The Jesuits arrived in Haiti in 1953 from Quebec with a call from the Holy See to take responsibility for the Port-au-Prince Seminary.
Since their arrival they undertook prolific and significant works distributed in different areas. In addition to the training of the future clergy of the Island, they contributed to the University, Radio Manresa, and the emblematic Villa Manresa, which was an architectural icon of the city until its destruction in the 2010 earthquake.
Under the pretext that the Jesuits were a danger to national security, Dictator Jean Claude Duvalier expelled them from the Territory in 1964. This event caused Canada to break off diplomatic relations with Haiti.
Gradually, the Society was reinstated in Haiti, always under the hegemony of the Province of Canada. In 1986 a Delegate was appointed and later, a Territorial Superior from 2018 until the present.
Currently there are 64 Jesuits spread out across the north, center and south of the country. The apostolic fields continue to be varied: school and university education, parish ministry, formation and spiritual support for religious, laymen and laywomen. Additionally, the Society is active in pastoral ministry and social promotion in collaboration with others.
For more information: André Broulliette and Louis-Joseph Goulet. Les “Jesuites en Haiti: une historie mouvementée”. Le Brigand 470.
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