St. Pierre parish,
Baradères, Haiti
Sister parish of St. John the Baptist, Silver
Spring, Md.
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However, even in the midst of frustration comes that bright moment of hope and satisfaction. Just before we left Baradères, Jim De Quattro, a member of our team, called us all into the “computer room” of the Collège de St. Jean Baptiste. The room’s concrete block walls were unpainted and smelled slightly of wet cement. The concrete floor was bare and dusty. There were electrical outlets evenly spaced on the walls around the room and there were light fixtures in the ceiling but no light bulbs. A single old, metal desk sat in the middle of the room surrounded by Fr. Gattereau and some of the teachers. On the desk was a computer that we shipped down last October. Jim had just installed the hard drives that he had carried down on this trip. “Watch this”, Jim said. The room fell silent except for the dull rumble of an electric generator just outside in the courtyard. Jim flicked a switch. Soon the monitor lit up and the familiar sounds of Windows XP booting up filled the room. The desktop came on and showed a picture of the parish church, St. Pierre. The “computer room” now actually had a real functioning computer! A small step forward? Maybe, but all the small steps we take will make a big difference for the school and the students and the people of our sister parish in Baradères. [Next: a reflection by Dr. Denise DeConcini.]
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