Sak Vid Pa Kanpe

Father Ronel Charelous – or “Father Cha Cha” as he is lovingly called by most – picked the Haitian proverb “Sak Vid Pa Kanpe” as the theme for St. Mary Cathedral’s 9^th visit to St. Joseph Church in Pendus, Haiti. Translated literally, it means “An empty bag can not stand.” In many respects it is appropriate for this journey. Since our last visit that ended on January 3, 2004, enormous changes have occurred in Haiti.

Many former military and other “fugitives” returned to Haiti to topple President Jean Bertrand Aristide from his elected post – his second, but non-consecutive term as President of this Caribbean nation that is roughly the size of the State of Maryland. Under the darkness of night, 50 U.S. Marines landed in Haiti on Feb. 28, 2004, as the noose around the capital city of Port-au-Prince tightened. Depending on whose version you believe, the next night, Aristide was either escorted safely from or forcibly taken from Haiti to the Central African Republic – thereby ending Haiti’s first attempt at democracy after barely 13 years! In all respects to the Haitian nation, it looked and felt like a coup-de-tat that it was, despite the United States’ refusal to call it that!

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