fear grows; community is where hope grows.
- We share accurate information. Rumors hurt our people. Share only verified updates from trusted sources, and point families to Catholic legal services.
- We raise our voices together. With respect, charity, and dignity, we contact our senators, we speak in our parishes, and we tell the story of who Haitians truly are: hardworking, family-focused, deeply faithful people who bless every community we call home.
- We form our leaders. Through the Liturgical Leadership Workshop and the iAHM Youth Ambassador Program, we are raising the ministers and young leaders our communities need for the years ahead.
Our ancestors survived what seemed unsurvivable, and they did it together. Men anpil, chay pa lou. Many hands make the load light. Let this be the season the Haitian Catholic community in America stood as one.