by Sr. Marie Marthe Placius
Our Mission is called Centre Missionnaire Marie Poussepin. In the Centre, we have 3 places where we serve: Maison d’Accueil, École Maternelle Marie Poussepin, Centre Pédiatrie Marie Poussepin.
”I am prioress of the community. From Monday to Friday,we have Mass at 5.50 am and Laude, then we have breakfast and I go out to work at the Clinique, a 15-minute walk away. When I arrive, I greet the various staff and distribute the working materials for the clinic. In the kitchen, I make sure that the ingredients are available, because we give each employee one hot dish a day. There are 28 of them. Afterwards, I go out to greet the patients, give short instructions on disease prevention and educate the mothers on baby care. I also help with nursing if needed, and we have a program with malnourished children, of whom there are 60. During this month, people are experiencing forced confinement due to violence and insecurity. In the community, I took part in normal daily life, with all the sisters working during the week. Access to food is difficult because transport is blocked. I do most of the administrative work.”
This year’s Dominican Month of Peace is focused on Haiti. It begins on the First Sunday of Advent, December 1, through end of December 2024. During this time, we will feature snapshots in ministry and articles that shed light on the unrest and horrific human rights abuses in Haiti at this time.
Sr. Mirlande Janvier administers the community and is responsible for the Aspirantes.
Sr Clénèse Honoré is in charge of the Guest House (Maison d’accueil) and the Marie Poussepin Nursery School (École Maternelle Marie Poussepin).
Marie Poussepin Nursery School (Nursery School), used to work with projects with the children and their parents would give small donations. Above all the children came for their two meals, but now we have a lot of difficulty paying the employees because the participation of the parents for the children is really precarious. At the moment we can’t find sponsors like before. At the school we have 160 children: from 2 to 5 years old.
The Guest House is not currently functioning due to the same situation in the area. Since 2020 no one has been coming to use our service. For this reason, the upkeep of the house is very difficult because nobody uses our service. We have no money for maintenance. We have a lot of difficulties in the space which is big and deteriorating for lack of maintenance.
Sr. Rosemithe Jean and Sr. Mirlande Janvier run Marie Poussepin Paediatric Centre. The paediatric centre operates 4 days a week, serving the population of certain areas of the Croix de Bouquets commune and other neighbouring communes. Our services include outpatient consultations, pharmaceuticals, medical laboratories, vaccinations and nutrition. We see 30 to 35 children a day, aged 0 to 17.
