Haitian Ministries learn of deaths at orphanage

Norwich - On Friday morning, after days without news, the Haitian Ministries of the Norwich Catholic diocese learned that three girls at the orphanage they sponsor in Haiti died when the building collapsed in Tuesday's earthquake.

Haitian Ministries has assisted the orphanage for almost two decades, one of many connections between the diocese that covers eastern Connecticut and the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

On Friday afternoon the diocese's bishop, the Most Rev. Michael Cote, urged people to donate to the earthquake relief effort and pray for the people of Haiti.

The orphanage, Le Foyer des Filles de Dieu in Port-au-Prince, was home to about 70 girls, ages 3 to 18. The survivors are said to be living in the orphanage courtyard, according to the ministry office. The adjacent health clinic was damaged.

The bishop announced a special collection for Haiti in all parishes of the diocese on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24. Cote said financial support is the "wisest way to help," but he understands that people are frustrated because they feel like they are able "to do little concretely" to make a difference.

"In such moments, prayer becomes so very important," Cote said. "These people need courage. They need confidence. They need to know they're not alone. They need to know the world cares, and we can express that very effectively through prayer."

The diocese established its Haitian Ministries and opened a mission house in Haiti in 1987. Parishes send volunteers and aid to Haiti throughout the year.

The mission house was also destroyed in the earthquake, trapping staffers Jillian Thorp and Chuck Dietsch. Both returned safely to the United States on Thursday.

But Lanitte Belledente, the cook at the house, reportedly sustained serious leg injuries and may have had at least one leg amputated. The daytime security guard is missing, Cote said.

Hospice St. Joseph, another ministry of the diocese in Port-au-Prince that serves as a clinic, was destroyed but no one was in the building at the time, Cote said.

"Besides the physical destruction, there's so much that impedes the ongoing work that must be done, but it will go on. There's no question," Cote said. "Buildings are not the important thing at the moment. It's the people. They have suffered terribly, and we intend to do the best we can at this distance to be of assistance to them."

Cote said most of the money raised in the diocese will likely go to Catholic Relief Services, a humanitarian agency of the Roman Catholic Church, which has pledged an initial $5 million for earthquake relief and has volunteers on the ground in Haiti.

A team from Haitian Ministries plans to go to Haiti in the next two weeks to set up a temporary office, said Emily Smack, the ministry's executive director. Smack called it a "huge task," but said the Haitian people have been "wonderful to us, and we're going to take care of them."

j.grogan@theday.com