.png)
Seed planted in Boise grows to include Washington, D.C., and New York
The Kizito Family is a community of Catholic nuns founded by Sister Paësie Philippe that helps the children of Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (kizitofamily.org)
By Emily Woodham
Staff Writer
The people of Cité Soleil call her “Maman Soleil” (“Mama Sun”). On any given day, she can be seen walking down the sludge-covered streets with children holding her hands as the wind blows trash down alleys and roads.
Sister Paësie Philippe manages eight schools, seven catechetical centers and seven homes for the children of Cité Soleil, the largest slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. There are no utilities. There is no garbage collection. Most schools require tuition and fees, but her schools are among those that are free.
Sister Paësie began living and serving in Haiti 26 years ago. Until 2018, she was a Sister in St. Mother Teresa’s congregation, the Missionaries of Charity. Sister felt called to minister to children on the streets of Haiti in 2017, especially by providing catechesis and education. A year later, she founded Kizito Family with approval from the Bishop of Port-au-Prince and the Missionaries of Charity.
In 2020, the gang wars of Haiti began. Poverty, violence and death increased.
Men were the main casualties of gang violence, creating fatherless and single-mother homes—the family unit shattered in instability.
Women are targets of sexual violence as gangs raid and pillage; many women have died, too. It is common for children to be orphaned.
“More people died in Haiti in 2023 than in Ukraine,” Sister Paësie said. “And even more people died last year.”
Although the gangs agreed to a peace deal in July, violent outbreaks are common. As recently as mid-February, a gang bragged on social media with videos of a raid in an area outside of Cité Soleil. At the height of the frenzy, they threw a baby into a bonfire to make a point about their power. The baby’s mother died from a heart attack the next day.
Although the conditions in Cité Soleil are dismal, Sister Paësie has hope, she said.
“I see the children, and I have hope. They have such big smiles, and they know how important it is to go to school and to love Jesus.” She wants to be sure the children are ready to lead Haiti with Christian values when they are adults.
During Catholic Schools Week, St. Mark’s School Principal Donna Gordon and students who participated in the penny drive for the Kizito Family efforts in Haiti presented Sister Paësie Philippe with a $4,080 donation collected by Treasure Valley Catholic Schools. (Courtesy Photo/Patricia Ott)
A family of hope
What she does would be impossible without financial support that goes directly to her community. A large part of the funds comes from Kizito Family Haiti-USA, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that began in Boise in 2022.
Fred and Patricia Ott, parishioners of Holy Apostles Parish; Gery Edson, parishioner of St. John’s Cathedral; and Jalene Greer of Boise are among the executive board. Kevin and Hope Ryan, parishioners of Holy Apostles in Meridian, and Chad and Gigi Larson, parishioners of St. John’s Cathedral in Boise, joined the board in 2023. Helen Snyder, who lives in Virginia and is a parishioner of Christ the Redeemer in Sterling, was among the first in the United States to meet Sister Paësie. She also joined the board in 2023.
“When I chose the name ‘Kizito Family,’ I really did envision that it would be a family that includes everyone, from Religious Sisters to employees to those who support us with prayers and finances,” Sister Paësie said. She named the community after St. Kizito, the youngest Ugandan martyr of 1886.
The Kizito Family Foundation was begun in France in 2018. In 2022, Sister Paësie visited Boise for a retreat at the Verbum Spei Monastery of Our Lady of Ephesus. Soon after hearing her speak about Kizito Family, Idaho Catholics wanted to form a nonprofit to support her.
“When Sister Paësie shared what Mother Teresa of Calcutta heard Jesus saying to her—‘See these children, they do not love me because they do not know me, will you take my light to them?’—Jesus’ invitation gripped us as though this call was echoing down the hallway of time to this very place in Boise,” said Patricia Ott, co-founder and president.
Kizito Family Haiti-USA is quickly expanding its reach. In February, Sister Paësie visited Washington, D.C., and New York City to establish more connections for the nonprofit.
“This is how this work gets done–it is through connections, through meeting people who want to help the children, who want to do God’s work,” Sister Paësie said.
Helen Snyder organized several speaking opportunities for Sister Paësie in the Washington, D.C., including two schools and a Baptist church.
“I felt very strengthened by the welcome and encouragement I received there,” she said.
Sister Paësie then spent 10 days in New York City. While there, she spoke to small groups at the Jesuit parish of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the diocesan parish of Church of Our Savior, both in Manhattan. Father Dennis J. Yesalonia, S.J., pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, also invited Sister Paësie to speak at the end of a packed Sunday Mass of more than 400 parishioners.
“They were very welcoming and generous,” she said. “They had open hearts for the children of Kizito Family and were very willing to help.” Plans are being made for Sister to return to New York City for more speaking engagements.
Increasing hope
She currently has two postulants. The Kizito Family board has plans to promote more vocations to her community. “If I want the work of Kizito Family to continue after my death, we need to grow in vocations.”
She also wants to hire more teachers with formal education. “We can only afford to hire teachers who have just graduated from high school,” she said. Although the teachers can teach what is necessary, they need more instruction on classroom management and how to use different teaching methods.
A large portion of the funds raised abroad are used to pay Kizito Family employees’ salaries. Sister Paësie employs 185 people who live in Cité Soleil as teachers, cooks, drivers and maintenance workers.
“People who live outside Cité Soleil don’t want to work here because they feel it is too dangerous,” she explained.
“My hope is that we can one day have retired teachers in the United States volunteer to teach at our schools and also to help better train our teachers.”
To learn more about Kizito Family and donate, visit kizitofamily.org.
Kommentarer