PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

The Spiritan community in Haiti dedicated the new primary school building at St. Martial College in Port-au-Prince on October 11, 2015.  The historic Spiritan school was destroyed in the January 12, 2010 earthquake in which more than 250,000 people died in Haiti and millions were left homeless.

Founded in 1865, the school is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.  The pre-school was the first building to be re-built after the earthquake and the dedication this month of the primary school is part of the continuation of Phase One of the rebuilding program.  The master plan to rebuild the entire school campus includes a bold vision for the ongoing Spiritan mission in Haiti and has the support of the many alumni who have benefited from the strong Spiritan education that has been the foundation of the school for the past 150 years.  Plans for an addition to the primary school and a separate secondary school building on the other side of the property along with an auditorium in the center of the campus are in the works.  The school offers a K-12 program for over 1,000 students.

Archbishop Guire Poulard, the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, blessed the new primary school this month as part of a special ceremony at the downtown Port-au-Prince campus that marked the determination of the Spiritan community and the Haitian people to invest in the education of the young.

Spiritans have worked in Haiti for more than 150 years in educational and pastoral ministry.  After so much destruction and despair, this is a time of great hope as the people of Haiti look to the future with great trust and faith in God who walks with them on their journey.