Home Saying Yes How HEF Grew Father Albert Faces of Hope More Faces Funding Sponsorship Milk Program Vocational Ed. University Ed. More Ways Gifts to Honor... T-Shirts Haiti Images Building Newsletters Contact HEF Sponsor Form Ways Form Gift Form About Father Albert In memory:   Père Jean-Wilfrid Albert, who was reunited with his Lord on July 6, 2005 Dear Friends,           It is with a spirit of both joy and sorrow that we inform you of the death of Père Jean-Wilfrid Albert. After a valiant battle with cancer, Père Albert went to be with his Best Friend and Father on July 6, 2005. As is typical of Père Albert, he has made specific arrangements for the continuation of God’s work in Haiti. A board of directors has been established in Haiti to carry on in his absence. Rev. Dick Thompson of the Westminister Presbyterian church in Westlake Village, California, will oversee the Haitian board and will work in tandem with the Haiti Education Foundation board to insure the continuation of God’s mission in Haiti. Our brothers and sisters in Haiti rely on the HOPE that comes from their friends in the USA. Please pray for the wisdom of all who are involved to carry on this very important work.           Père Albert’s brother writes to us, "I will take Père Albert to Haiti on Tuesday, July 12. The big celebration will be on Wednesday at 9:00 in the morning and the inhumation will be done at his native town, Thomazeau. I would like to ask every one of you a favor. Would you please continue to help the mission of Père Albert in Haiti? This would really be greatly honored by Jesus Christ, our Savior."           Dick Thompson wrote the following, which will be read in Creole at Père Albert’s Celebration:             We give thanks to God for the life of our friend Père Jean-Wilfrid Albert. Our Lord has touched our hearts by his spirit so open to the will and power of the Holy Spirit. Here was a man of great courage, an enormous love of life, and clear-eyed vision. I express the feelings of his friends here in the United States: the work to which Père Albert was called some fifteen years ago in the mountains of southern Haiti, will continue. What he envisioned for the future of the people of St. Matthias parish as well as for the earth where they live has become also our vision. What he believed to be God’s will has also become what we believe to be God’s will. We are in the process of organizing a new team to begin a clinic in Cherident. We propose that this clinic be named, CLINIQUE JEAN-WILFRID ALBERT. The work of Floresta will continue to find ways to improve the life of the families of the parish. Père Albert put great importance on the education of the young. They are the future of Haiti! With the grace of God all of these projects will continue. Therefore we pray for wisdom, strength and determination for you as well as for ourselves. We pray for Père Albert’s family, that they know the presence and assurance of our Lord. We recall the words of our friend: We are only pilgrims in this world. May we live our days in a way that reflects what we have learned from our friend Père Jean-Wilfrid Albert.   Blessings, The Haiti Education Foundation   Père Albert, priest-in-charge at St. Matthias Parish           Jean-Wilfrid Albert grew up in a poor, Roman Catholic family in the village of Thomazeau, 24 miles from Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. Believing that God had spoken directly to him in a dream, Albert entered Haiti's Episcopal Seminary at age 20. Upon graduation he became chaplain of the Presbyterian Church (USA) mission hospital in Léogane, where he served for 8 years.           Then God called Father Albert to the mountains of Grande Colline, to serve the people of St. Matthias Parish by establishing schools adjacent to each of the parish's 7 Episcopal churches. Today Father Albert shepherds all of St. Matthias's mission schools and churches. heading to class when the bell rings second-grade student           Père Albert is the key to the continuing success of the Haiti Education Foundation. Devoted to his country and its children, he is also capable, talented, and tireless. The Right Reverend John Lipscomb, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, remarked after a visit to Haiti, "Father Albert is one of the holiest people I have ever met." Père Albert with children top   © Haiti Education Foundation, Inc. E-mail: franland17@sbcglobal.net. Photos courtesy of Frances Landers and visiting mission teams.