Our Lady of the Assumption
OUR SISTER PARISH IN PORUS, JAMAICA
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ADDRESS, PHONE, AND E-MAIL INFORMATION Address: Our
Lady of the Assumption Church Phone: 011-876-904-1238 E-Mail: csjporus@infochan.com
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Fr. Burg |
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Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba and west of Haiti. About 145 miles long and about 50 miles at its widest point, covering an area that is smaller than the state of Connecticut, it is home to 2.6 million people.
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Discovered by Columbus in 1494, Jamaica was a Spanish settlement until captured by the British in 1655. The original Arawak Indians had been wiped out so the British accelerated the importation of Negro slaves to man the sugar industry. After full emancipation in 1838, the sugar industry declined. Poverty, unemployment and overpopulation led to serious unrest in the 19th and 20th centuries. Crop diversification and reforms improved conditions. Full internal self-government came in 1959 within the West Indies Federation and full independence within the British Commonwealth in 1962. Under Prime Minister Michael Manley (1972-1980) the government initiated a number of social reforms and took control of mining and the sugar industry. Manley's successor, Edward Seaga, steered a moderate course, but his hopes for improving the economy were shattered in 1988 when Hurricane Gilbert damaged or destroyed 80% of the nation's housing, devastated agriculture and wiped our much of Jamaica's infrastructure. |
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Only 14% of the land is suitable for cultivation; about 80% of the land surface is mountainous. Between the terrain and the presence of limestone, which allows the rainfall to seep to depths where it cannot be recaptured and used for irrigation, there is relatively little agriculture in an area where the annual rainfall ranges from 30 to 72 inches each year. The nation's economy depends on tourism and exportation of bauxite, sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus fruit, and a few other agricultural products. However, the revenue generated by exports ($1.4 b) is only about half of the total value of imports to the island ($2.9 b), contributing to an annual inflation rate of 16%. The service economy employs about 40% of the total workforce; agriculture,
22 % and industry 19%. The average income is $3,660 per year. But, according
to Bishop Paul Boyle of the Diocese of Mandeville, about 70% of the workforce
is unemployed or underemployed, and the government provides no social
services. Housing, education, and health care are the greatest needs of the
people of Jamaica. |
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Our sister parish, Our Lady of the Assumption, is located in Porus, located in the mountainous central
region of the island about 10 miles from the Diocesan See of Mandeville on
the road to Kingston. The town, with a population of about 23,000, is
situated in a gully in the mountains. When it rains, mud and water inundate
the town. Because of the topography, the town is extremely narrow but extends
for several miles along the road, which is the only place where electric and
water service is available. Most people dwell on the sides of the mountain.
The inhabitants of this area, like most of their countrymen, are very poor.
Interior of Our Lady of the
Assumption The Catholic population of Jamaica is very small. In the area around Porus there are only about 200 Catholics, with an average Sunday Mass attendance of about 35 or 40 individuals.
There is a rectory beside
the church, which is used by the three Sisters of St. Joseph who serve the
parish and other parts of the diocese. Sr. Patty Rossi, one of the Sisters
serving in Porus, is a native of Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. After working in
the Amazon area of Brazil for twenty-five years, Sr. Patty volunteered to
open a mission in Jamaica. She and Sr. Margie Kelly and Sr. Janis Franklin
work with current teachers and future teachers in addition to serving the
poor of the area. Their approach is to help all the people help themselves in
order to give them a greater sense of dignity.
Sr. Patty Rossi The regular Sunday collection pays for the ordinary maintenance of the church: light, water, supplies, etc. The diocese supplements this, paying the salary for the priest and sisters, as well as other parish operating expenses. |
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Mama Jackson lives in a one-room house, which she shares with Miss Lou. With the help of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Miss Lou obtained a license to sell in the market. Miss Lou receives a stake of $7 or $8 a week to buy oranges and other fruit to sell in the market Thursday through Saturday.
Over the years Mama Jackson, who is more than eighty years old and unmarried, also shares her home with Joan "Punsy" Brown. "Punsy" is 9-years old and attends the public school in Porus. She used to receive help with her reading and writing from the Sisters of the parish. Now she helps other students. "Punsy" was abandoned by her mother and went to live with an aunt. When her aunt got tired of her, Mama Jackson took her in and became her legal guardian. Mama Jackson has raised almost one hundred children who have been abandoned by their parents. "Punsy" and a typical
Porus kitchen |
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St. Peter's assistance has been primarily financial so far because of circumstances. Although a few of our parishioners have traveled to Porus to visit and assist our sister parish, such opportunities are limited because neither the parish nor the diocese has the capacity to house volunteers. This situation is being corrected by the construction of the Gallitzin House, a gift from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, which has itself joined with the Diocese of Mandeville. Soon, we will be able to organize missions to Jamaica to provide for the needs of housing, education and health care. |
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