St. Malachy Haiti Mission Brings Twinning Parishes Together

After 26 years of serving at the St. Malachy Haiti Mission, Sheila Zielinski reflects on how, in many ways, the people in Haiti are not so different from us.

“They have the same hopes and dreams that we have,” says Sheila, Haiti Mission Coordinator. “They care deeply about their families and their faith life. They want education and clean food and water. I am struck by the generosity and the beauty of the people of Haiti.”

Approximately 700 miles from Florida lies the island of Hispaniola. Two different nations share this island, with the Dominican Republic on the east and Haiti on the west.

In the early 1990s, St. Malachy in Brownsburg, Ind., became part of a twinning parish program and paired with Ste. Marguerite in Port Margot, Haiti.

“Shortly afterward we began thinking about what it means to be a twinning parish,” Sheila says. “We sent four members from our parish to Haiti to understand what the parish needed and how we can help and support each other.”

On this initial trip, the faith community members ascertained that one of the biggest needs of the community was medical help. Sheila became one of the team members on the first medical mission to Haiti in 1996.

“And I have been going every year ever since,” Sheila says. “As a nurse with medical experience, this is something that I can do to contribute. I can use the skills God has given me, and I have really enjoyed doing it.”

Every year a team visits the parish and community in Haiti, and how many volunteers go on the trip depends upon the year and the community’s needs at that time. Usually, the trips are approximately a week long and take place in June or in October.

“We’ve been visiting Haiti annually until recently because of the coronavirus, and we haven’t been able to travel this past year,” Sheila says. “How often we go changes from year to year. During the cholera epidemic, there was such a need, and we went several times a year.”

A typical day at the Haiti mission begins with daily Mass around 6:30 a.m. followed by breakfast. Then the workday starts, and what activities volunteers do during the day varies with the gifts and talents of the individuals on the trip.

“What we do depends upon the composition of the team,” Sheila says. “They have a water program, and many people go to work on the water systems. People spend time in the clinic and others spend time in the schools.”

There are two separate Catholic schools under the same parish. St. Joseph School has about 1,500 students and St. Theresa has around a thousand students

“In Haiti, they have 13 years of education instead of 12 years like we have in the primary and secondary American education system,” Sheila says. “There are always needs in the school.”

Sheila herself spends much of her time while in Haiti in the clinic working with patients and assisting with medical care.

“Typically, a large part of the group works in the medical clinic,” Sheila says. “A lot of the things they struggle with are basic needs.”

St. Philip Neri’s partnership with St. Malachy and the Haiti Mission began through Lynda Curry, the parish’s current Business Manager, who was previously the Business Manager at St. Malachy. When she moved to the area, she brought the connection to St. Malachy and the mission with her.

There are so many ways of supporting the St. Malachy Haiti Mission, including sponsoring students and offerings prayers. People are welcome to participate in mission trips to Haiti. The cost is approximately $1,200 depending upon airfare prices, and once on the ground, volunteers stay at the parish.

“Your prayers and support are always welcome,” Sheila says. “If you do go to Haiti, you really get to know your team and the nuns there very well on these trips. The nuns are wonderful!”

Hopefully volunteers will be traveling again to Haiti soon to be present with the faith community members of Ste. Marguerite.

“We’re so appreciative of your prayers and your involvement, and it is wonderful to partner with you,” Sheila says. “When we go to Haiti next depends upon what happens with international travel, but I am hopeful that by October we’ll be able to travel safely if people have been vaccinated.”

If you would like more information about the St. Malachy Haiti Mission, please reach out to Sheila Zielinski at pzielinski@iquest.net or 317-372-8060.

Young students at Ste. Theresa School

Volunteers at the St. Malachy Haiti Mission

Ste. Marguerite Church in Port Margot, Haiti

St. Malachy Medical Clinic, managed by the Servants of Mary