NEW YORK – With great sadness, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios received the tragic news of the devastating destruction and the loss of human lives in Haiti following the earthquake in that country yesterday, January 12, 2010.
 
“Our thoughts and prayers are now with the people of Haiti,” said Archbishop Demetrios who immediately issued an encyclical calling upon the faithful of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America to pray for the safety, health and well being of all the people of Haiti and in particular the Greek Orthodox faithful there. 
 
In his encyclical to the parishes of the Archdiocese, (see full text here) the Archbishop also calls for all parishes “to conduct a special collection on Sunday, January 17 as a response of compassion to the needs of the people of Haiti.”
 
There are two Greek Orthodox parishes in Haiti under the Metropolis of Mexico. The first is the parish of St. John the Baptist in Pétionville, a district in the capital of Port-au-Prince. The second is the newly established parish of St. Mathias. Due to the severed communications, the Metropolis of Mexico has not been able to establish contact with the parishes until now.