St. Genevieve Parish, Zoranje, Haiti

Zoranje (in Creole) or Orangers (in French)

From the teeming city of Port au Prince, the capital and largest city of Haiti, to St. Genevieve parish, on the mountainous inland plateau of Zoranje, is a distance not merely measured in miles. The roads leading into the mountains from the coastal plain are  frightening much of the time, treacherous always. Many members of the parish have never seen a paved road although they know that Haiti’s largest city is less than fifty miles away.

Unlike the vast majority of the land in Haiti, the parish of St. Genevieve is located in a fertile plateau and shows little sign of the deforestation that plagues most of the country.  Topsoil and tropical vegetation have been  preserved and this enables  residents to grow fruits and vegetables.

To Visit Zoranje, Haiti click here for GoogleEarth
(Setting for degrees, minutes, seconds)
Latitude 18°45'34.83"N
Longitude 72°16'46.67"W
Elevation 1798 ft

In the United States when we think of a parish we are thinking of one church.  In Haiti though a parish is usually the main church with several smaller chapels in the remote areas.  In this structure there are also “stations” these are smaller areas where people would gather to pray and worship.  A station may not have a permanent structure.  As a station grows in size it would then be designated as a chapel.  St. Genevieve’s Parish started off as a chapel of St. Therese in Lillivois. 

On June 24, 2003, St. Genevieve was officially founded as an independent parish.  Fr. Frixner Jean Francios was appointed the first pastor by Archbishop Miot on September 6, 2003.  The parish consist of the main church in Zoranje (St. Genevieve), three chapels: Nway (Holy Family), Mononville (St. John the Baptist) and Tapion(St. Joseph ), and two stations: Tifonol and Michel. Fr. Frixner would be responsible for all of these places.  There are also people who live in these areas who would be the leader of that particular chapel or station.

At the present time there are four schools in the parish, one at the main church in Zoranje, St. Genevieve (400 students and 10 teachers) which we are currently helping to support, two at the chapels in Mononville, St. John the Baptist (100 students and 3 teachers) and in Nway, Holy Family (90 students and 2 teachers) and one at the station in Tifonol (90 students and 2 teachers).

The church is a plain, tin roofed structure, which, like all of the homes in the parish, lacks electricity and water. However, the community that worships in this church does not lack for expressive spirituality and quiet dignity. Sunday Mass is celebrated with much enthusiasm and great joy. St. Genevieve is the focal point of this agrarian society.

Fr. Frixner, the pastor, describes himself as the servant to the people and he treats his parishioners with great kindness and respect. His parishioners are poor. They lack proper nutrition and have no access to medical or dental services. Plumbing is nonexistent and disease and infection are a daily challenge. There are no kitchens in the homes and all cooking is done over outdoor fires.

Basic literacy is not commonplace. Only some of the children have the funds to pay the tuition to come to elementary school and there is no high school in Zoranje. The school itself is located just behind St. Genevieve Church and has only two walls, no desks and few books. The enthusiastic teachers are   limited by lack of basic instructional supplies but have the benefit of students who see school not as a right but as a privilege.  Uniforms are worn and children  reflect their parents’ belief in the  absolute importance of education.

Religion is an essential part of life for the parishioners of St. Genevieve. The congregation takes a central role in the celebration of the Mass. Young and old voices, ceremonial dancing, heartfelt readings and lengthy and challengin homilies shape and  solidify the liturgy.

In a country where deprivation is readily apparent and poverty the norm, it is uplifting to see such a commitment to the spiritual. Despite natural disasters, political and social turmoil and the daily struggle for existence, the people of St. Genevieve continue to say,  “ Bondye bon!”  “God is good!”