Editor’s Note:
On Saturday, May 31st at St Lawrence Anglican Church, the Montreal Unit of Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF) held a workshop called Hope with Haiti. Along with support from Alongside Hope staff Suzanne Rumsey and Kim Umbach, the team created a day of learning, worship and fellowship to educate attendees about the historical and cultural background of Haiti, its current dire situation and challenges, and the ways which we can all help in solidarity with Alongside Hope partners Rayjon Share Care and the Haitian Women’s Federation. The over 80 people who showed up learned, ate and prayed together for this urgent cause. And, most impressively, $2,209 was raised – the amount was given in memory of Ann Cumyn, former Co-chair, friend and ardent supporter of PWRDF. The following is an expression of gratitude from one attendee – and participant – in the day’s event, Rev. jhon Steeker Saint-Clair, Deacon of Nativité Parish in Rosemère.
The hour is serious, and it would be shameful to do nothing. But it is a source of pride and hope when we choose to act together. As we come to the close of this meaningful seminar, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to all who contributed to the success of this day of reflection, prayer, and solidarity for Haiti.
First, heartfelt thanks to Bishop Mary, whose term is coming to an end, for her steadfast presence and unwavering support for this cause. Your presence has been a gift throughout this journey. We are also grateful to our venerable Archdeacon and Bishop Coadjutor-elect, Victor-David who always shows sensitivity and encouragement toward the Alongside Hope cause.
A special thank-you to Reverend Roslyn, for her patience, her contagious motivation, and all the time and energy she devotes, despite the vulnerability of her health. You are an inspiring example of dedicated service.
My sincere appreciation goes to Suzanne and Kim, who came from Toronto to provide vital logistical support for this seminar. Thank you for your generosity and efficiency behind the scenes.
Thank you to my wife Immacula for all your support and thank you to the warden Jocelyne of Nativité Parish. Thank you to all the ladies and men’s group who made this workshop a priority.
I also warmly thank the members and young people of my local parish for their active participation and their prayers. I am convinced that a diocese without youth is like a landscape without sunshine. Thank you for being that light in our Church.
To all the participants, thank you for the richness of your contributions, the depth of your reflections, and the spirit of listening and collaboration you brought to this space.
A heartfelt tribute to the tireless volunteers of St. Lawrence Parish for your hospitality, your humility, and your service offered with such generosity of spirit. You turned this place into a true space of brotherhood and welcome.
And finally, a word of deep encouragement and gratitude to Rev. Father Jean Fils-Chéry for his warm hospitality, his enlightening insights, and his pastoral and human sensitivity. Your words helped us better understand the urgent realities of Haiti and invited us to seek, with conscience and compassion, pathways of hope and action.
May this seminar not be an end, but a beginning – a renewed call to walk ‘alongside hope’, together.
In times when everything seems to collapse, hope becomes an act of resistance and a path toward rebuilding. Walking alongside a suffering people is choosing to be a quiet but faithful light amid darkness. Haiti will not rise through the strength of one, but through the patient, determined, and faith-filled solidarity of those who refuse to give up.
Love for our neighbor knows no borders, and even a silent prayer is a powerful balm for broken hearts. In the unity of our parishes lies a spiritual strength capable of crossing through crisis and planting life where fear reigns. Reaching out to Haiti is honoring the dignity of a people, believing in their inner strength, and walking with them in respect and hope. Today’s workshop is not an end, but a beginning a renewed commitment to be, together, bearers of concrete hope.
These are the kinds of real-world challenges that should confront theology students — not internships placed in settings of ease and comfort that neither sharpen their sensitivity nor deepen their empathy.
The Alongside Hope certificate, given to the young people of Nativity, is not a decoration for the bulletin board but a glimpse that reminds us of Jesus’ vision for the most vulnerable and makes us sensitive to the needs of the world.
We are called to be the salt of the earth, to bring flavor to a world that is steadily losing its own.
