Haiti quake brought death to school founded by a local nun
The Newbuyport News March 11, 2010

Since the tragic earthquake in Haiti in early January, the world has been shocked by the monumental loss of life and the suffering endured by the survivors, most of whom lost family members and all their meager possessions and whose lives have been forever altered. The scenes of the damage we see on television are almost beyond belief.

One of the places severely damaged was St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children located in Port-au-Prince just a short distance from the presidential palace and even closer to the Holy Trinity Cathedral, both of which collapsed with great loss of life and were prominent in the early television newscasts.

St. Vincent's School has a direct connection to Newburyport. The school was started in 1945 by Sister Joan Margaret, an Episcopalian nun belonging to the order of the Society of St. Margaret. Sister Joan grew up in Newburyport at 49 High St., the adoptive daughter of Attorney and Mrs. Robert E. Burke. Before entering religious life, her name was Elizabeth S. "Betty" Burke. Her father was the mayor of Newburyport from 1910 to 1912 .

Sister Joan became a physical therapist and entered the convent in 1937. She was first missioned in Canada and then New York before being sent to Haiti in 1944.

Soon after her arrival in Port-au-Prince, she became aware that the handicapped, especially the children, were greatly neglected. At first, she started an outdoor clinic behind the cathedral administering help to a few children. In a very short time, her number of young clients grew, and the Anglican bishop granted her the use of a nearby building. Soon, besides caring to the medical needs of the children, she and other nuns started to provide an education for them, and St. Vincent's School was born. Under her leadership, the school continued to grow; and as the years passed, hundreds of blind, deaf and crippled children received the needed medical attention and completed their education, which emphasized working with their disabilities to achieve success.

She personally accompanied many to hospitals in the United States, including Boston, for medical treatment. A boy named JoJo, who was born without arms or legs, was enrolled at the school. Sister Joan arranged for his being sent to the U.S. to be fitted with artificial limbs. Upon his return to Haiti, he became a successful artist. A world-famous concert violinist, Romel Joseph, who is blind, was a student at St. Vincent's. Sister founded a hand bell choir at the school, and she traveled to many different countries with them giving concerts.

Sister Joan's work gained her worldwide recognition, and she received numerous prestigious international awards for her work.

In early 1961 while on a visit to Haiti, Louise Morse of Newbury and Irene Hardy of Newburyport became acquainted with Sister Joan and were greatly impressed with her work with the children and recognized the need for assistance in her work. Upon returning home, the two ladies launched an effort to aid the school; and within about two months, ladies aid organizations of many of the local churches and other persons completed the task of sewing 50 boys uniforms and 50 girls uniforms, which were sent to the school, along with many other items of need. There are no doubt people still in the area who worked on this project.

Sister Joan retired from her work in Haiti in 2003 at the age of 96 and returned to St. Margaret's Convent in Roxbury. At that time, there were 350 handicapped children enrolled in the school. Sister Joan died in Brookline in December of 2005.

When the earthquake struck, at least six of the children in the school died, and many more were injured. The building did not collapse, although it suffered considerable damage. It is hoped that repairs will be able to be made, but it will take a long time for this to happen and, of course, a lot of money. Most of the children lost about all of their possessions. The children not hospitalized have been moved to a former Episcopalian seminary in the town of Montrois, about 40 miles away.

 Contributions to St. Vincent's School for Handicapped Children may be sent to: Children's Medical Mission of Haiti (CMMH), 925 Hertzier Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055.

Ref: https://www.newburyportnews.com/opinion/haiti-quake-brought-death-to-school-founded-by-a-local/article_f08c0738-b2cd-53a6-9b70-e7929e662ecb.html

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