By Moe Wosepka

Magalie Rigaud and her twins Marc- Edwin and Carl-Edwin survived the Jan. 10 earthquake in Haiti. It has been estimated the magnitude 7.0 quake displaced nearly 2 million people and took the lives of almost 230,000. Magalie and her boys were trapped under a collapsed grocery store. But they were fortunate, because they were found quickly and within five hours, they were freed without serious injury.

Magalie worked for Catholic Relief Service and as she viewed the devastation, she knew CRS would be called to help feed, clothe, house and comfort those whose homes and way of life the earthquake had destroyed. With a bandaged head, she returned to work the next day to manage CRS warehouses as they gathered and distributed food and supplies from across the world. The task was immeasurable.

Magalie is just one of thousands of relief workers who braved conditions in Haiti. She will share her story of desperation and hope on Wednesday, Nov. 10, during the Bishops’ Catholic Social Justice Summit in Helena.

Joining her will be Father Larry Snyder, the president of Catholic Charities USA. He will share a glimpse of anti-poverty work conducted through Catholic Charities and will unveil award-winning photos of poverty in the United States. For many years, Catholic Charities has been a leader in poverty reduction programs, among them one called Individualized Poverty Reduction Prevention. It tailors services to individual needs, rather than taking the one-size-fitsall approach common today. The photo exhibit titled “In Our Own Backyard” features the work of leading U.S. photographers, including Steve Liss, whose awards include the 2005 Alicia Patterson Fellowship for his work on domestic poverty. The exhibit portrays the struggles of people living in poverty in the United States.

The summit also features Vicki Schieber, who is the mother of a murder victim and is a volunteer with the Catholic Mobilizing Network. Bishop Michael W. Warfel of the Diocese of Great Falls- Billings will call us forth as Catholics to be fully engaged in social justice, and Bishop George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Helena will close the day with a prayer service commissioning people at the summit to go forth to love and serve our Lord, and our neighbors.

Participants in the summit will be challenged to form social justice ministries in their parishes and to take on the justice issues of the day. Two very successful and vibrant parish social justice ministries will provide models for our efforts, and breakout sessions will provide guidance in forming and strengthening parish social justice ministries as well as examining some of the issues of the day: poverty, the death penalty, assisted suicide and the attack on beginning life.

Please consider joining us for this firstever event, which will celebrate the good Catholics do throughout the world. The summit will be from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Carroll College Lower Commons.

Registration fees per person are $25 if paid by Friday, Nov. 5, and $35 the day of the event. Register online at www.cssmt.org or www.montanacc. org, or call either of these numbers: 406-442-4130 and 406-442-5761. Registration is limited to 288 people, and early registration is recommended.

The Summit is sponsored by Montana’s two Roman Catholic dioceses, Catholic Social Services of Montana, the Montana Catholic Conference and the Carroll College Hunthausen Center for Peace and Justice.


Moe Wosepka is executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference. He may be reached by phone at 406-442-5761 or by e-mail to director@montanacc.org.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 10, October 15, 2010.


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