Last Saturday, at St. Lambert Church (Illinois), on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady Of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, Lesly Condé, the Consul General of Haiti in Chicago delivered a message to the community :

Message from Consul Lesly Condé :

"Dear compatriots and members of the Congregation,

Friends of Haiti,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On this very special day, I am delighted to be in your company and to pay homage to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, thank her for all the favors she has granted us through the years, and ask her to continue to protect us. I bring you very warm greetings from the Consulate General of Haiti in Chicago and its staff.

First of all, I must thank the heads of this church who have invited me to participate in this important mass; knowing how precious Our Lady of Perpetual Help is to Haiti.

For us Haitians, the relationship with Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a very meaningful one. There have been trials and tribulations. Some of those trials and tribulations have been more difficult than others. But Our Lady of Perpetual Help has always accompanied us. Our faith makes us resilient and encourages us to remain hopeful. We must also thank the Patron Saint of Haiti for having protected us since 1804. In our loneliness, we must have been the object of various threats. We must have escaped miraculously. Today, we are a nation among nations; a deeply grateful nation.

As our country enters a very important phase of the democratic process, we must ask Our Lady of Perpetual Help to accompany and enlighten us during the election period.

In closing, on behalf of the Chicago Haitian Community, I thank Our Lady of Perpetual Help for having protected us, and ask her to continue to accompany our families and our country.

May God bless you all !"

IH/ iciHaiti