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"Haiti has many devotees of the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, the country itself is actually consecrated to Our Lady under this title. In 1881 Haiti was afflicted with a horrible epidemic of smallpox, particularly in the capital of Port-au-Prince. The doctors saw no solution other than intense storms to cleanse the atmosphere. But that time of the year was known as the "dry season." One woman had brought a copy of the icon from france and offered it to the rector of the Cathedral of Port-au-Prince, hoping that invoking the Holy Virgin would alleviate the plague. On February 5, 1882, a solemn procession was held during which the image was carried to a small chapel overlooking the city. The Novena began. Five days later, contrary to all weather predictions, several cloudbursts occurred. From that moment the epidemic began to diminish and no new cases were reported. The people of Haiti had no doubt that it was Our Lady's intercession that had saved them. Since then she has been called "The Virgin of the Miracle." The picture of her is found in almost every home. Even the civil government officially place the nation under her protection." - Source
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Let us all pray for Haiti.
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Mother of Perpetual Help, come quickly to the aid of our brothers and sisters, who amidst such poverty are suffering even more severely due to the devastating earthquake which has struck Haiti. Amen.
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One blogger from the area, The Haitian Blogger wrote:
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- General Hospital in Port-au-Prince is down, Palace is damaged.
- No one knows how many dead or injured. The aftershock is reverberating. People can only see dust,
- Obama is sending in military troops.
- Phone lines that are working are: Haiti-tel and Voila.
- All windows are shattered in houses in la plaine
- Houses are falling down everywhere.
- All the poor on the mountains, whose houses were build on the mountains, all tumbled down, one on top another…
- A terrible situation! Devastating. There's NEVER been an earthquake of this magnitude in Haiti. Major aftershocks happening…
- The quake was quickly followed by two nearby, strong aftershocks of initial magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, the aftershocks were major earthquakes in and [of] themselves.
- This is catastrophic. Changes everything. - Source
Thanks Terry. There is also a Tsunami concern. The Jesuits, who are there, said this, PRIOR to the earthquake:
ReplyDeleteThe Haitian people, courageous people as they are, this time can take no more. Racked by misery, they cry out. And their cry becomes an appeal.
Let us pray the rosary.
It is so sad when natural disasters hit the poorest.
ReplyDeleteRemember when flooding hit Bangladesh 30-40 years ago.
This quake is said to be 7.0 on the scale. The San Francisco quake during the World Series was 7.1.
There was virtually no major building damage in San Francisco-Oakland. A portion of the Bay Bridge and a section of an elevated freeway collapsed, though.
But poor Haiti just doesn't have the resources to repair major damages like what surely will be determined today.
A beloved Catholic friend of ours, aged 23, is doing missionary work in Haiti for a year.
ReplyDeleteHer name is Katie.
Please pray, if able.
No word on her status yet.