Until 1862 the island had only one diocese at Santo
Domingo. In 1864 in the whole of Haiti
there were only 34 priests caring for thousands in 65 parishes. Out of 516
priests who came from France after the signing of the concordat over three
quarters had died or been recalled to Europe as invalids by 1906. In 1909 there were 182 priests and 92
parishes; as well as a seminary and secondary school at Port-au-Prince, a
college in Cap-Haitien dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
“The
shrine of Saint Philomena in Bord-de-Mer-de-Limonade was renamed as the Shrine
of Our Lady of Perpetual Help by the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape-Haitian in
the 1980s in an effort to curb the freewheeling Vodou devotions that take place
there. Pilgrims, however, have altogether ignored the Archdiocese’s decree, as
on Perpetual Help’s feast day virtually no one attends Mass, while during
Philomena’s feast, tens of thousands flock to the shrine.”
