St. Thomas Aquinas Haiti Committee

March 2026

We are CALLED by Christ to come together and form community, to support each other, and to build up the kingdom.  And we are also SENT into the world to make a difference in the lives of others.  The ministry to support our sister parish in Belle-Rivière allows us in one small way to do this.

The Twinning Relationship between St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and St. Jean Marie Vianney in Belle-Rivière, Haiti, began in 1990 with the visit of Joe and Sharel Zelenka to Belle-Rivière, Haiti.

In April 1990 the STA Parish Council approved the twinning program through PTPA, Parish Twinning Program of the Americas.  We sent the first of several medical mission teams to Belle-Rivière in 1995 and annually through 2011.

Today we pay to transport a doctor and dentist to Belle-Rivière twice a month so the people have access to regular medical/dental care.

We also support their Pre-K through Grade 13 school by paying teachers and providing the 723 student lunches.  An additional 233 National School students are part of the lunch program.

The students in the St. Thomas Aquinas school have had an annual fundraiser to support our sister parish.  One day the Haiti committee served a meal of rice and beans to the students. Rice and beans – the lunch of the Haitian children every day.

Access to clean water is also an issue in Haiti that we have helped address by helping to dig wells and providing a water-filtration system for over 1,200 homes.  We work with another group that provides aquatabs for a filtration system for the homes.  We pay stipends for technicians to monitor the systems regularly.

The Haiti Committee previously had an annual collection of clothing, school supplies, and other items that the people of Haiti had difficulty getting.  These materials were boxed and shipped via a sea container to Port-au-Prince (capital).  With the Haitian government collapse and the insecurity in the country, we have not been able to do this since 2022.  We pray that this will change in the future.

Once a month our STA community sings a song after Communion in the Creole language of our Haitian sisters and brothers, O Lespri Sens [O Holy Spirit].  As we pray for them, they pray for us.

O Holy Spirit, descend on us; we have a mission for Haiti.

O Holy Spirit, descend on us; we have a mission for the earth.

Once a month on Outreach Weekends after the 10:30 am Sunday Mass, Haitian coffee and donuts are served.

The budget we support is illustrated in the pie chart below.  Funds are sent monthly via wire transfer and nearly 100% of donations go to the programs we designate.

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And here is how far a dollar goes:

$30 Kindergarten thru Grade 5 teacher stipend for 1 week OR 1 student lunch for 1 year
$120 Principal or Grade 6 teacher pay for 1 month OR salary of a water technician for 1 month
$240 Lunch for 956 students for 1 day OR medicine in the clinic for 1 month
$500 Parish church support and maintenance for 1 month
$600 Grade 7-13 teacher stipends (27 teachers) for 1 week
$830
 Support for a doctor and dentist to come 4 days a month

You can make recurring donations via the online-giving portal (see “ACS Login” on the STA home page) or via the second collection that is taken each month on Outreach Weekends.

If you would like to join the committee, we meet on the second Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the Bethany Room or parish conference room.   Contact Mark Varnau or Fred Chandler if interested in attending. (Sometimes meetings get cancelled or time changed.)

If you have a Facebook account, you can follow us, Haiti Connection-STA Indy.

Thank you for your prayers and continued support of our sister parish, St. Jean-Marie Vianney, in Belle-Rivière, Haiti.