Former Archdiocese sister now helping with earthquake recovery in Haiti
Sister Marilyn Marie Minter was sitting inside the Felician Sisters’ mission in Jacmel, Haiti, on Aug. 14 when everything started shaking. This wasn’t the first earthquake she experienced since joining the Haiti mission a decade ago after serving in the Archdiocese of Newark. But for some reason, it did not immediately register that a major natural disaster was unfolding. Then her fellow missionary, Sister Mary Inga Borko, started urging the nuns to flee the building. When Sister Marilyn realized what was happening, she only had one question on her mind: are my Haitian brothers and sisters okay?
The epicenter of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake turned out to be 80 miles from Jacmel, so none of the villagers regularly served by the Felician Sisters were severely impacted. But Haiti as a whole suffered serious losses, with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reporting that the earthquake left more than 2,200 people dead and roughly 12,200 people injured. Fortunately, Sister Marilyn and the mission’s three other Felician Sisters were there to help, literally emptying their shelves of clothes and medical supplies to send to the devastated city of Les Cayes. More than a month later, they are still assisting the recovery process — aided by some generous donors back home.
“We’ve received a lot of donations from our friends all over — Franklin Lakes, Bayonne, South Jersey, even Pennsylvania, and Michigan,” said Sister Marilyn, who is currently at the Felician Sisters’ convent in Lodi gathering supplies for the Haitians. “God has been really good. Nothing is impossible with God, that’s for sure.”
These contributions — which include food, clothing, dental supplies, and various other items — are being collected into a large shipping container for which Sister Marilyn and Sister Inga arranged. The container will next be shipped to Haiti in October. Its contents will be distributed to those still reeling from the earthquake and a subsequent tropical storm that occurred in the region only a few days after.
Additionally, the Felician Sisters are gathering numerous buckets and water filters that they will train the Haitians to use in order to obtain clean water. They also purchased medication for a doctor they work with, based on his on-the-ground recommendations.
But much more is still desperately needed. According to Sister Marilyn, monetary donations will make a huge difference in the effort to support Haitians in the aftermath of the earthquake and the years ahead. And donors can rest assured their financial contributions will be spent wisely, Sister Marilyn said.
“Every dollar that is donated to the Felician Haiti mission goes directly to us, and every dollar is spent on this Haiti mission,” Sister Marilyn said, stressing that the mission is one of accompaniment, not charity. “It’s about empowering Haitians to help themselves. We teach them to sew so they can get jobs sewing school uniforms. We have a ‘pay it forward’ program where children are sponsored to go to school, and in return, they help keep the mission moving forward. We’re in the process of building a bakery to create jobs. It’s not about us doing things for them. It’s about walking with them and seeing how we can work together to meet their needs.”
A Dream Come True
It is easy to understand why Sister Marilyn is so passionate about the mission. She said she always wanted to serve people directly from the time she entered religious life. But apart from mission trips to places like Africa and Siberia, she never got the chance to truly live among the needy for an extended period. So, after the Felician Sisters decided to establish a permanent mission in Haiti following the tragic 2010 Port-au-Prince earthquake, Sister Marilyn jumped at the chance to go. She was part of the first group of sisters to take up residence in the mission when it opened in 2012.
Joining the mission meant leaving behind her beloved job at the Archdiocese, where Sister Marilyn worked as an associate director of the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry (CYO). Yet, as she pointed out, the opportunity to achieve her dream of directly serving those most in need was too good to pass up. And she does not regret her decision.
“The Archdiocese always said I could come back whenever I finish, but two years has turned into nine years in Haiti, and I hope to stay for another nine or 10 years,” Sister Marilyn said. “I have never lived my religious life like I’m living my religious life now — my poverty, my chastity, my obedience. There’s something about living among the poor that teaches you about God’s providence and depending on God’s will.”
God has certainly provided for the Haiti mission, Sister Marilyn said. Though none of the sisters have a health care background, she said God put them in contact with the right medical professionals to start a mobile health clinic serving 28 villages that previously had no access to doctors or medicine. Likewise, when they noticed many children were starving, she said God enabled them to create a kitchen that feeds nearly 100 boys and girls one substantial meal each weekday.
Archdiocesan Support
The Archdiocese of Newark is doing its part to help, too. Sister Marilyn said her friends at the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry (CYO) ship supplies like laptops and sports equipment to the mission regularly. Most recently, she said they sent down hundreds of CYO shirts they could not use after the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the youth athletic season in 2020. Now it seems like every child in Haiti is wearing one, she joked.
Sister Marilyn greatly appreciates the office’s support, but CYO Director Tom Conboy said it is his pleasure to help her mission after everything she has done for him. Conboy said it was a true joy working with Sister Marilyn for two years, during which time she was always a beacon of positivity and spiritual enlightenment. He said that just seeing her smile or hearing her words of encouragement could turn a bad day around. And though he was heartbroken when she left, Conboy said he is glad to see Sister Marilyn pursuing her passion for mission service.
“I really do believe she could become a saint — her faith just pours out of her,” Conboy said. “She’s an amazing woman. I think she is a gift from above. God put her on a path to see where she would take it, and Sister Marilyn is serving Him every day.”
Conboy is not the only person at the Archdiocese who thinks highly of Sister Marilyn. Karen Clark, director of the Department for the Protection of the Faithful, and her husband Ted first met Sister Marilyn a decade ago through their daughter Mary Hope. Mary Hope had attended a youth retreat run by Sister Marilyn and insisted that her parents meet who she described as “the coolest nun I’ve ever seen.” The Clarks became fast friends with Sister Marilyn, with Ted bonding with her over their shared love of music. Before leaving for Haiti, Sister Marilyn even entrusted Ted with a 1969 Martin guitar her mother gave her.
Help the Cause
After getting to know Sister Marilyn, the Clark family began contributing financially to the Felician Haiti mission. Ted also urged his Facebook friends to donate, and Mary Hope contributed nearly $1,000 in ticket sales from a musical review she directed as a student at the University of Notre Dame. This led to Ted and Karen Clark joining the mission’s board, for which they help plan fundraising efforts. And they encourage everyone to consider the Haiti mission if they are looking for a cause to support.
“It’s a charity where you know the money is going to make a big difference in the lives of people who are struggling,” said Ted Clark, adding that Sister Marilyn and her fellow Felician Sisters in Haiti are some of the most admirable people one will come across. “They’re caring. They’re tough. They’re innovative because down there, you’ve got what you’ve got, and sometimes you’ve got to be MacGyver to adapt to all the changing political or weather situations. They’re inspiring. They’re humble. And as a result, they’re role models.”
Others may consider her a role model, but Sister Marilyn said she is merely fulfilling her calling to serve others in a place she now considers home. And if another earthquake ever strikes, one can bet Sister Marilyn will be on the frontline as always, helping everyone she can with a smile.
To donate to the Haiti mission, click here, or send a check payable to the Felician Sisters of North America, 871 Mercer Road, Beaver Falls, PA 15010 with “Haiti Mission” in the memo line.
Featured image: Sister Marilyn tends to a boy at the mission’s health clinic. (Photo courtesy of the Felician Sisters of North America)
