Religious orders give initial death, damage assessment in Haiti

VATICAN CITY – The Haitian Conference of Religious has released an initial assessment of the deaths of personnel and destruction of property suffered by religious orders in the Haiti earthquake.

The conference said at least 100 priests and nuns died in the Jan. 12 earthquake, which leveled the capital city, Port-au-Prince. The assessment was summarized by Fides, the Vatican missionary news agency Feb. 2.

The report said:

– The Daughters of Mary lost 13 nuns, including the provincial superior, and three employees.

– The Little Sisters of St. Teresa counted the deaths of four sisters, seven teachers and 60 students, with five houses and two schools destroyed.

– The Montfort Missionaries counted 11 victims dead, including eight of their novices. They also reported the destruction of a house, school and churches.

– The Daughters of Wisdom, a religious order that is part of the Montfort family, reported the deaths of six sisters and one other employee.

– The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul lost one nun and reported severe damage to several houses.

– Two sisters of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate Queen were killed, along with eight students.

– The Christian Brothers reported two members dead.

– The house of the Holy Cross Fathers was destroyed, with one seminarian reported dead.

– Two religious were reported dead from the Little Brothers of St. Teresa, along with the destruction of five houses.

– The Salesians suffered the loss of one brother and two novices, with a house and school destroyed.

– The Sisters of St. Anne reported one sister dead and the destruction of a house and school.

– The Spiritans counted one dead with a house and school destroyed.

According to the report, many orders suffered severe damage to religious houses, schools and other property.

They included the Dominicans of the Presentation; the Sisters of Charity of St. Hyacinthe; the Religious of Jesus and Mary; the Society of the Sacred Heart; the Marianists; the Scheut Missionaries; the Missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis; the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi; the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny; the Sisters of Christ Marie Alphonse and the Oblates.