Diocese continues active response to serve local Haitian community

BOB REDDY | FC
Haitian parishioners at St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Naples gather for a prayer service Jan. 20.

BOB REDDY | FLORIDA CATHOLIC STAFF

Posted: 1.31.10

VENICE | The Diocese of Venice has been active in its response to the disaster in Haiti by acting as a trusted conduit for people who wanted to help financially and by providing counseling services to those who are grieving their losses.

These actions are just the first in what will be a broader effort by the Diocese of Venice and Catholic Charities to help those people impacted locally and in Haiti.

The initial effort was to take a special collection in all Diocesan parishes on the weekend of Jan. 16-17. A link on the Diocesan Web site was also established for people to make secure donations directly to the relief effort. People can continue to mail in donations through the Diocese. This money will go to fund immediate relief efforts to help meet the needs of basic necessities such as water, food and medicine.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane said the money will be funneled primarily through Catholic Charities, which has a strong presence in Haiti, to help the most people possible.

“The generosity of the people of the Diocese of Venice is unquestioned,” Bishop Dewane said. “While our brothers and sisters in Haiti continue to suffer through this terrible tragedy, we are all doing what we can to help through charitable donations and through prayer.”

Catholic Charities is providing legal counseling for Haitian immigrants who are seeking Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through the U.S. Department of Immigration. TPS permits nationals of a designated nation living in the United States to reside here legally and qualify for work authorization. The TPS designation is based upon a determination that an extraordinary and temporary condition (such as a natural disaster) exists in a nation and that the return of that country’s nationals would further destabilize the nation and potentially bring harm to those returned.

Catholic Charities Legal Adviser Debbie Satyal spoke to a group at St. Peter the Apostle Parish on Jan. 20 to explain the process each person must go through to be approved and allowed to remain in the U.S. for an additional 18 months. Satyal said the process will take time, but it is important to apply with the help of an attorney.

Diocese Catholic Charities Chief Executive Officer Peter Routsis-Arroyo said legal services will be available at each office which already has an immigration attorney. Catholic Charities is also providing mental health counselors at its offices and in parishes with large Haitian congregations to help the community cope with what it is facing.

Routsis-Arroyo said Catholic Charities has a strong presence within the Haitian communities in Immokalee, Fort Myers, Naples, Bradenton and Wauchula.

“We will use our contacts in the community to help people in the Diocese get the support they need while also aiding them in any way possible,” he said.

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