THE MASS OF REMEMBRANCE

Two years after the earthquake in Haiti, where 316,000 people died, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 made homeless, St. Peter Church and School remembered and prayed with survivors, family and friends in Rockland County. A day following the two year anniversary, January 13, 2012, St. Peter School’s children offered “The Mass of Remembrance” for the victims of the Haitian Earthquake of 2010. Two children arrived at St. Peter School, on the first Friday of February 2010 with a group of eight more Haitians. Cleo and Cedric attended third grade at two of Haiti’s Catholic Schools, which were near some of the 30,000 commercial buildings in Haiti that collapsed during the quake. When they arrived at St. Peter School, they spoke only Creole and French, but by June they were both verbally fluent in English.

Principal Mrs. Margaret B. Hamilton said, “These children are God’s gift to us. We love them and expect them to do their best and they have.” When the boys first arrived at St. Peter School, Mrs. Hamilton placed them in second grade because of the language barrier. By the first quarter of third grade, the boys were both on the honor roll and were immediately moved to the fourth grade. The boys quickly adjusted to St. Peter School and passed the New York Math and ELA Exams in the Spring 2011. The boys continue to succeed and are currently in the 5th grade.

  haiti, remembering, rockland county