Whether in
Haiti or Philadelphia, her home is in the Church
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
Maria Vidala Moise came from Haiti to the United States more than two
decades ago, so she knows how important the Church is to a Catholic migrant.
That is one reason why she is so pleased to see the Archdiocese reaching
out to immigrants and refugees through its National Migration Week Mass.
The Mass, scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 2 at the Cathedral Basilica
of SS. Peter and Paul, will be celebrated by Cardinal Justin Rigali —
a further demonstration of how much the Church in Philadelphia cares about
migrants, she said.
“It is a time for us to celebrate the unity of our faith and the
diversity of our cultures,” said Moise, a member of the committee
organizing the Mass. “We all speak different languages and have
different cultures, but because the Mass is universal and the Eucharist
is one, we all have a sense of belonging and oneness.”
Moise arrived in New York City 22 years ago to pursue a college degree
in business. The first thing she did — like many in her situation
— was to find a Catholic Church.
The universality of the Church brought her a sense of comfort— and
a sense of family when she was far from her own, she said.
“I was raised in the Church and throughout my life I have always
been involved in the Church,” said Moise, a member of Incarnation
of Our Lord Parish in Philadelphia. “So when I moved to New York,
I looked for a church and became a member of the Legion of Mary.”
After college, she continued her involvement in the Church as she met
and married her Haitian husband, Jean, and they had their first child
and moved to Philadelphia.
In the Philadelphia Archdiocese, she became part of the Haitian community
at Incarnation — where there are now weekly Masses celebrated in
Creole.
As Moise grew more involved in the life of her parish, she was first asked
to serve on the finance committee for the Haitian community, and then
on the parish-wide finance committee and the parish council.
She is happy to use her knowledge and work experience in finance for the
Church, she said: “I use the talents God gave me to do whatever
I can for the Church.”
That attitude and her zeal for her faith has led her fellow Haitian Catholics
to elect Moise the parish’s Haitian community coordinator.
Now a wife for 18 years and the mother of two teenagers — her
son, Zibert, is 16 and her daughter, Rhonda, is 14 — Moise is pursuing
a master’s degree in health care and continues to serve her Church.
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith may be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.