RENOUVEAU CATHOLIQUE EN HAITI

CARDINAL CHILBY LANGLOIS

Here are the impressions of Ms Elisabeth Fantal who attended the ceremony of the new Haitian cardinal at the Vatican, Rome, Italy in the beginning of March 2014. Ms Fantal lives in Boston, Mass

Cardinal Langlois is a kind, humble, loving man with a very soft spot for the poor, and an advocate for peace. This is way before he ever knew he could become a cardinal. From when he started as a priest, became a bishop, we have not heard any unpleasant remark about him. All we hear is: he always live a simple life.

 He is very concerned about our retired priest who has no one to turn to after giving their whole youth, their whole life in public service. As you might know yourself, a priest in a parish in Haiti is usually responsible for not only the church he is based at, but also feeding the  community, providing water, locomotion and even creating road and maintain them. The most common break they have is when they are sent to serve as missionary in different part of the world.

 Most of them after their mission away here in America or elsewhere, returned home with no income, no healthcare benefits, no pension, or life savings. They are mostly waiting for a helping hand if it comes and when it comes to them. The only difference is the fact they are not waiting on street's corner, but it's not impossible. That is Cardinal Chibly Langlois' main concern. 

Anyway, I have only spoken to him in three occasions, not for long, but I could see in him humility, genuine love for the poor, and a peace maker.

I have assisted to a couple of his sermon, once at St Ann in Somerville MA when he was a bishop, and at his first mass as a cardinal with the Haitian community in Rome Italy.