Haitian Catholics to mark spiritual holiday of Jericho

CARL JUSTE / MIAMI HERALD STAFF
BY JAWEED KALEEM
JKALEEM@MIAMIHERALD.COM
Thousands of Haitian Catholics are expected at Notre Dame d'Haiti Mission in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood over the next week for the popular spiritual revival of Jericho.
During Jericho, Catholics ask God to alleviate problems such as illness, joblessness, poverty and estrangement from family members.
Each night through Saturday, parishioners will walk around the church grounds as they pray, evoking the story of how God helped the ancient Israelites conquer the Biblical city of Jericho by telling them to march around the city's walls for seven days.
On the seventh day, the Israelites were told to blow rams horns, after which the city's walls fell. During Jericho, Catholics are encouraged to turn to God to remove the obstacles in their lives that are causing them pain.
Observations at Notre Dame, 112 NE 62nd St., begin at 3 p.m. Sunday. Archbishop Thomas Wenski will celebrate Mass at 7 p.m. The church will host nightly prayers from Monday through Saturday and the revival will end with a health fair on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
``In our lives, there are many walls,'' said the Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary of Notre Dame. ``We see Jericho as a spiritual exercise where we come to a personal level of consciousness as a community and body of faith . . .``We need to take a moment to see how we can relieve ourselves, to see how we can see how we can live in harmony with ourselves and God,'' he added. ``There are many of people suffering, both here and in Haiti.''
In past years, Catholics from Boston, New York and Haiti have been among those who attend the revival.
The event is free. More information is available at 305-751-6289.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/16/1876377/haitian-catholics-to-mark-spiritual.html#ixzz12Y0sKOTd