30th Anniversary Celebration

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1 Corporate Board Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. Reverend Monsignor Robert L. Brown Reverend Monsignor James P. Carini Reverend Monsignor Leszek Janik Sr. Mary McCarthy, RSM William J. Russell Board of Directors Executive Officers: James Michel, Chair John Bouley, Vice-Chair Maryann Boord, Secretary Mary Lou Bozza Thomas Campbell Karl Falconer Sr. Ellen Flynn Connor Brooks Bishop Joseph Lafontant Geraldine O Hare Dr. Chris Pappas Ana Roman-Sanchez Ralph Steward Capital Campaign OTH facilities in Haiti were largely destroyed in the earthquake of A Capital Campaign is on-going to replace the clinic and guest house at the location in Christ Roi. For more information on the campaign, go to: 30th Anniversary Celebration Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti Honorees Most Reverend Daniel Patrick Reilly Monsignor James Carini Dennis and Sue Petruzzi Presiding: Most Reverend Michael R Cote November 7, 2015 For information on any of our programs, please contact: Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti, Inc. 815 Boswell Avenue, Norwich, CT Ph # ext info@outreachtohaiti.org Mercy High School, Middletown, CT

2 Hors d oeuvres & Silent Auction Welcome & Introduction Dan O Sullivan Director of Administration & Programs Invocation The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. Dinner Presentation of Honorees James Michel Chairman of the Board Honorees Most Reverend Daniel Patrick Reilly Monsignor James P. Carini Dennis & Sue Petruzzi Auction Results Dan O Sullivan Closing Remarks The Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. A Prayer for the People of Haiti ALL Historical Facts Twinning Covenant signed between Archdiocese of Port -au-prince and the Diocese of Norwich by Bishop Hart Sisters of St. Joseph reorganized their community and were required to divest the sponsorship of Hospice St. Joseph, the Diocese of Norwich assumed the sponsorship. This was due to the strong relationship that developed between the two organization in Haiti from the start, strengthened by the activity of Fr. Gerry Kirby, Sr. Ellen Flynn and others. The organizations continued to run separately. HM programs focused on education, twinning, hospitality and immersion trips. HSJ programs focused on Healthcare, hospitality, and education. January 12, Devastating earthquake hits Haiti, centered on Port-au-Prince where HM and HSJ are located. Facilities of both organizations were largely destroyed In December, HSJ and HM merged to form Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti. Dennis Petruzzi was the first Director Fr. Frank Rouleau assigned by Bishop Cote as Chaplain and Twinning Director. All programs of the two merged entities have been continued. Fall Capital Campaign to rebuild the clinic and mission house is started, original target is $300,000. $220,000 raised in Capital Campaign as of , but target raised to $425, Board meets in Haiti in October

3 Historical Facts This is a brief listing of highlights of our journey in Haiti over the last 30+ years...with apologies to the many people that have made significant contributions, but have not been listed due to length or poor recordkeeping Activity in the Diocese of Norwich started with an immersion trip to Haiti led by Bishop Reilly, with Monsignor James Carini Exploration of a commitment to Haiti continued in the US and with trips to Haiti. In 1985, the Diocese of Norwich decided to make a long-term, faith-based commitment to the people of Haiti. Fr. Carini spent many months in Haiti, exploring where the Diocesan presence should be located Office Of Haitian Ministries (HM) officially formed in the fall. First Director was Sr. Marilyn Canning, RSM. Work immediately began to develop a permanent presence in Haiti in the next two years Norwich Mission House opened in the summer on Delmas #60 in Petion-Ville Hospice St. Joseph (HSJ) founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Tipton, Indiana, and the Diocese of Lafayette Indiana, then under the leadership of The Most Reverend William L. Higi in the Christ Roi neighborhood of Port-au-Prince Sr. Ann Weller, CSJ was the founding director of HSJ. Sr. Ellen Flynn, RSM served with her for 13 years Fr. Gerry Kirby was appointed by Bishop Reilly as his Personal Representative to Haiti, and served in Haiti for 12 years. My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Bishop s Message It is with great joy that I give thanks to Almighty God and commend Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti on its 30 th anniversary of ministry to the Port-au-Prince Archdiocese with which we are twinned. I think back to the vision of Bishop Daniel Reilly and his collaborators who went to Haiti initially to explore how we as a Diocese could be in solidarity with our Haitian brothers and sisters. I think of all those through the years-staff, members of the Board of Directors, volunteers, and the generous donors that make it possible all have worked building up the body of Christ (Eph.4:12) in Haiti. I think back to the Apostolic Exhortation of St. John Paul II Ecclesia in America: The Church is the sign of communion because her members, like branches, share the life of Christ, the true vine (cf. Jn. 15:5). This communion, present in the Church and essential to her nature, must be made visible in concrete signs. Pope Francis, with his focus on poverty and social injustice, also talks about concrete actions. In imitation of our Master, we Christians are called to confront the poverty of our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical steps to alleviate it. This ministry has achieved solidarity with the Haitian people in the areas of Port-au-Prince where it is located, and in the many parishes with twinning relationships. While this anniversary is a time to celebrate what has been accomplished, and those who have accomplished it, it is also a time to look ahead and rededicate ourselves to this effort. Please join me in thanking God for all the blessings and good things that have come about in Haiti and here in Norwich because of our Diocesan involvement there. Let us pray for the continuing success of this important ministry. Sincerely yours in Christ, Most Reverend Michael R. Cote, D.D. Bishop of Norwich

4 Most Reverend Daniel P. Reilly, D.D. Born in Providence, Rhode Island on May 12th 1928, Bishop Reilly is one of nine children. His parents were the late Mr. & Mrs. Francis E. Reilly. He attended St. Michael s Parish school in Providence, Our Lady of Providence Seminary in Warwick and went on to the Grand Seminaire in St. Brieuc, France. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 30th 1953, in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter & Paul in Providence, RI. He was named Bishop of the Diocese of Norwich, Connecticut on June 17th 1975 and was ordained & installed as Bishop of Norwich on August 6th 1975 at the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich. Bishop Reilly has held many posts in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Chairman of the International Policy Committee. He also served as Chairman of Catholic Relief Service, along with his pastoral duties, which took him to many parts of the world; Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Central and South America, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eastern Europe, Haiti, Poland and Cuba. He served on the writing committee for the U.S. Bishops conference letter on nuclear weapons: The Challenge of Peace. Bishop Reilly was on the initial trip to Haiti in 1982 and formed the committee to explore what role the Diocese should take in Haiti. He encouraged and supported the work of the committee for the next several years, ultimately forming Haitian Ministry as an official ministry of the Diocese in Norwich Diocese Twinnings Parish/Organization/Haitian Twin Sacred Heart, Groton/St. Pierre, Grand Bois St. John the Evangelist, Uncasville/La Maison L'Arc-en-Ciel Orphanage St. Mark the Evangelist, Westbrook/Notre Dame de Lourdes, Citi-Militaire St. Mary, Coventry/Notre Dame de la Presentation, Les Palmes St. Matthew, Tolland/St. Pierre, Ganthier Church of the Holy Family, Hebron/Immaculate Concepcion, Fonds-Baptiste Mercy High School, Middletown/Foyer des Filles de Dieu Diocese of Norwich, Norwich/Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince St. Thomas Aquinas, Storrs/Ecole Agape, Lilavois Other Connecticut Twins Sacred Heart, Southbury/Notre Dame, Grand Boulage St. Elizabeth Seton, Rocky Hill/St. Anne- Saintaard Other Twins Outreach to Haiti Programs Education Sponsorship Health Clinic in Christ Roi Parish Twinning Program Hospitality/ Immersion Trips Northwoods cluster, WI/St. Genevieve clinic, Zoranje Church of the Gesu, Milw. WI/St. Jude, Mon Opital Our Lady of Lourdes, Milw. WI/Norwich Mission House St. Anthony, Renton, WA/St. Anne, Hyacinthe

5 Dennis & Sue Petruzzi Dennis & Sue first visited Haiti and Hospice St. Joseph in They have been involved with HSJ and then Outreach to Haiti since that time. Dennis & Sue were both members of the original Board of HSJ. Dennis served as the Interim Director of OTH at the time of the merger while Sue served as a volunteer on both the education and Artisan program committees. Dennis currently volunteers on the finances of OTH and Sue continues to work on the education and Artisan programs. They were drawn to Haiti looking to understand the realities of the developing world and looking for a way to become involved as part of the gospel challenge. They stayed committed to OTH because of the need they observed and they saw that OTH made a difference in the lives of individuals the mission touched both in Haiti and the U.S - and ultimately the impact it made in their own life. One of the happy memories Dennis and Sue remembers of their tenure with OTH was when Dennis would attempt to speak Kreyole with his Haitian friends. Sue learned that the Kreyole word for drunk sounded like, Sue, so whenever she is introduced in Haiti she would sometimes get a puzzled look. For several years Dennis & Sue have seen OTH struggle to be in a position of growth, to become a self-sustaining program. This trend is getting much better and they hope that it continues. In their own words Our dream is one day the people whom we serve will not need Outreach to Haiti. Reverend Monsignor James P. Carini Retired priest of the Diocese of Norwich (and former Pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Tolland, CT), Monsignor Carini was one of the 30 participant/travelers who made the First Immersion trip to Haiti. There was a lot going on in his life at the time Msgr. Carini made that first Diocesan Trip to Haiti led by Bishop Reilly on February 16-23, Msgr. Carini saw Haiti was a very important symbol of the Lord s invitation to enter a world of poverty. In his own words When I first encountered the poverty of Haiti, I had two distinct feelings within me. First, I wanted to leave as fast as I could to get away from it. And, at the same time, I felt called to enter into it more fully. It was an invitation from the Lord not unlike what I had experienced in Norwich with the poor there. After the Immersion Trip, Msgr. Carini helped organize the follow-up trips from the Norwich Diocese in 1983 & They set-up a Task Force where he was chosen to spend more time in Haiti to investigate how the Diocese might develop a greater presence there. Msgr. Carini lived in Haiti from January to May 1985 where he traveled throughout the country meeting various missionaries, bishops, local and international organizations. In 1987 the Diocese established a house in Port-au-Prince at 60 Delmas. Msgr. Carini has maintained his involvement in Haiti since that time, most recently through the twinning of St. Matthews Parish with St. Pierre in Gauthier, Haiti.

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