Broken Wings: St. Joseph's Family of Homes

Haiti was established as the first black republican country in the world in 1804 following a successful slave revolt against their French rulers. However, throughout their entire history, Haiti has not experienced a peaceful society with many coups and disruptions, both man-made and natural.

As a result, Haiti is now in economic ruin. It is estimated that by the year 2015, the population of Haiti will be close to 10,000,000 people. It is the now most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere. 43% of the country's population is under the age of 15. It is a country filled with children and too few adults to provide adequate care. Many children end up fending for themselves on the streets of major cities like Port au Prince.

A long-term dream (turned reality) for Trinity House is the opening of a coffee roasting business -- St. Joe's Java. One of the home's young men ventures into the Haitian hills every year to purchase coffee beans at fair trade prices. They then roast the beans which are used to make coffee for the guests at St. Joesph's Guest Home, with some being sold to visitors.

As deforestation continues to be a problem in Haiti, and coffee bean production requires shade, it is hoped that the effort of Trinity Hosue and encouragement to the coffee farmers will result in less deforestation taking place.

In an effort to employ children when they graduate from the homes, a long standing dream is the creation of a bakery at Trinity House. The space is ready but finding the equipment to set up the bakery has been a challenge. Friends from the United States and Canada continue to search.......

When Fransique, a graduate of St. Joseph's and a worker at Trinity House would come to work in the morning, he noticed many children who could not afford to go to school. He decided that Trinity House should reach out to the poorest of the poor in the Jacmel community. It started off as a little daycare set up in the dining room at Trinity House. Then as more and more children began to come, it was decided that a second floor at Trinity House would be dedicated to Lekol Sen Trinite. The children moved into the partially constructed school in 2008, and by the fall of 2009, 75 students had been enrolled.

Trinity House was established when, once again, the young men of St. Joseph's wanted to reach out to their community. This time, the young men decided to open a second home for street children in the community of Jacmel. Trinity House is home to about 16 children from the streets under the leadership of Melchi - a child who grew up in the St. Joseph's Home. It is hoped that one day there will be guestroom facilities at Trinity House, but at present other projects seem more pressing.

A few years ago, St. Joseph's Family purchased the home adjacent to St. Joseph's. Presently under the last stages of renovations, the building has become the St. Joseph's Community Art Center, designed to reach out to the community by providing a space where neighboring children can experience training in the arts.

Seeking to be more independent and to not have to survive on donations alone, Michael established the St. Joseph's Guest Home, opening St. Joseph's to travelers and guests for a very reasonable price, again teaching his children of the world and caring for others. Over the years, many guests have stayed and were made to feel very welcomed by the children who live at the home.

In Haiti, children with physical or mental challenges are sometimes considered to be manifestations of evil spirits. During a violent phase in Haiti's recent history, the women who ran a home for disabled children feared for their own safety and decided to return to their home country. They looked for someone to take over their home, but when do one would, they canvassed all the homes for children in the area, asking if they would take one child each. The only home to respond was St. Joseph's.

Michael thought it would be a good learning experience for his new family to grow up with a child with disabilities. However, when they went to the home, the boys accompanying Michael decided that they should not only care for one child, they should take over the entire home and care for them all. Wings of Hope was born.

In time, Michael discovered that these wonderful children lacked self-esteem because of their difficult lives prior to coming to St. Joseph's. In an attempt to foster their sense of well being, accomplishment, and to provide a method of expression, Michael turned to the arts - eventually establishing The Resurrection Dance Theatre of Haiti.

On January 31, 1985, Michael Geilenfeld, a former Brother with Mother Theresa's Brothers of Charity, with $1,000 in hand, rented a small four-room house and offered a home and a Christian family lifestyle to five boys that were then living in the streets of Haiti. St. Joseph's Family of Homes was established.

His hope was that these youngsters would learn the value of family, education and the importance of independently caring for oneself while at the same time searching out opportunities to serve others.