Inauguration of the New Chapel at St. Luke’s Hospital

Dear Friends,

We are proud to share the below words from Father Enzo Del Brocco, Passionist priest who resides in Haiti and works hand in hand with the St. Luke team with great dedication and solidarity.

“Last Friday evening, June 17, we celebrated the dedication of the new chapel “ Notre-Dame de la Miséricorde Divine” (Our Lady of Divine Mercy) on the St. Luke Hospital grounds, where the new Hospital is also being built. The Passionist Community of Haiti, with the support of their donors, built the Chapel. The celebration was presided by the Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, Msgr. Eugene Nugent and concelebrated by Fr. Paul Wierichs from Florida, representing the Provincial Superior of the Passionists, Fr. Richard Frechette who was also the homilist, Fr. Enzo Del Brocco who planned and overviewed the construction and Fr. Hugo Esparza, a new member of the Passionist Community of Haiti. There were more than 300 people attending: the St. Luke medical staff, who also sang, animating the mass with their beautiful voices, some patients and their family members, various members of the other St Luke and NPH programs, including an enthusiastic group of NPH youth who danced during the liturgy, and volunteers from the ABF team who were visiting the programs they are supporting here in Haiti.

“During the Homily Fr. Rick explained how everything that has been done in Haiti is faith based and that it is a true blessing to have the chapel built while we are building the Hospital as to show that without Jesus nothing can be done. Following the readings, he showed how the chapel symbolically shows our Christian journey. The building of the chapel is a place where people will enter to meet God and by only seeing it from outside, anyone can lift their prayer to God. The stones of the chapel are a reminder to us to be “living stones”. If we remain solid and attached to the “Corner Stone”, represented by the Altar that was anointed with the Holy oil by the Bishop, we will always be able to welcome and give care to those in need witnessing God’s compassion and mercy. If we totally welcome and embrace God in our life just as the Virgin Mary, we become the dwelling place of God allowing his mercy to reconcile what was lost, to establish an everlasting covenant that nothing and nobody will ever be able to break. At the end of the mass Fr. Enzo gave an explanation of the elements and details of the chapel together with those who built and did all the artistic work of the chapel: Jeanti (primary contractor), Estain (carpenter) and Sully (artist). The final surprise before the banquet, prepared by the cooking staff of Villa Francesca, was to hear the angelic voices of the children who have been practicing to participate to a concert with Andrea Bocelli in the USA.“