Vinel Rosier was born on October 10, 1989 in Cavaillon, Haitithe third in a family of four children. He received the diaconate on May 25, 2019 and was ordained a priest on August 31 of the same year in the cathedral of Les Cayes, Haiti. His first pastoral assignment was as vicar in the Sacré-Cœur des Cayes parish, a task he combined with the direction of the KIRO" movementThe first of its kind, formed by young Christians, along with teaching catechism in secondary schools and giving introductory Bible classes to young people about to enter the Major Seminary.
How did you discover your vocation to the priesthood?
-As a child, I prepared for my First Communion in a school run by nuns. In one class, one of the nuns asked what we wanted to be when we grew up and I answered that I wanted to be a priest. That desire grew inside me, fostered by the fact that I joined a group of altar boys who helped at Mass. There I was impressed by the availability of the priests and their willingness to serve. After a while, I asked the parish priest to send me to discern my vocation, and that is what I did for two years until, in 2010, I started the propaedeutic program.
What was the reaction of your family and friends when you told them you wanted to become a priest?
-Although, at first, there was some anxiety and opposition among my relatives, in the end they were happy. My family thought that I would no longer be able to go to my neighborhood, that I would have other friends and another family. But in the end, their joy outweighed the prevention because it is a source of pride for the family to give a priest to the Church. My friends, especially my classmates, had the same feeling of discontent at first, but when they saw my determination to enter the seminary, they finally accepted my choice.
How would you describe the Church in Haiti?
-Haiti was a predominantly Catholic country, so much so that the great Marian devotion of the people was the origin of a miraculous intervention of the Virgin Mary when the smallpox epidemic ravaged the population. On December 8, 1942, the president of the country allowed the ecclesiastical authorities to consecrate Haiti to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
But between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Protestantism began to grow. With the U.S. occupation of Haiti, there was a further consolidation of the Protestant presence in Haiti and this has caused a decline of Catholicism in the country.
Although the presence of Catholicism is still strong in the country. It is true that our Church is totally dependent on foreign aid, but with our limited resources we try to support people where the State is absent.
Despite all the problems and difficulties, the Church in Haiti remains a source of hope, working for a better tomorrow.
What are the challenges facing the Church in your country?
-Due to political instability, the challenges facing the Church are increasingly intense. Almost every day we see indiscriminate violence by gangs operating with impunity. Every day we see acts of murder and banditry. The gangs sow terror and despair, and so the inhabitants have taken to the streets to escape, sometimes without even knowing where they are going.
Haiti is a country under real threat, because the institutions of the State have become fragile and the leaders are incapable of stabilizing the situation. In the face of this, the Church plays its role, recalling the urgent need for a transformation of mentalities.
The Church in Haiti works to ensure that young people in particular, and Haitians as a whole, do not let themselves be discouraged, and sustains the hope of the people through its prophetic mission and its interventions in the field of charity.
What do you appreciate most about your training in Rome?
-What I appreciate most about my education is the breadth of vision I acquired at the university. I discovered other cultures thanks to our meetings and exchanges with university students from other countries. I was able to make friends and discover a lot of richness and beauty.
