28987: Ayiti Chanje (news) First Haitian-American bishop named to U.S. Catholic Church (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Ayiti Chanje <ayitichanje1804@hotmail.com>

First Haitian-American bishop named to U.S. Catholic Church
By SUZAN CLARKE
THE JOURNAL NEWS

http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060824/NEWS03/608240309/1028/NEWS12

The first Haitian-American bishop appointed to the Catholic Church in the 
United States has ties to Rockland.

Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq, 71, who was elevated to his position in the 
Diocese of Brooklyn in a ceremony on Tuesday, is the brother of the Rev. Carl 
Sansaricq of St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church in Spring Valley.

Carl Sansaricq served at St. Joseph's about a decade. Now in his 80s, he is 
retired and lives at the parish.

Guy Sansaricq has set a number of precedents. In addition to being the first 
Haitian-American bishop in the U.S. Catholic Church, he has also become the 
first black bishop in the Diocese of Brooklyn. The diocese encompasses the 
boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.

"Everybody's elated," said Jocelyn McCalla, executive director of the National 
Coalition for Haitian Rights, a New York City-based human rights organization. 
"I mean, it's a major event for the Haitian community in New York."

Local Haitians like Jean L. Nicolas — a parishioner at St. Joseph's — were 
excited about the development.

"I think it's a great thing," said Nicolas, a Nanuet resident who was born in 
Haiti and came to America in the 1960s, "especially for the Haitian community 
around here."

Even though Bert Jean-Louis is not Catholic, the Haitian-born man was proud of 
Sansaricq.

"It's a great honor to have him promoted to a bishop," said Jean-Louis of 
Spring Valley. "It's not just that he's a black man, he's also a Haitian man 
and that's a first for us. ... He makes us, all Haitians, very proud."

The 2000 census counted 11,000 Haitians in Rockland, although community 
advocates said that estimate was low. Approximately 3,711 Haitians were counted 
in Westchester County.

Guy Sansaricq studied in Haiti and later at St. Paul Pontifical Seminary in 
Ottawa, Canada, where he received master's degrees in philosophy and theology. 
He also studied at the Gregorian University in Rome, receiving another master's 
degree in 1971.

Before he came to the United States in the early 1970s, Guy Sansaricq 
ministered to people in the Bahamas. He was parochial vicar of Sacred Heart 
parish in Cambria Heights, N.Y., before moving on to become pastor of St. 
Jerome's Church, a Flatbush congregation that has a large Creole-speaking 
population.

Sansaricq is known as an immigrant advocate. He co-founded Haitian Americans 
United for Progress, a service agency.

"I've known him for several years and he has always been a remarkable servant 
of the people of Haiti," McCalla said of Sansaricq. "That's where his heart is, 
that's where his heart lies, and he has done everything to make sure that the 
community continues to grow."

Two other auxiliary bishops, Octavio Cisneros and Frank J. Caggiano, were 
appointed in the ceremony.

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