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<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nPHILADELPHIA \u2014 Haitian Catholics in Philadelphia are marking a half century of faith and fellowship, amid Trump administration crackdowns on immigration, uncertainty about current deportation protections and ongoing gang violence in Haiti.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s 50 years of determination, 50 years of challenge, 50 years of faith,\u201d said Father Eug\u00e8ne Almonor, an Oblate of Mary Immaculate and chaplain of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia\u2019s Haitian Catholic Community<\/a>.<\/p>\n Father Almonor spoke with OSV News ahead of an Oct. 17 Mass honoring the community\u2019s golden anniversary at St. William Parish in Northeast Philadelphia, home to one of two \u201cbranches\u201d \u2014 north and west \u2014 of the archdiocese\u2019s Haitian Catholics.<\/p>\n The liturgy, which drew a congregation of some 350 and several concelebrants, took place on the death date of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, one of the key leaders of the Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) and that nation\u2019s first emperor.<\/p>\n During the Mass \u2014 with its prayers in French, Haitian Creole and English \u2014 an image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, named patroness of Haiti by Pope Pius XII in 1942, was displayed before the altar.<\/p>\n The Marian devotion holds profound significance for Haitians, who credit Mary\u2019s intercession with the abatement of an 1882 smallpox epidemic. Her protection was also invoked by Pope Benedict XVI following a 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti. The devotion\u2019s June 27 feast day is prominently celebrated throughout Haiti and among the Haitian diaspora.<\/p>\n The Mass included a liturgical dance honoring Mary\u2019s Magnificat \u2014 her song of praise found in Lk 1:46-55 \u2014 as well as a post-Communion presentation at her altar of a candle marked \u201c50,\u201d with the flame transferred from similar candles borne by community elders to the youth.<\/p>\n In its welcome message for the Mass, which was printed in the liturgy\u2019s worship aid, the Philadelphia Haitian Catholic community said the celebration \u201cmust awaken\u201d a \u201csense of fraternal duty\u201d among Haitians living in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWe find ourselves in the midst of struggle with ourselves and confronted by an enemy determined to prevail at any cost, disregarding the most basic principles and seeking to strip us of our humanity,\u201d said the committee, urging faith, fraternity and trust in Mary\u2019s intercession.<\/p>\n \u201cWe cannot just stay in the dark,\u201d Marie Vidala Moise, a key lay leader in the Philadelphia Haitian Catholic community, told OSV News.<\/p>\n Echoing Father Almonor, she recounted how the community began in 1976 \u2014 the same year as the U.S. bicentennial \u2014 at a West Philadelphia home owned by a Haitian family surnamed Cantave, with Haitian Catholics gathering for prayer, faith sharing and a sense of family.<\/p>\n \u201cWe started with a couple of people who talked about having a prayer group at somebody\u2019s house,\u201d said Moise.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Catholic faith of Haiti found a home in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia through the charity and love of one Haitian family,\u201d said Sister Gertrude Borres, a member of the Religious of the Assumption and director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia\u2019s Office for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees.<\/p>\n The growing community was recognized by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and in 1977 was first housed at the former Most Blessed Sacrament Parish, where it remained until 1986.<\/p>\n Over the years, Philadelphia\u2019s Haitian Catholics have called several parishes home, with the community now based at St. William Parish and St. Barbara Parish, both in Philadelphia and forming, respectively, the \u201cnorth\u201d and \u201cwest\u201d branches owing to their locations in the city.<\/p>\n But, said Father Almonor, the two branches form \u201cone community,\u201d with Haitian Catholics from both joining for various celebrations throughout the year in addition to their regular Sunday Masses at the two churches.<\/p>\n Now, that faith and unity have become even more critical as the Trump administration seeks to expel hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, as part of a mass deportation and immigration restriction campaign.<\/a><\/p>\n Created by Congress as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS provides deportation protections for those from Homeland Security-designated countries experiencing ongoing crises, such as war and environmental disasters.<\/p>\n More than 330,000 Haitians had TPS protection as of 2025 due to Haiti\u2019s multiyear polycrises of gang-driven conflict, political instability, natural disasters and disease.<\/p>\n While the Trump administration granted TPS extensions Oct. 18 for nationals from Ukraine and Sudan, Haitian TPS beneficiaries now face deportation following a Supreme Court decision allowing the end of the designation for Haiti as well as Syria.<\/p>\n Those expulsions come despite grave warnings from immigration advocates and Catholic leaders \u2014 including Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, whose archdiocese is home to an extensive Haitian community<\/a> \u2014 about the dire conditions in Haiti.<\/p>\n The U.S. Department of State has issued a level 4 \u201cdo not travel\u201d advisory regarding Haiti, urging U.S. citizens not to travel there \u201cfor any reason\u201d due to \u201ccrime, terrorism, kidnapping, unrest, and limited health care.\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Father Almonor \u2014 now a U.S. citizen who serves at St. William Parish \u2014 told OSV News that asking someone \u201cto return to Haiti is exposing your life\u201d to danger.<\/p>\n He himself has been unable to travel to visit family in Haiti for some time.<\/p>\n Speaking to OSV News Oct. 16, Father Almonor said the Haitian Catholics he serves \u201ccontinue to come to Mass,\u201d but \u201ccontinue to be vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\nDevotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help<\/h3>\n
<\/a>From a home to a community<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Faith in the face of deportation fears<\/h3>\n