8/14/2019 Knights of Columbus Help Haiti Water Problem

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By Dave HrbacekThe Catholic Spirit

A few thousand Haitians are glad alocal priest came out of retirement.

Father Bernard Reiser decided to getback into active ministry last summer

and took an assignment as pastor of St.Nicholas in New Market in August.He wasted little time developing out-

reach projects. After making several tripsto Haiti over the past several years, hewas aware of some practical needs.

First, there was food. He approached alocal farmer, Leander Wagner, and saidhe wanted to buy 10 tons of corn to shipto Haiti.

Leander and the farmers donated 10tons of shelled corn, put it in a contain-er and it was shipped down to Miamiand put on a ship to Haiti [in October],Father Reiser said.

Then, there was water.We knew something had to be done

because the people had no acceptablewater for drinking or household use, he

said. The [distribution] system was rundown, not operable.

F ather Reiser believed the solution tothe water problem was a truck to takewater from wells located in Port AuPrince to outlying areas. So, he turned tothe St. Nicholas Knights of ColumbusCouncil. The Knights accepted the chal-lenge and, last week, sent a 6,000-gallonwater truck to Miami, where it soon willbe loaded onto a ship bound for Haiti.The final hurdle is clearing U.S.Customs.

Although water currently is availableto Haitians, a rundown distribution sys-tem combined with greed have drivenup the price of drinking water and madeit unaffordable for some. Father Reiserand the Knights say they hope that thewater truck will eliminate the problem.

One Knight, Bob Seykora, worked toboth find and modify the truck to makeit suitable for transporting drinkingwater. After canvassing New Market, hetalked to a local contractor, Tim Rud,who donated a tractor and tank. Seykoraarranged to have a stainless steel replace-ment tank put on, then added anothertank on a trailer. He and a group of dri-vers drove the truck to Miami.

From there the truck will be in thehands of Kevin McClellan of St. Stephenin Minneapolis, who will go with thetruck to Haiti and oversee its use.

The beneficiaries of the water truckwill be residents of Citi Soliel, a sectionof Port Au Prince that lies about threemiles from the nearest well.

If I can deliver 20,000 gallons a day, I

would be happy, McClellan said.For the Knights, this is another itemon a growing list of big charity projects.They already have built two houses sincethe start of the new millenium, one giv-en to a needy family and the other soldto raise money for pro-life causes. Notbad for a group with only 50 activemembers.

Our council has the faith to jumpinto any project, said Paul Laursen, thecouncils program director. We thinkbig. . . . Well build anything, well doanything.

Father Bernard Reiser challenges Knights of Columbus and parish to reach out

St. Nicholas Knights help Haiti solve water problem with 6,000-gallon water truck

ST. NICHOLAS, NEW MARKET

Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

From left, Bob Seykora, Father Bernard Reiser, Debbie and Tim Rud and Paul Laursen standin front of a water truck they and the St. Nicholas Knights of Columbus recently sent downto Florida for shipment to Haiti.