Haiti Connection-STA Indy

Haiti Connection-STA Indy The St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and Haiti Committee in Indianapolis, Indiana, works to serve our sister parish in Belle-Rivière, Haiti.

Twenty-four Grade 9 students from the College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Belle-Rivière who passed the National Exams this ...
09/02/2026

Twenty-four Grade 9 students from the College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Belle-Rivière who passed the National Exams this summer. Every student who took the exams passed. All students were tested on their knowledge of Creole, French, English, Spanish, Social Studies, Experimental Science, Math, Technology, PE & Sports, Artistic Education & Citizenship. Congratulations to the students and thank you to the teachers! Their hard work and dedication are recognized and appreciated.

These students will join over seven hundred others in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 13 on Monday, September 7, for the beginning of the new school year. We hope that every student and teacher has a successful year.

We are grateful to the thirty-six donors who make it possible to offer each teaching position an $85 per month salary increase. Primary grade teachers will now receive $200 per month.

08/26/2026

Here is an article from Apple News concerning the return of Haitians to Haiti following the end of TPS for Haitians. May God forgive us, although we, as a country, know exactly what we are doing.

By GERARD MAXINEAU and DÁNICA COTO
Updated 11:36 PM EDT, August 20, 2026

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (AP) — The U.S. deported more than 160 people to Haiti on Thursday for the first time since the Trump administration won a legal battle to end Temporary Protected Status for some 350,000 Haitians.

The plane landed in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien because the main international airport in Port-au-Prince is considered too dangerous. The U.S. government currently has a ban on U.S. commercial flights to Haiti’s capital through early September because of ongoing gang violence.

The deportees were clad in white, and many covered their faces out of safety as journalists filmed their arrival. Nearly all declined to talk, with some fearing being targeted by gangs that control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and swaths of land beyond.
The deportees included TPS holders and Haitians who had served prison sentences, said Jean Négot Bonheur Delva, director general of Haiti’s National Office of Migration.

“It is not the Haitian state that asks for them to be sent back,” he said. “Our mission is to welcome migrants of forced return. … We welcome them with the aim of accompanying them to their home.”

Deported Haitians search for a home

Delva noted that some of the deportees were not born in Haiti, although they are of Haitian descent.

He said that several deportees planned to travel to Haiti’s southern region, a dangerous journey because gangs control the main routes leading to that area and are known to randomly open fire on vehicles passing through.

Passed along by Clare Skevington

Thank you to all who have so generously supported the school-lunch program in Belle-Rivière at any point over the past t...
08/21/2026

Thank you to all who have so generously supported the school-lunch program in Belle-Rivière at any point over the past twenty years. The Good Lord has blessed us with family and friends who trust us enough to work with us to provide a lunch for students in both the parish school and the National School.

In its twentieth year, a total of 956 students received lunches at a cost of $30,173 or $31.56 per student.

A change is coming in the twenty-first year of the program. Beginning in September, each secondary student from Grade 7 through Grade 13 will receive the same hot meal of beans and rice or cornmeal that the primary students have been receiving. This is anticipated to add $580 per month to the costs. In addition, the program will add two cooks who will receive a monthly salary.

The meme below from the AARP Foundation showed up on our page recently. While we did not use as strong a word as Anne Frank used, in June 2006 we looked into the faces of hungry children and said, "We must do something to change this." Many have agreed.

If you are able, we are asking for your support. We know that many of you have your own timeline for making an annual donation. This works well since funds will be sent monthly through June 2027.
You may send a check to STA Haiti School Lunch Fund, 4625 N. Kenwood Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46280. Write Haiti School Lunch Program on the memo line.

You may send or give the check to us made out to the STA Haiti Fund. We will place it in the collection basket the Sunday after we receive it.

You may give online on the staindy.org website. Here is the link: https://giving.myparishsoft.io//app/giving/WeShare-1534?tab=home
Click on Offering. The Haiti School Lunch Program is the third option listed.

If you transfer funds from an IRA or 401(K) account, have the check sent to the parish office. Ask your financial or investment institution to include Haiti Lunch Program on the Memo line of the check sent to the parish office. This should eliminate the need for you to contact the parish office yourself.

Unless you let us know, the parish office does not tell us who makes a donation. The monthly report lists the date and amount of a donation.

Thank you for considering what may be possible for you this coming school year. Fred & Doris Chandler

In January the kindergarten and primary grade teachers at the parish school in Belle-Rivière asked the STA Haiti Committ...
08/13/2026

In January the kindergarten and primary grade teachers at the parish school in Belle-Rivière asked the STA Haiti Committee and the parishioners of St. Thomas Aquinas parish to consider raising their monthly salaries from $115 to $200. Because of the generosity of 36 individuals and couples, the Haiti Committee approved a budget Tuesday night which included $200 per month for these teachers. All other teaching positions will receive a similar $85 per month increase. School starts in Belle-Rivière on September 7. While the teachers may feel better about this increase, they are still about $40 per month behind the teachers at the National School. Pere Jean Philippe and the teachers thank the donors who made this increase possible along with all the donors who have made any salary possible over the past thirty years.

August in Haiti is often synonymous with festivals and cultural celebrations. The summer season features various local p...
08/06/2026

August in Haiti is often synonymous with festivals and cultural celebrations. The summer season features various local patron saint feasts (fêtes patronales) and lively cultural events. Belle-Rivière celebrated the feast of St. Jean Marie Vianney on Tuesday, August 4. STA celebrated with them by having all Masses last weekend said for the intention of the parishioners of St. Jean Marie Vianney.

Our summers in the US are also blessed with many parish festivals. St. Thomas Aquinas’ annual SausageFest will be celebrated next week, mark your calendars.

St. Thomas Aquinas SausageFest
• Dates: August 14–15, 2026

Submitted by Jacqui Griswold

Haiti is operating under an unelected transitional government led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The country l...
07/29/2026

Haiti is operating under an unelected transitional government led by Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. The country lacks any elected national leaders, with gangs controlling roughly 90% of the capital, Port-au-Prince. Our sister parish in Belle-Rivière is located many hours drive from Port-au-Prince so is not directly affected by the violence. However, the instability of the country is stifling development and opportunities.

Let us pray for peace and stability for the children in Haiti and around the world.

Bearing Witness to Peace Catholic Relief Services

Lord God, we come to you in our need.
Create in us an awareness of the massive
Forces that threaten our world today.
Give us a sense of urgency
To activate the forces of goodness, of justice, of love and peace.

Where there is armed conflict,
Let us stretch our arms to our brothers and sisters
Where there is abundance,
Let there be simple lifestyle and sharing.
Where there is poverty,
Let there be dignified living and constant striving for just structures.
Help us to be committed to the building of your kingdom.

Submitted by Jacqui Griswold

Where is Haiti? Could you find it on a map? Did you know it shares an island with the Dominican Republic and is very ...
07/22/2026

Where is Haiti? Could you find it on a map? Did you know it shares an island with the Dominican Republic and is very close to Cuba? Haiti really is our neighbor. When I went to Haiti with the Medical Team in 1997, we flew from Miami to Port-au-Prince then had a 5-hour ride in the back of a truck to reach Belle-Rivière. Lois Zentner is pictured working with one of the patients from that trip. Today, we support a driver bringing a doctor and dentist to the village twice a month to treat patients. This is a benefit since the people receive regular treatments from a local Creole speaking doctor and dentist. We receive monthly reports of the number of patients seen. In the 2025-26 fiscal year, 1,392 patients were seen at a cost of $8.92 per patient. Submitted by Jacqui Griswold.

Farmer’s Market – Every town has designated market days. Folks from all around gather to buy and sell goods. Food is t...
07/15/2026

Farmer’s Market – Every town has designated market days. Folks from all around gather to buy and sell goods. Food is the main attraction. Most of it is carried or hauled in on a donkey. Everything is spread out on the ground on blankets. (no packaging, no signs, no labels)

Have you been to your local farmers market to support independent sellers and artisans? I enjoy going to see all the people and sample delicious foods. Submitted by Jacqui Griswold

This is graduation season. The students in Grade 13 at our sister parish school in Belle-Rivière Haiti will be taking t...
07/08/2026

This is graduation season. The students in Grade 13 at our sister parish school in Belle-Rivière Haiti will be taking their National Exam July 13-17. They have to travel and stay overnight in Miragoâne. St. Thomas Aquinas parish is supporting the 25 students by providing funds for their food and housing cost. What happens to students after they graduate? Some take college courses or work at trades such as plumbing or farming.

Belle-Rivière is small and is usually not printed on maps of Haiti. Miragoâne (where the students will go for testing) is a larger city. To locate it on the map, find the center of the small satellite island (L’île de la Gonâve), go South and you find Miragoâne on the coast of the main Island. Belle- Rivière is located 10 miles South of Miragoâne (a 3 hour 45 minute walk or 40 minutes by vehicle). We pray that each student has a good testing week. Submitted by Jacqui Griswold

06/30/2026

A Prayer for the People of Haiti

“The harvest of justice is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace.”
– James 3:18

Out of the depths we cry to You, O God.
We cry to You for our Haitian sisters and brothers.
We thank you for upholding them in their suffering.
Give them continuing strength and comfort.
Give us love and courage to stand with them and work with them as they struggle for justice and freedom.
Keep us committed to the truth and empower us with your Spirit of love:

-a love that reaches out to enemies, as Jesus taught us.
-a love that always sees possibilities for peace founded in justice;
-a love that seeks justice without vengeance and retaliation;

We trust in your continuing mercy as we bring to You our own desire to be in active solidarity with out Haitian brothers and sisters.

O Lespri Sen desann sou nou; nou gen yon misyon pou Ayiti. (O Holy Spirit descend on us, we have a mission for Haiti).
Amen.

-from Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

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4625 N. Kenwood Avenue
Indianapolis, IN
46208

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