ROME: 14th January 2010 -- General news services and regular
updates from ANS as soon as 'inside' news has come available, has kept
confreres as up-to-date as is possible on the general and Salesian
front, but Fr Klement, as Missions Councillor, has asked every possible
agency, including austraLasia, to ensure that information gets through
and possibilities for helping - and even more importantly, ways of
doing so, are broadcast. In the US, which is running the relief
effort on behalf of the Salesian Society worldwide, the Salesian relief
effort has been given place in the 'first five' of such efforts by
Catholic Aid Agencies in the country, an acknowledgement of the
worldwide resources that we can bring to bear on the situation.
And these resources are pouring in. One
Province in the region (the geographical region in which Haiti is
located) has already donated a substantial five figure sum, just to
give an indicator.
What is the current situation amidst a set of
circumstances where hard fact flow is very, very difficult? (every
means is being used including contacts via nearby Santo Domingo,
FaceBook, voicemail....). We know that 85 year old Bro Hubert
Sanon died and that the Rector of the same institute at Enam was
seriously injured. A third Salesian, initially presumed dead or
seriosuly injured, was eventually extracted from the collapsed
building. But some 200 youngsters were in the building also and
many of these are feared dead. Keep following ANS to pick up
whatever news we can find on that situation. ANS has also
reported that two young Salesians were at the University at the time
and had not been located. As news comes through about them, you
will find it in ANS.
The Salesians began in Haiti in 1936 and just ten
years later, Bro Hubert Sanon was the first professed Haitian Salesian
Brother. Since then Salesian work in Haiti has developed under the
difficult circumstances of that country and runs some of its finest
educational and social work institutions. There are also Haitian
Salesians abroad either studying or in at least one case as a
missionary (Fr Jacky Doyen in Istanbul). Spare a thought for these men
who, if even the best of Salesian resources and efforts are struggling
to get accurate news, are understandably under enormous emotional
pressure without knowing what has become of family and friends.
The coordinated effort of Salesian Mission and
development Offices worldwide is focused on New Rochelle. Hans
Jurgen-Doerrich from Bonn is there to help Fr Mark Hyde and his team
with the Salesian Missions Emergency Relief Team.
A special bank account has been set up for wire
transfers:
Citibank
Don Bosco Relief
Account Number: 9959015692
Swift: CITIUS33
ABA number: 021000089
_________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
.
Use Bosconet-wiki
to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on
austraLasia
2009 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser
address bar - add it from there. Or be interactive with the EAO blog Cetera Tolle. Avail
yourself of the Salesian
Digital
Library
at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2573
Subject and key words:
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2573
