Sister Parish

Since 1999, the Church of the Risen Savior has partnered with the community of St. Rose of Lima in Gris Gris, Haiti, in a mutually enriching sister parish relationship of sharing, solidarity and understanding. Risen Savior has supported various needs that the people of Saint Rose of Lima have expressed over the years: drilling wells, reservoirs and fountains giving them clean water; building a new school; rebuilding their church and St. Jude’s Center for the poor; providing medical and dental care; sending them essential supplies; and educating them about agricultural techniques and maintaining good health. The Risen Savior Sister Parish Committee is responsible for organizing missions and communication with Saint Rose of Lima.

Important update and prayer request! Please click the link below to read a letter from St. Rose’s Pastor Fr. Fayant sent September, 2022.

Twice a year, Risen Savior celebrates Sister Parish Weekend. Our annual Lenten Celebration was March 12-13, 2022, where we shared the video below at all masses. Our current project is assisting the people of Gris Gris access water because their 20 year-old well system needs replacing. Our next Sister Parish Weekend will be Sept 16-17, 2022.

Click here for our Fall 2021 video, where we shared a tour of St. Rose and invited everyone to experience a taste of life in Gris Gris!

To donate online, click the blue rectangle above and select “Sister Parish” from the drop-down menu. You can also mail a check to our parish office and write “Sister Parish” in the memo line. Thank you for your support!

Stories from Haiti Missions

For those who have gone to Gris Gris, Haiti on a mission trip, a life-changing experience was found. It is a precious gift and a true privilege that greatly enriches their spiritual journey. Below are excerpts from stories from past missions. It is our hope that these will inspire you as much as they have the people who witnessed them first hand.

On my first trip to Gris Gris in 2009 I met twin boys who were about 3 years old. They were adorable. In 2011 on my second trip to Gris Gris I spotted them after mass on Sunday. I figured they would not remember me as they were so young the first time we met. They saw me, smiled, came running over and took my hand…my heart melted.

One Sunday after Mass a few of us went out for a walk to explore the Gris Gris countryside. About a mile into our walk, the skies darkened and it began to rain very hard. While we were doing our best to keep dry under a palm tree, a Haitian family saw us and waived us over to their home for shelter. One of the boys of the family climbed a coconut tree in the rain, retrieved several coconuts and cut one open for each of us to enjoy as we waited out the storm. Their kindness and hospitality to total strangers was amazing.

More Ways to Connect

Our Children of Promise – Haiti: Help Us Spread the Word!

Our Children of Promise – Haiti is an ongoing, at-large social networking campaign to sustain full funding for the parochial school of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Gris-Gris, Haiti.  The website is set up to mobilize support for St. Rose School with a broad based appeal for funding with very modest donations from a special group of about 300 patrons. We ask each to support the school – one child at a time and one school year at a time. A donation of $100 assures a place for a student at St. Rose School for an entire academic year.

This campaign was set up with the intention to invite in non-parishioners to be a part of our work in Gris-Gris.  We are NOT asking Risen Savior parishioners to participate in this campaign, as we know that our community is very generous during our Sister Parish weekends.  However, we need your help in spreading the word!  Business cards promoting this campaign are available in the information racks, or you can simply refer people to the webpage.  Thank you for walking in solidarity with the children of Gris-Gris!