(17 Jul 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Port-au-Prince, Haiti – 16 July 2025
1. Various of women walking to the church carrying flowers to honor Erzulie and the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
2. Women entering the church with flowers
3. Various of women walking to the altar with baskets of fruit and sugarcane on their heads.
4. Faithful praying
5. Various of woman praying with photos of her relatives in her hands
6. Various of faithful praying and lighting candles
7. Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
8. Faithful praying
9. Candles
10. Various of faithful praying during the mass
11. Various of people walking
12. SOUNDBITE (Haitian Creole) (No name given) Vodou priest :
“I am a practicing Vodou priest, and it is important to be here anyway and celebrate our mother (the Virgin Mary) on her day and to say thank you .”
13. Various of people walking up and down the hill from the church
STORYLINE:
Several thousand people scaled a steep hill in a rural part of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, on Wednesday to honor Erzulie and the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.
The small church replaced Saut-d’Eau after violent gangs attacked the town in March, where the 100-foot waterfall had attracted thousands of Vodou and Christian followers for decades.
The town remains under gang control, preventing thousands from participating in the traditional annual pilgrimage meant to honor the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel, who is closely associated with the Vodou goddess of Erzulie.
“It is important to celebrate the mother’s (The Virgin Mary) day anyway, and I came here to thank her,” said a Vodou Priest who preferred not to give his name.
On Wednesday, videos posted on social media showed members of the Canaan gang standing in the large church of Saut-d’Eau that traditionally hosted the annual Mass amid the three-day pilgrimage.
While the small church in Port-au-Prince burst at its seams with faithful praying for the blessing of the Virgin.
During mass service, Monsignor Sander Louis Jean asked the faithful to pray for Haiti. “It is what the Virgin Mary, our mother, wants – unity,” said Monsignor Sander.
AP Video by Pierre Luxama
===========================================================
Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com.
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/8b89fc1128e04dbe88410fd448843216
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in July 22, 2025, 3:05 am.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
