Mass for Haiti's victims offers hope for survivors

Norwich - Pharra Hyppolite led cheerful hymns to the beat of drums and shakers as more than 100 people gathered at St. Mary Church to remember "so many known to us and unknown" victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti and their families in the Norwich area.

The Rev. Gerry Kirby and the parish singers alternated between Creole, French and English throughout the hour-long, upbeat Mass. Kirby evoked hope for a "very different" Haiti as the country rebuilds its schools, homes, churches and health centers.

He noted the connection between the suffering in Haiti and the Lenten season, which leads Christians to the hope of Easter.

Hyppolite was director of hospitality at Hospice St. Joseph, a ministry of the Diocese of Norwich that provided health care, education and guest services for patients, visiting doctors and others at its three-story building in Port au Prince. Hyppolite was on the third floor when the earthquake struck. Two other staff members also escaped.

"It happened so fast, and it lasted forever," Hyppolite said Tuesday, saying it was difficult to describe how the building shook and started to collapse beneath her feet.

She stayed on the third-floor balcony for the duration of the earthquake and several immediate aftershocks. Finally, someone on the ground below urged her to jump, saying he would help her. She did, escaping with minor scrapes as the world around her crumbled.

Hyppolite, of Norwich, is anxious to help Haiti and Hospice St. Joseph recover. She will return next week, not knowing when she might be back in Norwich. Asked about her own relatives in Haiti, Hyppolite said "some" are OK.

The collection taken up at Tuesday's Mass will go to Hospice St. Joseph. Hyppolite said the hospice clinic for mothers and children has reopened with tents and a temporary structure. She hopes the school might reopen soon.

The theme of hope ran through the Mass.

Following Holy Communion and a moment of silence, the Most Rev. Michael Cote marveled at how local Haitians could sing cheerfully in the wake of the suffering in Haiti. Cote borrowed a line from one French song: "Rendez graces au Seigneur car il est bon. Eternel est son amour" - "Give praise to God because He is good. His love is eternal."

"It is so 'you' to be able to sing God's goodness in the face of such tragedy to your homeland," Cote said to the Haitian parishioners. "How wonderful your faith is to be able to sing the goodness of God."

c.bessette@theday.com