Mont-Organisé in Haiti, a region where the spirituality of the Focolare Movement has penetrated among the population

A bit of history and the beginnings of the adventure of unity

Haiti was occupied by the US from 1915 to 1934. During this occupation and afterwards, 95% of the population of Mont-Organisé (in the north-east of the country) left the region to cross the border to the Dominican Republic in search of work. Only 5% remained; these were the well-off families who held all the economic and political powers.

In 1937 there were such a large number of Haitians in the Dominican Republic that the then-dictator Trujillo perceived them as a threat to his country. He and his regime forced all Haitians to return to their country. In the process, they killed people, even women and children, with machetes and bayonets. Terrified by this onslaught, the Haitians ran away, leaving behind all their possessions, including their houses and fields they had cultivated.

The people who had originated in Mont-Organisé returned empty handed. In general these people still had a hut in the region and a small piece of land with coffee or other plants that had belonged to them before they went to the Dominican Republic. Sadly, the 5% of the families that had remained in Haiti organized themselves in order to exploit the returnees. They would buy their coffee beans for prices that were well below market value, and would lend money to them asking as a guarantee the deeds of the land they possessed. It was also from among the rich families that the mayor would be chosen, as well as court officials, magistrates, police chiefs, school principals and so on.

The majority of the population lived out of town, in dwellings scattered throughout the countryside. They had no education, no local organization and no legal help. Being left ignorant, they did not know their rights and therefore suffered much injustice, such as being jailed often for no reason. From that moment on there was a rift between the townsfolk and the people of the countryside, who were considered ignorant and stupid, foolish and weak. The townsfolk were the only ones that had privileges. This situation lasted until 1973.

In 1973 a team of missionaries of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate arrived in Mont-Organisé, with Fr. Jean Morin as their leader, as well as a group of religious brothers and sisters. They began to evangelize the “outsiders” starting with a reflection on their history. Together they considered their problems and looked for solutions. The idea came about to start a cooperative for agricultural products, such as coffee, cassava, yam and others, and to start a credit union where they could put their savings. But it was very difficult to maintain unity in the community.

Towards 1982 a team of sisters arrived in Carice and Mont-Organisé. Their leader was Sr. Agnèse Lardanchet AMI, who brought the spirituality of the Focolare Movement to the region. In 1989 she participated with a group of 20 people from Mont-Organisé in our first Mariapolis in Haiti, in Port-de-Paix; which was organized by Br, Richard Dupont féc. It was an experience of discovery for this group: discovery of the spirituality of unity, of God who is Love, of love for neighbour, of reciprocal love… Haitians are generally very concrete, and these participants immediately put into practice what they learned.

Among the participants was Wilfrid Joachin, 27 years old at that time, who is today, with a group of close friends, the responsible for all the Focolare activities in his region. Since the age of 15, he has been trying to understand, with the help of the local Church and other groups, the story of his people. He understood that things had to change to bring an end to the division in the community. The great majority of the population was excluded from the decision-making process; it was the minority that exploited the majority. The initial group composed of Sr. Agnèse, Wilfrid, Renaud and Juceline Audate, Br. Richard Dupont and others brought the spirituality of unity to the parishes of their communities.

Groups of the “Word of Life”

After the first Mariapolis of 1989, groups of people formed around the participants of the Mariapolis. They met regularly, weekly, biweekly or once a month. Inspired by the “Word of Life”, a sentence of the Gospel they tried to live each month, they had many experiences: of reconciliation, of help to the poor, of bringing peace to their surroundings and others, and these were shared in their meetings. It was the beginning of a new lifestyle.

The number of people living the Gospel and sharing their experiences increased steadily. They meet usually early in the morning, before work or school. Today, there are groups of adults, young people, families, and children as follows:

Over time, several people felt the desire to go deeper with the spirituality and in their commitment to the Movement. They wanted to become members of the Movement’s different expressions, such as the youth branch known as Gen, or the branch of the Volunteers of God, or Religious (both men and women), priests and focolarini.

Schools of spiritual formation

For more than 25 years now, meetings of life and formation in the spirituality of the Focolare Movement, the Mariapolis, have been held in Haiti. These began with religious from Christian schools, the Marist brothers...

In recent years, 400 to 500 people have participated in these meetings, sometimes travelling 2 hours on foot to be present. They contribute financially to the costs of the meeting, but we have to take care of part of the meals. In addition, we organize days for the formation of young people, as well as engaged adults.

They are the ones who are at the origin of the different initiatives, schools, groups of solidarity, of sharing. Formation is therefore important.