Jacksonville, Fla. – The Haitian Catholic community in Jacksonville will celebrate their eighth anniversary with a special Mass concelebrated by Bishop Felipe Estévez of St. Augustine and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami on Wednesday, August 15. The Mass begins at 7 p.m. at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 6320 Bennett Road.

In January, Bishop Estévez appointed Father Calonge Lemaine to serve as the chaplain of the Haitian Catholic Ministry for the Diocese of St. Augustine. His presence, and the addition of a weekly Sunday Mass at 5 p.m. at Prince of Peace Parish, has energized Haitian Catholics as ministry leaders continue to reach out to invite more Haitians in the community to attend the weekly Mass and various events.

Born in a town, 60 miles south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Father Lemaine arrived in Jacksonville in January following nearly a decade of parish work in Brooklyn, where he served as an associate pastor and chaplain to the local Haitian community.

“I find the people in the South have a good sense of humor and they are easier to approach, Father Lemaine said of his experience in Jacksonville thus far. He expects to be in Florida at least five years.

The local Haitian Catholic community is especially excited about this year’s anniversary Mass because Archbishop Wenski will be joining them in their festivities. Archbishop Wenski, fluent in Creole, has long been deeply involved in Haitian ministry and affairs.

“The community probably felt a little incomplete, even abandoned, without a Haitian-born priest among them in North Florida,” said Archbishop Wenski. “The best way to make someone feel at home in your house is to receive them in their mother tongue.” He added, “The Jacksonville area now joins most other regions of the state with at least one or more Haitian clergy serving various communities. This is a sign of their having arrived.” Archbishop Wenski estimates there are about a quarter million Haitians living in Florida.

Archbishop Wenski has also been instrumental in helping the U.S. church respond to the 2010 Haiti earthquake that damaged about 20 percent of the country, caused more than 300,000 deaths and left at least 1 million people homeless.

In June, Archbishop Wenski and other members of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met in Washington, D.C. for the One Table, Many Partners National Solidarity Conference. The conference brought together hundreds of people from the U.S., Haiti and other countries for a program on the church’s mission in Haiti. The U.S. bishops, Catholic Relief Services and the Haitian bishops’ conference are administering $33 million donated by U.S. Catholics to help rebuild the church in Haiti.

For additional information about the Haitian Catholic community, call Jonel Laguerre at (904) 208-1458 or email jonel.laguerre@cchjax.com.