To build a long term, solidarity-based relationship between St Dominic and Mont Carmel parishes, that strengthens our faith and challenges us to cooperative action. For the short term, our efforts are focused on providing the resources necessary to help Mont Carmel develop their parish and to support their pressing needs. The long term objective is to help create conditions where Mont Carmel parish can achieve a degree of self-reliance and ultimately have the dignity of providing for themselves and their families.
Here at St Dominic, our objective is to “put a face” on Catholic mission work by actively engaging with St Dominic school and reinforcing the message of service above self.
As the children at St Dominic school have been taught for years, “God has no hands but ours”!

The Parish is located in a very poor rural area in the southern peninsula of Haiti, home to approximately 4000 people who depend largely on a subsistence-based agricultural lifestyle. At the inception of our Ministry in 2015, Mont Carmel campus consisted of a small church, two modest school buildings and a rectory. The school serves more than 300 students, primarily in the lower grades.

Our Ministry action plan is composed of three ongoing activities: Operational Support, Program Initiatives and Capital Improvements
  Operational Support – Since financial assistance from the Haiti Archdiocese is minimal, our Ministry contributes significantly to the operational costs of the Parish. We currently subsidize the salaries of the teachers, administrators and service staff of the school, as well as the ongoing maintenance and operating costs of the campus facilities. In addition, we have established a Hot Lunch Program for the school, ensuring that every student receives a nutritious hot lunch every school day.
  Program Initiatives – Consists of targeted programs which help support the parish, and ideally create more self-sustainable conditions there. Our “Goat Program” has been a big success -   consisting of buying goats for Mont Carmel families, allowing them to breed the goats and then returning two of the goats back to the Parish to be given to another family.  The St Dominic schoolchildren have really embraced the program over the years, each year raising thousands of dollars for new goats.
 Capital Improvements – The facilities at Mont Carmel were in deplorable condition when we started the Ministry in 2015. Since that time, we have completed a major renovation of the Church and Sacristy; completed two new Classroom Buildings and Restroom Facilities for the school; constructed a new Kitchen in support of the Hot Lunch Program; and a renovated Rectory building. With new facilities in place, Mont Carmel school has expanded to more than 350 students!

For more information or to get involved, contact Mark Ripple at 504-616-7144 or [email protected].