Fr. Bavon is the pastor of the only Catholic parish in Bois de Laurence, Haiti. When we sat down with him, we asked him to share his experience as a native Congolese serving as a missionary in Haiti, particularly his work as president of the St. Jean Bosco school.
When listening to Fr. Bavon, it’s difficult not to be moved by his love for the families he serves, and his humility in acknowledging that, “[The work we do is] actually not our mission; it’s God’s mission...God is doing his own things; we’re just God’s hands.”
Read on to learn what Fr. Bavon shared with us about what life is like for the students and families of Bois de Laurence, and how St. Jean Bosco is accomplishing important work in the community.
Our most important work is pastoral ministry and education in Haiti. The parish/school is the center of the life of the town; it is the center of blessing. The people sometimes feel forgotten by the government, so the missionaries — who come from different countries — sharing in their life, make them feel like they’re not forgotten by God, that at least the Church is there. It’s hard work. Sometimes, you feel exhausted. Sometimes you wonder, what am I doing here? But the joy you bring to the people makes you feel happy; that you bring joy to them just by being there and celebrating the Mass for them.
St. Jean Bosco is the biggest school around, and because it’s run by the Church, parents trust us to give their kids a good quality education. They see this as an investment in the future of their families and of their nation, so much so that many families sacrifice a great deal to make sure their kids can attend St. Jean Bosco.
Aside from scrimping and saving to pay for tuition, some families also sacrifice much of their time together so that their children can attend St. Jean Bosco. Since we are the only decent school in the area, some kids walk miles each day — one to two hours on foot — both ways, to get to school.
Honestly, the classrooms are not very nice, but we still provide a good education through the teachers we select and the curriculum that we use. We’re building three more classrooms so that we can add on a high school, but we can only build as long as the money comes in. When we don’t have enough money to continue construction, we have to put the project on hold.
We can educate one student for an entire year for $120, and that includes meals in the cafeteria each day. We have about 700 students currently enrolled at St. Jean Bosco, but we cannot make a budget based on that number because so few families can afford to pay the tuition. Currently, we only have 26 students who are being sponsored by godparents, benefactors from abroad, or other missionaries. In order to pay our teachers a fair wage, we can’t lower the tuition. We need more sponsors if we are going to keep our doors open.
This is where you come in - we need your help! Please prayerfully consider joining our efforts to offer an education to the children of Bois de Laurence. You can become a sponsor through a one-time donation of $120, a monthly donation of $10, or any gift of any size. You can also support us through your prayers, specifically by joining us in our Novena for Youth Around the World.
At MercyWorks, we promise that 100% of every dollar you donate to the mission, will go directly to the St. Jean Bosco School to offset tuition for families, pay fair salaries to our teachers, and provide uniforms, lunches, and school supplies for our students. We invite you to learn more about how you can make a difference at St. Jean Bosco.
In the end, Fr. Bavon insists that no matter what their needs are as a missionary community, God always provides. Yes, they need sponsorships so that more students can get a good quality education at St. Jean Bosco, but Fr. Bavon says at the end of the day, “we rely on God, because he has his own way of making things work.”