FARMINGTON – Two local parishes united with one in Haiti through a “parish twinning” program are lending their support to provide schooling and a clinic for the country in need.

A meal, potluck-style, will be held Saturday after the 6 p.m. Mass at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church to acknowledge a trip to Haiti in February by three members of the church’s Haiti Committee.

St. Joseph’s and St. Rose of Lima in Jay have been financially supporting schooling in Haiti for the past few years, said committee member Tom Caton of Phillips. The parishes help pay salaries for teachers of more than 400 students in a country that has no decent public education, he said.

Last fall, a clinic project was also started. Caton along with Janet Brackett and Lori Richards plan to leave Feb. 21 to spend a few days visiting with people from their “twin” parish in Haiti. They also hope to strengthen ties and assess needs caused by violent storms this past summer and to observe the progress being made on the clinic.

The parishes applied to be matched with a parish in Haiti after the Rev. Roger Chabot introduced the program to parishioners who thought it was a worthwhile project. They were matched with a parish of five churches in Haiti, he said.

A similar group visited a couple years ago, he said, to help figure out the priorities on their list of desired needs. The clinic was on top of their list, he said. The Haitians are building the clinic and a well for water but only work on it when they get some money, he said. Construction includes employing Haitian men. Eventually, the clinic will employ a nurse or two and a caretaker, all working under supervision from a hospital in the nearest community of any size.

“The country is in a bad state,” Caton said. “There are no resources … nothing there that will help them help themselves.”

Lack of work, land depletion and deforestation, malnutrition, political turmoil and individual safety with a lack of police are a few of the issues, he said.

The meal on Saturday will be held after the 6 p.m. Mass. All are welcome and are invited to bring along a dish to share while the Haiti Committee will offer several traditional Haitian dishes for sampling, dishes featuring mostly rice and beans, he said.

Haitian crafts will be displayed as well as some handmade lap quilts that will be taken to Haiti. Donations will also be accepted for the clinic project, he said.

For more information, contact Sandra Caton at 639-2048.