Apr 15, 2010

CARING FOR THE PEOPLE OF HAITI: The Episcopal Church Diocese of Haiti´s College St. Pierre receives First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden

"Haitians helping Haitians"

The Rev. Lucas Rigal with Dr. Biden, M. Joseph Harry Anglade and Mrs. Obama. In the background is the one of the surviving classrooms of the old College St. Pierre. Photo by Eddy Alcindor.

Diocesan photographer Eddy Alcindor was present at College St. Pierre on Tuesday when First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, visited both the senior secondary school and the Tent City at the futbol field behind it.

Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden wanted to see "Haitians helping Haitians," as well as education efforts. The U.S. Embassy chose College St. Pierre because of the Episcopal Church's efforts to care for the people of Haiti, and to rebuild the country.
HERE

As many as 200 students may have died at the school during the Jan. 12 magnitude-7 earthquake, according to Stanley, who said that university students were taking tests at the high school when the quake hit.

¨First Lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, the wife of the U.S. vice president, April 13 visited a Port-au-Prince earthquake survivor settlement run by the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.

The two women walked to College Ste. Pierre, a wrecked diocesan high school, as part of their one-day surprise tour of the Haitian capital.

U.S. Embassy personnel told the Rev. Lauren Stanley, Episcopal Church-appointed missionary in Haiti and liaison to Bishop of Haiti Jean Zaché Duracin in the U.S., that Obama and Biden visited the site because they wanted to see an actual survivor camp where Haitians were helping Haitians recover in the quake's aftermath. Stanley said the embassy personnel told her that they knew such work was being facilitated by the diocese.

Obama and Biden arrived at College Ste. Pierre about 12:30 p.m. and were greeted by head of school the Rev. Lucas Rigal; Joseph Harry Anglade, College Ste. Pierre academic director; and the Rev. Canon Oge Beauvoir, dean of the diocese's nearby seminary and executive director of its Bureau of Anglican Education of Haiti. The men, whom Stanley said learned 90 minutes before Obama and Biden arrived that they would be visiting, briefed the two women on the situation at the camp. HERE

DONATE TO THE EPISCOPAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR HAITI HERE

· Thanks to Episcopal News Service
· Thanks to Episcopal Cafe, sidebar
· Thanks to First Lady, Michelle Obama
· Thanks to Dr. Jill Biden
· Thanks to The Episcopal Church College St. Pierre
· Thanks to Eddy Alcindor, photos
· Thanks to The Reverend Lucas Rigal
· Thanks to The Rev. Lauren Stanley, Episcopal Church-appointed missionary in Haiti
· Thanks to Bishop of Haiti Jean Zaché Duracin
· Thanks to The Rev. Canon Oge Beauvoir
· Thanks to The Episcopal Church U.S.A. Relief and Development Fund

1 comment:

Göran Koch-Swahne said...

Continued prayers for Haiti!