Saturday, June 29, as part of the celebration of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti, the former Consul General of Haiti in Chicago Lesly Condé delivered a message of reflection that we invite you to read :

Message from Lesly Condé :

"Dear compatriots,

On this very special day, I pay tribute to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, thank her for all the favors she has bestowed on us over the years and ask her to continue to show us her kindness.

For us Haitians, this relationship with Our Lady of Perpetual Help is very significant. There were trials. Some of these were more difficult than others. But Our Lady of Perpetual Help has always accompanied us. Our faith makes us resilient and encourages us to keep hope. We must also thank the Holy Patroness of Haiti for the protection that our country has received from her since 1804. In our solitude, we have surely been the subject of several threats that we have miraculously escaped. Today, we are a Nation in its own right; a deeply grateful nation.

Now that our country faces the challenges of the twenty-first century, we must ask Our Lady of Perpetual Help to accompany us and enlighten us.

In closing, I thank Our Patron Saint for preserving us and I ask her to continue to accompany our families and our country.

God bless you all !"

IH/ iciHaiti