Welcome to Outreach to Haiti!
Outreach to Haiti has been working in the Caribbean nation for over 35 years. We offer health care services, student sponsorships and other educational support, parish twinning, support of an orphanage, as well as a neighborhood nutrition program for children. We look forward to returning to taking travelers to Haiti when the situation allows. We have a newly rebuilt guest house, where you can stay short- or long-term. We also will be arranging immersion visits for traveling groups to learn about Haiti - its people, culture and land.
Watch a video about our programs!
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Jean Marie Brutus
Born: December 6, 1965 - Died: March 1, 2026
Jean Marie was hired to work at Norwich Mission House in 1999. He worked hard and with great enthusiasm at whatever task he was asked to undertake. Over his twenty-six-year career with Outreach to Haiti (OTH) he became a face of the organization to all who passed through its doors in Haiti. He loved to share his gift of humor with visitors but also understood the mission of OTH and he was serious in spreading understanding of what that mission meant to him and to the people of Haiti. He was proud to be a part of that mission.
I met Jean Marie in 1999 and over the years became good friends with him and his family. He taught me that friendship went beyond language as I grappled with Creole as much as he struggled with English. Each morning when visitors from the U.S. were staying at OTH he would hold Creole lessons during breakfast. He would begin “Bonjou, kijan ou te dòmi?” (Good morning, how did you sleep?) He would then provide the response, “Mwen dòmi tankou yon wòch! (I slept like a rock!). He would practice that one exchange over and over each morning for the duration of their stay. I know many people I have taken to Haiti that never learned a lot of Creole, but to this day they know this exchange. Jean Marie was a true ambassador for OTH.
On March 1, 2026 we lost a good and caring person. He loved Haiti, his family, his neighbors, and the mission of Outreach to Haiti. May he rest in peace (like a rock!).
Se pou Bondye beni Jean Marie, fanmi li, ak misyon Outreach an Ayiti!
(May God bless Jean Marie, his family, and the mission of Outreach to Haiti!)
- Ralph Stewart
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Outreach to Haiti receives a $35,000 grant from Sky Ranch Foundation to support the youth of Port-au-Prince!
The Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti is excited to announce our new partnership with Sky Ranch Foundation! Their gift of $35,000 helps to meet the growing needs of youth in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Sky Ranch Foundation has spent six decades supporting programs for at-risk youth (www.skyranchfoundation.org).
Our collaboration brings help at a much-needed time. The youth of Haiti look to us for hope so that they can thrive, go to school and so that their hard work will propel them to success. Thank you Sky Ranch Foundation for helping make a difference in their lives and making their dreams a possibility. We value the trust and collaboration that make this work possible!
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A Call to Action
On August 12, 2025 Rev. Gerry Kirby posted Haiti in Crisis: A Call to Stand in Faith, Hope, and Solidarity. To see this article, click here!
Father Gerry is a former chair of the board for the original Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich, former Personal Representative of the Bishop of Norwich to our Diocesan Mission to Haiti, former Interim Director of Norwich Mission House, and currently serves as Pastor of All Saints Parish in Somersville.
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In the Four County Catholic Magazine:
God does not give up on us…
…We should not give up on each other!
Throughout my life, I have been thankful that God has not given up on me, or anyone else. He has taught me that we should not give up on each other, particularly when our brothers’ and sisters’ needs are at their greatest.
This is important to remember, especially right now, as Haiti is at the forefront of U.S. International news because of a frightening surge in violence and increasing gang activity due to the assassination of their sitting President on July 7, 2021, and the subsequent lack of a legitimate government. This situation is unlike any other in Haiti’s recent history.
I am very sad when I hear some people say, “Oh, Haiti is at it again. What’s new.” It is as though they were saying let’s give up, but we know we will not give up on our Haitian brothers and sisters. The Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti has been walking with the people of Haiti for about forty years. Our ministry was founded by Bishop Daniel Reilly, Laypeople and Clergy who visited the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince and took a great interest in helping the Haitian people. Our Diocese officially twins with the Archdiocese. Bishop Daniel Hart and our present Bishop Michael Cote have continued their support for this Ministry.
Our operations in Haiti have an all-Haitian staff of approximately 24 men and women at our Center in the Christ Roi neighborhood of Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. Through our Parish Twinning Program, we work in 14 parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince. Our services include clinics, healthcare services, food and nutritional supplement programs, education programs and opportunities, small business development initiatives, and many other programs.
Haiti is the poorest and most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere. More than 11.5 million people live in Haiti and 3 million live in the Port-au-Prince area. Our staff remains vigilant and committed to serving the men, women, and children who come to us for help in Christ Roi and the surrounding neighborhoods as most clinics and healthcare services have closed or are temporarily shuttered. Our Twin Parishes in the U.S. (Diocese of Norwich and other Dioceses throughout the country) remain committed to helping their Haitian Twin Parishes. This past week when most of the country shut down, our staff in Haiti closed our doors for only a few days before reopening because the need was so great. Indeed, more than 80 people visited our Clinic this past Monday.
We need your help. First, and most importantly, we need you to pray for Haiti. Secondly, we ask you please to support our work in Haiti, which helps Haitians directly through our many services and programs.
Donations can be made online at OutreachToHaiti.org or by sending a gift to:
Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti
815 Boswell Avenue,
Norwich, CT 06360.
You can be assured all donations to the Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti go directly to our programs and services.
In closing, I know personally that most Haitians are hardworking, creative, diligent, and have great faith in God. They want what most of us want, which is to have a roof over their heads, a table with food on it, and educational opportunities for their children. For the great majority of Haitians they have no choice but to go out to work daily and find food no matter what ill deeds may befall them.
We remind our Haitian brothers and sisters that God has not forgotten them. They teach us to have hope even in the most trying times of life. Each of us has the opportunity to let God’s light shine. We are reminded in Romans 12:5, “We belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.”
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A Mission Appeal at St. Mary's Parish
Outreach to Haiti board member James Michel traveled to Newmarket, New Hampshire to talk about Outreach to Haiti and seek their support. He received a warm welcome from Father Matt Mason and the St Mary's parish, and used a personal anecdote to demonstrate the faith of the Haitian people before telling them about the work of Outreach. Our thanks to St Mary's for sharing his talk online! Hear his talk by clicking here
Gala 2026
Click here to buy Gala tickets!
Click here to make a Gala donation!
Click here to buy Gala tickets!
Click here to make a Gala donation!
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2025 Bike Ride - We Did It!
The riders and the people of Haiti were blessed by God! The 11th Annual Bike Ride for Haiti was completed on October 10. The Outreach to Haiti team of riders rode 337 miles, the length of one tip of Haiti to another, over 5 days. Along the way, we stopped at St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral School in Norwich. A description of the visit can be found here.
The riders were also met at Mercy High School in Middletown - here's a video of the event.
For a day by day summary of the ride, click 2025 Ride.
10th Annual Golf Tournament - A Great Success - Thank You!!
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The 20th annual Hope for Haiti fundraiser was held on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 6:00 pm at St. Patrick’s Church in Farmington CT. The event included dinner, raffle, wine pull, and silent auction. We were excited to welcome Conor Brooks, former St. Patrick’s Youth Group member and former chair of the Outreach Board, to be our speaker!
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The Love of a Child Raffle 2024
THE WINNING TICKET IS #036
Raffle to win $10,000!
Outreach to Haiti sold 400 raffle tickets for a chance to win $10,000. The drawing was held on December 16, 2024. Congratulations to the winning ticket holder!
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Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Please Pray for Haiti
“Make her known throughout the world”
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
(Notre-Dame du Perpètuel Secours) Patroness of Haiti
Mary holds a special place in the hearts of Haitians whose devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is connected to an icon said to have originated on the island of Crete. The icon, painted on wood, reflects the style of the earliest Marian portraits and arrived in Rome in 1499. Its composition and style are classically Byzantine, with the Greek abbreviations for “Jesus Christ” and “Mother of God” above the image and Byzantine-style angels on either side of Our Lady. Tradition says Our Lady herself, in an apparition, gave the icon the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
The original icon was presented to the Redemptorist Religious community by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1866, who, according to tradition, told the Redemptorist Superior General, “Make her known throughout the world”.
In 1881 a terrible plague of cholera and smallpox struck Haiti and especially devastated the capitol city, Port-au-Prince. The plague worsened in 1882 with no relief in sight. The Doctors knew it would take heavy rains and thunder to clear the air so Haitians could breathe more easily, but unfortunately it was Haiti’s dry season.
During this time, a lady from France arrived in Haiti with a copy of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. She offered it to the Pastor of the Cathedral in Port-au-Prince hoping the parishioners would invoke the Holy Virgin to aid them by alleviating the deadly catastrophe taking place. On February 5, 1882, a solemn procession displaying the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help walked to a small Chapel on the mountain where they began a Novena. On February 10, against all odds and weather forecasts, heavy rains fell on Haiti, after which the epidemic subsided with no new cases of contagion and the sick began to recover.
All the Haitians became aware that it was Our Lady of Perpetual Help who heard their prayers and saved the city. Since that time she has been called the “Miraculous Virgin.”
The National Bishops Conference placed the Haitian people officially under the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and in 1942 the President of Haiti petitioned the Holy See to declare Our Lady of Perpetual Help the National Patroness of the country. Pope Pius XII approved the request and our Blessed Mother, under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been honored by both the Church and the civil government in Haiti.
Her Feast Day is celebrated annually on June 27th. As you read about the many serious hardships and challenges currently facing Haiti, please know the Haitian people have great faith that sustains them during their periods of tribulation and gives them hope for a better tomorrow.
Please join our brothers and sisters in Haiti with the following prayer:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, help us,
protect Haiti,
protect the Church,
protect the whole world,
protect our homes and bless our children. Amen.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is very important to us and our ministry in Haiti (Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti). Our new chapel in Haiti will contain the icon that formerly was displayed our guest house in Haiti ruined by the 2010 earthquake.
Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti, Inc.
815 Boswell Ave.
Norwich, CT 06360
Phone: 860.800.3601
Email: [email protected]
