Our Lady Patroness of Haiti

Many Haitians credit the Virgin Mary under the title of Perpetual Help in performing miracles to prevent a cholera and smallpox outbreak which ravaged the country in 1882. Former Haitian president Élie Lescot and his cabinet petitioned the Holy See to make Our Lady of Perpetual Help the national Patroness of Haiti in 1942 and the Pope Pius XII approved this petition. “Haiti was the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the first black-led republic in the world, and the second republic in the Americas. Its successful revolution by slaves and free people of color lasted nearly a decade; all the first leaders of government were former slaves.” (BBC).  According to the CIA World Factbook the religious demographics of Haiti is as follows: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3%. There are ten Catholic dioceses in with over 250 parishes and 1500 rural communities. The local clergy has 400 diocesan priests, 1300 missionary priests and 300 seminarians. Vocations to the priesthood are plentiful.