By David Karas | Correspondent

When Pope Francis made history with his January announcement elevating the first cardinal from Haiti, it was a moment of joy and thanksgiving for Haitian Catholics around the world.

Those feelings were multiplied a hundred fold  May 10 in St. Anthony Church, Hamilton, when Cardinal Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes came to the Diocese of Trenton to visit Haitian Catholics from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region who gathered by the hundreds for the Mass and dinner celebration.

“Our Church was filled similar to a Patronal Feast,” said Deacon Luders Desire of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish. “They all came to honor the Cardinal, magnify the name of the Lord and give him thanks.”

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., presided over the Mass, which was said mostly in Creole, and included a crowd of some 800 faithful and 18 concelebrating priests, many of whom were Haitian themselves.

Haitian pilgrims commuting by car, bus and train flocked to the Hamilton parish for the Mass and celebration to recognize Cardinal Langlois’ visit. Guests hailed from throughout the Diocese of Trenton and the greater region, including some from New York City, Washington, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and even a handful from as far as Florida and Canada.

In his homily, Cardinal Langlois reflected on how vocations are nurtured by an intense spiritual life. The cardinal also took time to pay tribute to mothers in honor of Mother’s Day weekend.

Cardinal Langlois also spoke about the personal connections that Catholics have with Jesus – a shepherd who also knows and loves each of his sheep personally.

“We had a beautiful Mass with many, many people,” said Father Pierre-Michel Alabré, parochial vicar in Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish and coordinator of the Haitian Ministry there.

The Mass featured a large choir, comprised of members of the host parish’s choirs, as well as some members of the Haitian community hailing from Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Holy Spirit Parishes, Asbury Park.

“It was a beautiful day of Creole pride and celebration,” said Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows-St. Anthony Parish and Diocesan Vicar General.  “The music from the combined choirs was truly wonderful.  You could feel the emotion and excitement in the church.” 

Father Alabré said that the invitation for Cardinal Langlois to visit the Hamilton parish came from the Diocese of Trenton, as well as the Diocese of Camden and the Archdiocese of Newark, with the goal of hosting a regional celebration for the Haitian community. The Mass was held in Hamilton, he said, because it was centrally located for those in Philadelphia, New York and beyond who would be interested in attending.

Father Alabré also viewed the occasion as an opportunity to reconnect with the Cardinal, with whom he had worked while he was in Haiti.

Rev. Mr. Jean Felicien, a transitional deacon who is expected to be ordained to the priesthood May 31 and assigned to Father Alabré’s parish, said that the Mass was a momentous occasion.

“For the first time in our history, we have a cardinal in the Church,” he said. Rev. Mr. Felicien added that he was present when the now-cardinal was ordained as a bishop in Haiti.

He described the cardinal as energetic and polite, and spoke to the work he accomplished as a parish priest in a difficult area of their shared home country.

“I think he did a wonderful job in that area,” he said, adding that he was a great selection to serve as a cardinal.

Not more than 50 years ago, it was the president of the Republic of Haiti who selected a priest to become bishop, a man who would be formally elected to the post by the sitting Pope under the state’s concordat.

But that all changed in the tenure of now-St. John Paul II, when the nation’s concordant was abolished and the selection to higher Church positions was returned to the Pope.

The change has brought great joy to the Haitian community in the Catholic Church, most notably when Pope Francis named Bishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, 55, cardinal and president of the Haitian Bishops’ conference. The historic selection and momentous announcement was made public on Jan. 12, the four-year anniversary of a devastating earthquake that struck Haiti.

Deacon Desire referenced a portion of Cardinal Langlois’ homily, during which he described himself as “a native Cardinal with his native people.” The cardinal is truly a man of the people, and bears an attitude that represents a far departure from predecessors in Haiti, he said.

“Such prelates, when I was growing up in Haiti, were distant and well guarded by officials of the government like drivers, police officers, security guards, etc.,” he said. “That drastic change made by Pope John Paul II means … a lot for the Catholic Church in Haiti.”

Cardinal Langlois answered the call of those in need following Haiti’s devastating earthquake, which killed an estimated 220,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless. It also claimed the life of the archbishop of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and toppled the city’s iconic cathedral.

Haitian Catholic leaders saw the selection of then-Bishop Langlois as recognition of the Church’s work following the earthquake.

Since the earthquake, Cardinal Langlois has advocated for the Church to take a leading role in providing schooling for impoverished children, said Father Jean Herve Francois, pastor at the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Laborde, just north of Les Cayes.

“He has dedicated himself to creating opportunities for the youth and to the importance of education,” Father Francois told Catholic News Service in a January interview. “He clearly has a touch with ordinary people.”

Catholic News Service contributed to this report.