Father Paul Janvier sums up his 25 years of priesthood with this reflection: “I consider myself a dad and the people of God are my children.”
“Working with the people is my joy,” said Father Janvier, parochial vicar of Mother of Mercy Parish, Asbury Park. “A priest is a priest for the sake of the people of God. When I’m with the people of God, I feel happy.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Father Paul Janvier- 25 years
Father Janvier was born in 1964 in Lescayes, Haiti. His family included seven children, of which he is the fourth. Five cousins also lived in the household, he said. “We grew up together. There were 12 kids in the house.”
His decision to become a priest naturally evolved from what he calls “a Catholic reality” – having a very religious family that was close to the church along with his Catholic schooling.
Finding a vocation
“My family did two things – we went to school and we went to church,” he said. He explained that his father serves as director of a chapel of a parish. In Haiti, a parish includes about six chapels, and each chapel may have 600-700 people attending Mass each Sunday. As director, his father oversees the daily operation of the chapel.
While Father Janvier’s brother, who is a teacher, had encouraged him to also consider teaching, the young Paul knew that he wanted to be a priest.
“There was no other career choice,” he said. “It was the priesthood all the way.”
At first, Father Janvier joined the Haitian district of the Voluntas Dei Institute, an organization of Catholic priests, celibate laymen, married couples, and single women and men who promise to follow the spirituality of the institute. From there he entered the major seminary in Port-au-Prince. Bishop Guire Poulard of Jacmel ordained him June 28, 2000.
Following his ordination, Father Janvier served three assignments in Haiti, two as associate pastor and one as pastor.
A young parishioner receives a Birthday blessing from Father Janvier following Mass on June 29. Mike Ehrmann photo
Leaving his home country
In 2006, while visiting his priest-friend, Father Pierre-Michel Alabre, and leading a parish mission for the Haitian community of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish, Hamilton, Father Janvier was introduced to then-Bishop John M. Smith, who asked him to consider serving as a priest in the Diocese of Trenton.
“At first I said no because I have my assignment in Haiti,” Father Janvier recalled, but he did suggest that Bishop Smith contact his bishop just in case there was a chance he would approve.
Father Janvier was granted permission to relocate to the United States. He arrived June 28, 2007, to serve as parochial vicar of Holy Spirit Parish, Asbury Park, another parish in the Diocese with a significant Haitian population.
“It was naturally difficult to leave Haiti,” said Father Janvier, who found it challenging to leave his country and family and adapt to a new country and people and learn the English language.
Coming Together
At the time Father Janvier arrived at Holy Spirit, the parish was in the process of merging with the other Asbury Park parishes – Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Peter Claver – and nearby Our Lady of Providence, Neptune. He noted that that in addition to speaking Creole, he was also able to communicate with and minister to the Spanish-speaking community in Mother of Mercy Parish; he had learned Spanish during the two years he spent in the Dominican Republic prior to his ordination.
“It took time for the communities at Mother of Mercy Parish – English, Haitian, African American and Anglo – to come together,” he said. But along with working with the other parish priests, he found that the “best way for me to reach the people was to treat every group the same way.”
“It was challenging to bring people together and help them understand that we are parish,” he said. “As priests, we have to try and rise above the difficulties and remember that all of the children belong to you and do what we can to bring about balance.”
Along with celebrating Mass and the Sacraments in the parish, Father Janvier, who was incardinated in 2022, visits the Catholic residents in area nursing homes, a senior residence and two hospitals, and he translates for the guests seeking assistance at St. Peter Claver outreach center.
“I feel very loved by the three communities, and I do my best to do what I should for the sake of the people of God,” Father Janvier said. “I’ve been chosen to take care of them, and I will always be there for them.”