“Mission amid Crisis in Haiti” was the theme of the Mission Thursday sponsored by GEMN on April 24.
Presenting from the perspective of the church on the ground was the Rev. Wilky Avril, president of the standing committee of the Diocese of Haiti. Presenting from the perspective of the work of Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe was Canon Chuck Robertson, senior adviser to the Presiding Bishop.
Dioceses and organizations connected with Haiti were invited to share from their mission work there. The gathering was moderated by the Rev. Jean Beniste, a Haitian American priest who is rector of St. Paul’s Church in Concord, New Hampshire, and a member of the GEMN Board.
In November 2024 the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church endorsed the creation of a Committee on Mission and Ministry in Haiti to consider ways the Episcopal Church can assist the Diocese of Haiti and Episcopal ministries in the country, which has been roiled by political upheaval and violence. The action responded to the 2024 General Convention’s Resolution D060, “Support for a Solution to the Crisis in Haiti.” The Diocese of Haiti, the Episcopal Church’s largest diocese by membership, has been in leadership turmoil since its last bishop election in 2018 failed to receive churchwide backing because of procedural concerns and allegations of favoritism.
Also in November, the Executive Committee of the World Council of Churches called on all WCC member churches to prayer and Christian solidarity with the people of Haiti. “Though burdened throughout its history by the legacy of colonialism, slavery, and recurrent occupations by the United States of America, Haiti has also been a beacon of freedom for those suffering these oppressions,” the committee said. “Haiti became the first sovereign state in the Caribbean, the second republic in the Americas, the first country in the Americas to officially abolish slavery, and the only country in history established by a revolt by enslaved people.
“However, its people have been ground down by the imposition of oppressive and illegitimate reparations to France, and have suffered through generations of political instability, war, international isolation, and the brutal dictatorial rule of the Duvalier family (1957–1986). The Haitian people’s suffering has been compounded by recurring natural disasters and outbreaks of disease. In 2024, Haiti has faced severe economic and political crises, escalating gang violence, and the collapse of its government and its institutional infrastructure, resulting in the breakdown of social cohesion.”