Our Mission

The island stretches for 20 miles. Because of the location of this Island from the north shore of Port de Paix, it is a tremendous undertaking to travel to the island.

Times are extremely difficult for them. Everything must be brought out to the island, which means they must pay for someone to transport food, clothing, housing and parish materials, etc. The priests must pay for transportation to and from the mainland to the island.

The priests on the Island de la Tortue do not receive a salary from the Diocese of Port de Paix. The villages on the Island are quite poor, so it is extremely important that the priests receive our assistance.

October 2024 - 19th Anniversary of Our Twinning

In October 2005, our Parish Council voted to become a twinned parish with Notre Dame de la Nativite on the Isle de la Tortue, Haiti. We made a commitment to support one malnourished priest, who was the only priest on the 20-mile-long island.

Fr. Raymond Kuper, our pastor at the time, authorized that a yellow envelope be included with the monthly envelopes, which are still being used by some members of our parish.

We have been able to faithfully send generous donations to our twinned Haitian Parish every quarter for the past 19 years. Your prayers and donations have helped to ease the burdens for the priests, who have committed to serving the hundreds of people living on the island. In fact, God has taken your prayers and donations to a higher level. Instead of assisting one priest, we are now assisting 4 priests there.

We now share our donations with...

• Fr. Wilson Elucien, pastor of Notre Dame de Nativite Parish; 
• Fr. Emanes Lauriston, hospital administrator; 
• a priest who serves Sacred Heart Church on the East end of the island;
• another priest who serves St. Theresa Church on the West end; and 
• 3 sisters from the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Theresa, who are nurses at the hospital.

Each quarter for the past couple of year, we have wired $7,000 to be dispersed by the Pastor of our twinning parish:

• Notre Dame de la Nativite - $3,000
• Hospital Administrator - $1,500
• Nurses at the Hospital (Sisters) - $500
• East End Priest - $1,000
• West End Priest - $1,000

Countless blessings have been provided to the priests and communities living on the island. From East to West, the priests are able to celebrate Mass each day in their parishes.

Many projects have been completed: maintenance on the churches and hospital; solar panels and batteries; cisterns for water; toilets provided at the church; Catechist training and catechetical materials; retreats; food distribution; transportation to/from the island and transporting supplies from Port de Paix to the island.

The last major project was recently completed at Notre Dame de la Nativite: A beautiful grotto to house the stature of Our Blessed Mother and an area for private and group meditation and prayer.

Thank you, Holy Rosary, for serving the poorest of the poor. Please remember to keep our brothers and sisters in Haiti in your prayers.

Father Wilsonne Elucien, Administrator
Diocèse de Port-de-Paix
Paroisse Notre Dame de La Nativité
Latortue, Haut-Palmiste