While the island of Haiti has practically fallen off the news media’s radar, the problems in the earthquake battered island-nation have not disappeared. It has been over a year since the catastrophic 7.0 earthquake struck, killing thousands and displaced so many into makeshift campsites. To make matters worse, the country now faces a cholera epidemic aggravated by the on-again off-again rebuilding effort and its hurricane seasons.

And yet there is hope. And that hope was on display Monday night during the diocesan Haitian Apostolate’s celebration of the feast day of Our Lady of Perpetual Help – the patron saint of Haiti. In 1882, Our Lady is credited with curing a smallpox epidemic that raged throughout the island. And now, almost 130 years later, all eyes and hearts return to the image of Our Lady, hoping for some small part of her perpetual help in Haiti.