St Philomene

[Jeanhcharles]

 

News from the Caribbean: Saturday September 13, 2014

Back To Today's News

Commentary: The fiesta of St Philomena (the saint who is no longer saint) in Bord de Mer Limonade, Haiti Published on September 13, 2014 Email To Friend    Print Version By Jean H Charles St Philomena, after her death in 304 and especially after the discovery of her relics in 1802, was so prolific in accomplishing miracles by the ton that the people declared her a saint before she went through the process of canonisation by the church. She had been honored and revered by Christendom until, in 1965, Pope Paul VI ordered, through the Sacred Congregation of Rites, that St Philomena be removed from the roster of saints because the Catholic Church could not find documents that sanctioned her sainthood in the first place. Jean H Charles LLB, MSW, JD is a syndicated columnist with Caribbean News Now. He can be reached at: jeanhc...@aol.com and followed for past essays at Caribbeannewsnow/Haiti Her feast day on the 6th day of September in Board de Mer Limonade, Haiti, has been for centuries an occasion for an extravaganza of debauchery of Catholic religiosity mixed with voodoo rituals that would excite any anthropological researcher. I may have been brought to Bord de Mer Limonade for the fiesta when I was a kid by my mother and my grandmother but this year, some sixty years later, it is the first time that I have attended the pilgrimage in full body and spirit, which is a true replica of the Middle Ages veneration in the modern year of 2014. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wanted to visit with Father Abraham, one of my best friends, who is the vicar of the defunct parish of St Philomena, now the parish of the Miraculous Medal. I wanted to observe how he has been able to marry the strong houmfort (temple) spirit of voodoo with the Catholic ritual and dogma in his parish. Making a way through the large crowd in devotional mood in the church with lighted candle in hand demanding personal favor of the saint, I found Father Abraham in the small room behind the altar, receiving the devotees who were offering contributions for mass. There was an up and down to the second floor in the sanctuary to the saint. There you find several images of saints, especially St Philomena; she is all powdered by the devotees as in the voodoo rituals to the loas (spirits). Father Abraham is downstairs not interfering. Some of his brethren find that he is getting too close to the limit of what can be accepted by the Catholic Church. He told me he is converting the believers to the true Catholic faith one by one. In fact, St Philomena and Haitian voodoo find themselves in the same corner. They cannot be defeated by edict of the Catholic Church. Popular practice seems to have the upper hand. Father Abraham took time to show me the magnificent wooden ceiling he has built in the antic church. He told me the ceiling was the result of my personal inspiration. I led Father Abraham on a visit to the St Martha church in Uniondale, New York. There he found out that the bathroom of the church in Uniondale was much nicer than the structure of his own church in Bord de Mer Limonade. He has taken the bull by the horns to initiate a major renovation to the St Philomena sanctuary. The neglect to the century-old church is indicative of the neglect of the past governments to this idyllic region, which is a setting that has nothing to envy Negril beach in Jamaica. Miles and miles of undeveloped sandy low level beach side is the appendage of the village of Bord de Mer Limonade. There is no paved road leading to the hamlet. The population around the church lives in extreme poverty since fishing is no longer sustainable as the marine stock has been depleted. The present government and its program of revitalization of the towns and villages of Haiti have not arrived yet in Bord de Mer Limonade. A local touristic enclave with a twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) pilgrim schedule, you will find no restaurant, and no hotels in Bord de Mer Limonade. Yet the region could be a hub of economic activity. The land is hospitable to the planting and harvesting of baby bananas, which is a delicacy in the United States. Fishing holes could provide recurrent income to the entire population and religious tourism will add the cream to the top. St Philomena was a virgin, put to death at the age of 13 years old by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her in spite of the fact she was Christian and Diocletian was persecuting the Christians. Born into nobility, Philomena was the wonder child of a Greek parent, the ruler of a city state in Greece. They became Catholic upon conceiving a child wanted so long in their marriage. They travelled to Rome to discuss state business with the Roman emperor. His passion for Philomena was immediate. She refused his advances as she had devoted her virginity to God. Philomena went through successive types of persecution such as the pillar, the scourge, being thrown to a river, pierced with an arrow while remaining alive all through and converting several pagan Romans to Christian doctrine. Finally she was beheaded. Lost through the ages, her relics were discovered in 1802 in a catacomb in Priscilla. The remains, donated to a young priest for his new parish in Mugnano, Italy, started accomplishing many miracles almost immediately. The devotion to St Philomena has spread from there thorough the world including Haiti. Take up St Philomena as the intercessor to your needs and you have received the demands prayed for; do not neglect to send your offering to the St Philomena Church in Haiti, care of Father Abraham, the Archdiocese of the North of Haiti, Cap Haitian Haiti. The needs are many including, a grotto to St Philomena in the yard, fencing the perimeter of the church, repairing the century-old bell tower, and providing fans in the interior of the sanctuary. I offered my contribution for a mass to St Philomena and have recited with fervor the prayer to St Philomena: “O faithful Virgin and glorious martyr, St Philomena who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing have pity on me. Behold me at thy feet. Full of misery but full of hope, I entreat thy charity, O Great Saint graciously hear me and obtain from God a favorable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee ( mention your petition) I am firmly convinced that through thy merits , through the scorn, the sufferings, and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, shall obtain what I ask of thee and the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in his saints. Amen.” I am eagerly awaiting her answer to my prayer, which is, as with all devotees, a personal matter.       Bottom of Form

[Nikky]

I did not know that. Can sainthood be removed? What made St. Philomena not a saint any more. Interesting. N

 

 

--
--
--------
Vous recevez ce message de "Tout-Haiti"
 
Les meilleurs articles sont publiés en permanence sur www.touthaiti.com
 
Tout Haiti est un espace ouvert à tous ceux qui sont intéressés à contribuer au progrès d'Haiti
 
Tout Haiti est un espace de pensées libres pour la promotion et la circulation des idées et des approches pertinentes pour aider au développement d’Haiti et de l'homme Haïtien
 
Pour s’inscrire a ce groupe si vous n’avez pas un account gmail : insc...@touthaiti.com
 
Pour participer, envoyez vos messages à tout-...@googlegroups.com
 
Retrouvez Nous sur Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/touthaiti
 
Pour plus d'informations et options, visitez nous a: http://groups.google.com/group/tout-haiti?hl=en?hl=fr
 
Pour résilier, envoyez un e-mail à l'adresse tout-haiti+...@googlegroups.com

---
Vous recevez ce message, car vous êtes abonné au groupe Google Groupes "Tout-Haiti".
Pour vous désabonner de ce groupe et ne plus recevoir d'e-mails le concernant, envoyez un e-mail à l'adresse tout-haiti+...@googlegroups.com.
Pour obtenir davantage d'options, consultez la page https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Willy Pompilus]

I really like this report for his defensive nature. I want to thank Mr Charles for doing it  because it's not easy for any Haitian  to talk  in public  about the way they experience their religiosity.I don't visit yet Bord de mer  but I want to imagine the place. I have a couple observations and remarks.

1-Emperor Diocletian is one  of those Roman powerful who formate the occidental civilization but the fact is : He is a pedophile unless by then it was o.k for someone to have eyes in a 13 years old kid or he was himself a kid who confuses desire with first sight love.Since then things get worst because , even , in small and conservative country we have Pede  as President , Playboy as prime minister and adventist-

pedo-friends as propagandist . 

2-There is the dilemma  of Haitian Spirituality:we want to be good catholic, good adventist , good baptist by trying to keep a safe distance from whatever sound, look-like, or smell like vodoo.But at the same time we are attracted  by the same needs, the same system  of belief, and have  the same expectations.

After academic credential , intellectual demonstrations, personal contacts or networking are not enough  to put us where we want to be and the clock is running fast tic-tic-tic.After singing for 4 years in every forum , yelling at every radio and television , dancing  in two canaval per year and there is only 1 year left , the choice between Opera and dance congo is hard to make.We need holy spirit and all his assistants to help. Bord-de mer, saut d'eau, Plaine du Nord are last chance places or place to  ask for something better in whatever coming next.

3-My compatriot Charles is very smart and bright.He chooses to go to Bord-de-mer with a spiritual director for guidance.He pointed out that the priest stay 500 feet away ( question  to protect his image as someone who has nothing to do with the religious practices of the people in pelerinage mood).

I have never been  to bord-de mer. I imagine there are two churches.One almost new , well painted  but no one visit. Another one a little older but almost the same size with two spaces.a) The regular sanctuary  where all catholic , protestants in needs and in despair  went with their "chandel",  looking left and right  to see if they don't recognize any one or any one recognize them.Then it becomes safe  to take out  from the pocket the chandels and the list of demands.

But to make certain that Holy spirit, God the father and son are in thee same page, you go to the back room ( the place where priests change themselves before mass).The place is crowded.There is someone sitting behind a small table receiving donation.There is a photo of a woman who look like Freda ( Diego Rivera wife).She has green eyes, she is beautiful.People are touching her and her eyes say something to few of them( mother f...don't touch me).

Outside  there are the sea with white sand, clear and blue water.Under some old mangrove, there are musicians executing traditional music with women in trance dancing furiously like the president in carnaval mood and under effect of alchool and cocaine.But these people are serious ,they are not under alchool  nor cocaine.

There are different merchants selling almost the same thing as if they know why the people visit this place: savon rosita ,kola laco,liann legliz.

At 300 feet from the sea there is the bank of a river , like a small lake .The place smell shit because people use it as open end latrine.There are the pelerinage people who place their chandel  in a special spot as you find it in Tepeyac Mexico,  but there are few people who collect them once you turn your back.

If the chandels are the equivalent  of some spiritual telephone or fax  for God and his saints to receive  the doleance of the needed people, there is no chance they will receive it completely  because of the rapidity the thieve collect them.

The good part , I imagine ,is the drum beats.There is no way  not to feel it .But a good catholic and good protestant must be careful  and think about decorum all the time.You need a good cap  or chapeau ,an  old jeans to look like kokorat ,santi kk. After that , you  look twice around  to make sure that Cyrus is not nearby with his cell camera filming  decent  people  in prohibited location dancing among the excluded.

The next day make sure you go to mass in cap Haitian cathedral  or the baptist church in Rue 18 J.Try to sit down in first row  and close your eyes as if you are in extasis when the choral starts singing the Kyrie.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I have never been  in Bord-de-mer Limonade .I imagine all this .I also want to thank Mr Charles for sharing her experience with us .I want to thank those in the church who respect the popular religiosity.

Willy Pompilus

___________________________________________________________________

The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the personal and confidential use of the recipient(s) named above. This message may be an attorney-client communication and/or work product and as such is privileged and confidential. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient or an agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this document in error and that any review, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately by e-mail, and delete the original message.

[Jeanhcharles]

Caribbean news now

 from the Caribbean: Saturday September 13, 2014

Back To Today's News

Commentary: The fiesta of St Philomena (the saint who is no longer saint) in Bord de Mer Limonade, Haiti Published on September 13, 2014 Email To Friend    Print Version

By Jean H Charles St Philomena, after her death in 304 and especially after the discovery of her relics in 1802, was so prolific in accomplishing miracles by the ton that the people declared her a saint before she went through the process of canonisation by the church. She had been honored and revered by Christendom until, in 1965, Pope Paul VI ordered, through the Sacred Congregation of Rites, that St Philomena be removed from the roster of saints because the Catholic Church could not find documents that sanctioned her sainthood in the first place. Jean H Charles LLB, MSW, JD is a syndicated columnist with Caribbean News Now. He can be reached at: jeanhc...@aol.com and followed for past essays at Caribbeannewsnow/Haiti

Her feast day on the 6th day of September in Board de Mer Limonade, Haiti, has been for centuries an occasion for an extravaganza of debauchery of Catholic religiosity mixed with voodoo rituals that would excite any anthropological researcher. I may have been brought to Bord de Mer Limonade for the fiesta when I was a kid by my mother and my grandmother but this year, some sixty years later, it is the first time that I have attended the pilgrimage in full body and spirit, which is a true replica of the Middle Ages veneration in the modern year of 2014. In the spirit of full disclosure, I wanted to visit with Father Abraham, one of my best friends, who is the vicar of the defunct parish of St Philomena, now the parish of the Miraculous Medal. I wanted to observe how he has been able to marry the strong houmfort (temple) spirit of voodoo with the Catholic ritual and dogma in his parish. Making a way through the large crowd in devotional mood in the church with lighted candle in hand demanding personal favor of the saint, I found Father Abraham in the small room behind the altar, receiving the devotees who were offering contributions for mass. There was an up and down to the second floor in the sanctuary to the saint. There you find several images of saints, especially St Philomena; she is all powdered by the devotees as in the voodoo rituals to the loas (spirits). Father Abraham is downstairs not interfering. Some of his brethren find that he is getting too close to the limit of what can be accepted by the Catholic Church. He told me he is converting the believers to the true Catholic faith one by one. In fact, St Philomena and Haitian voodoo find themselves in the same corner. They cannot be defeated by edict of the Catholic Church. Popular practice seems to have the upper hand. Father Abraham took time to show me the magnificent wooden ceiling he has built in the antic church. He told me the ceiling was the result of my personal inspiration. I led Father Abraham on a visit to the St Martha church in Uniondale, New York. There he found out that the bathroom of the church in Uniondale was much nicer than the structure of his own church in Bord de Mer Limonade. He has taken the bull by the horns to initiate a major renovation to the St Philomena sanctuary.

The neglect to the century-old church is indicative of the neglect of the past governments to this idyllic region, which is a setting that has nothing to envy Negril beach in Jamaica. Miles and miles of undeveloped sandy low level beach side is the appendage of the village of Bord de Mer Limonade. There is no paved road leading to the hamlet. The population around the church lives in extreme poverty since fishing is no longer sustainable as the marine stock has been depleted. The present government and its program of revitalization of the towns and villages of Haiti have not arrived yet in Bord de Mer Limonade. A local touristic enclave with a twice weekly (Tuesday and Friday) pilgrim schedule, you will find no restaurant, and no hotels in Bord de Mer Limonade. Yet the region could be a hub of economic activity. The land is hospitable to the planting and harvesting of baby bananas, which is a delicacy in the United States. Fishing holes could provide recurrent income to the entire population and religious tourism will add the cream to the top. St Philomena was a virgin, put to death at the age of 13 years old by the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who fell in love with her. He wanted to marry her in spite of the fact she was Christian and Diocletian was persecuting the Christians. Born into nobility, Philomena was the wonder child of a Greek parent, the ruler of a city state in Greece. They became Catholic upon conceiving a child wanted so long in their marriage. They travelled to Rome to discuss state business with the Roman emperor. His passion for Philomena was immediate. She refused his advances as she had devoted her virginity to God. Philomena went through successive types of persecution such as the pillar, the scourge, being thrown to a river, pierced with an arrow while remaining alive all through and converting several pagan Romans to Christian doctrine. Finally she was beheaded. Lost through the ages, her relics were discovered in 1802 in a catacomb in Priscilla. The remains, donated to a young priest for his new parish in Mugnano, Italy, started accomplishing many miracles almost immediately. The devotion to St Philomena has spread from there thorough the world including Haiti. Take up St Philomena as the intercessor to your needs and you have received the demands prayed for; do not neglect to send your offering to the St Philomena Church in Haiti, care of Father Abraham, the Archdiocese of the North of Haiti, Cap Haitian Haiti. The needs are many including, a grotto to St Philomena in the yard, fencing the perimeter of the church, repairing the century-old bell tower, and providing fans in the interior of the sanctuary. I offered my contribution for a mass to St Philomena and have recited with fervor the prayer to St Philomena: “O faithful Virgin and glorious martyr, St Philomena who works so many miracles on behalf of the poor and sorrowing have pity on me. Behold me at thy feet. Full of misery but full of hope, I entreat thy charity, O Great Saint graciously hear me and obtain from God a favorable answer to the request which I now humbly lay before thee ( mention your petition) I am firmly convinced that through thy merits , through the scorn, the sufferings, and the death thou didst endure, united to the merits of the passion and death of Jesus, thy Spouse, shall obtain what I ask of thee and the joy of my heart I will bless God, who is admirable in his saints. Amen.” I am eagerly awaiting her answer to my prayer, which is, as with all devotees, a personal matter.

Bottom of Form

[Jeanhcharles]

[Jeanhcharles]

[Jeanhcharles]

[sylvaindiderot]

Did you know they tried to remove her from Board de mer of Limonade and one day after she came back to Board de mer of Limonade .

-------- Original message --------
From: 'Jeanhcharles' via Tout-Haiti <tout-...@googlegroups.com>

[Jeanhcharles]

Thank you Sylvain but there is the story that a paysant named Toussaint found the statue of Philomena near Labadie, and she asked to be brought to Bord de mer Limonade and to build a church there, it was in 1950.

jean h charles

[Jeanhcharles]

Excellent description of Bord de Mer Limonade that you have not seen but imagined to the perfection.

jean h charles

[Jeanhcharles]

Excellent description of Bord de Mer Limonade that you have not seen but imagined to the perfection.

jean h charles

-----Original Message-----
From: 'Willy Pompilus' via Tout-Haiti <tout-...@googlegroups.com>
To: tout-haiti <tout-...@googlegroups.com>; HaitiConnexion <HaitiCo...@yahoogroups.com>; koze-mande-chez <koze-ma...@googlegroup.com>; forumculturel <forumc...@googlegroups.com>; grandsdebats <grands...@yahoo.com>; grandsdebatsgroupe <grandsdeb...@yahoo.com>; grandsdebats <grands...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Sep 14, 2014 10:32 am
Subject: Re: [Tout-Haiti] St Philomene