Our parish is blessed to assist the pastor and people of Our Lady’s Nativity in Verrettes, Haiti, through our twinning program.
September brings with it the opportunity to support our sister parish through the Haiti Outreach Collection. Your generosity makes a real difference for our sister parish—our charity is a lifeline of hope and help.
Ways to Give:
- Cash or Check – Place cash or a check made out to St. Robert of Newminster Parish in your Haiti Outreach envelope and drop it in the collection basket at Masses Sept. 20/21. Haiti Outreach envelopes are included in your September envelope packet from the parish. If you forget your envelope or are in need of one, envelopes labeled “HAITI COLLECTION” will be available for your use in the narthex (gathering space) of the church near each entrance.
Donation envelopes can also be brought to Masses the weekend of Sept. 27/28, or consider giving online.
From the donate page, choose Online Giving → Choose a Designation: select Recurring or One-time → then, from the Fund drop-down menu, choose “Haiti Fund” and enter the amount you wish to give→ Select from among the giving methods, complete the remaining information in the form and then click “submit.”
How Is My Donation Put to Use?
Through the twinning program, our main focus has been education and to help Father Murat, the pastor of Our Lady’s Nativity, spread the word and works of Jesus Christ.
Our financial support:
- Pays tuition for about 230 students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go to school. St. Robert’s twinning relationship also includes a student sponsorship program!
- Helps pay teacher salaries.
- Provides lunches for children – for many, this may be their main meal of the day.
- When possible, assists with special projects based on need and as suggested by Father Murat. At this time, his priority project is completing the infrastructure of the new school (which already has over 200 kids) and adding two classrooms to the building.
- Unable to give a financial gift? Please turn in your envelope with a note committing to pray for the people of Haiti, especially Father Murat and the parishioners and families of Our Lady’s Nativity as well as the school students and teachers.
- Interested in volunteering your time? Contact Tom McDonald of the Haiti committee at (616) 893-4428 or tmcdonald7287@gmail.com to learn how you can get involved.
What Are Conditions Like Right Now for Families in Haiti?
Haiti is in crisis. Economic collapse, political unrest, and gang violence have left families struggling to survive. Parish collections are down over 60%. For these reasons, parish twinning matters, now more than ever.
“Even one twin parish can change lives … Twinning is a sign of hope … It is not only generosity—it is communion. Hope never dies in Haiti,” said Cardinal Chibly Langlois—Haiti’s first and only cardinal—in a moving message at the 2025 Parish Twinning Program of the Americas conference in August.
Learn more and view photos of the students and school rooms in Verrettes on our website: https://strobertchurch.org/ministry/haiti/
