Our major Operation Starfish® collection takes place this weekend, May 6 & 7. Thank you for giving to Operation Starfish® and investing in Fr. Martin’s vision of bringing families out of poverty in Haiti, one person at a time.
Making a Difference for 25 Years
1998 – 2023
In 1998, Nativity Catholic Church began a ministry to the poor of Haiti. Fr. Richard Martin called it “Operation Starfish.” Until Fr. Martin’s death in 2014, Nativity worked with Food For The Poor to develop “Nativity Villages” with housing, clean water, sanitation, schools, clinics, and small businesses throughout Haiti. Fr. Bob Cilinski expanded Operation Starfish to Jamaica and Honduras and brought more young adults into this ministry.
Today, Operation Starfish has:
-
- 1,552 homes in Haiti
- 13 Nativity Villages in Haiti
- 4 fishing villages in Haiti
- 3 fresh water fish farms in Haiti
- 4 medical scholarships in Jamaica
- 4 greenhouses in the Dominican Republic
- Fish 4 Hope to spur small business
- Stella Marina to make childbirth safer
Operation Starfish Projects in 2023
-
- Construct a medical clinic in Honduras
- Complete Nativity Village at Bas Fossé
- Operate St. Anthony Clinic at Prolongé
- Provide medical scholarships in Jamaica
- Provide school scholarships in Haiti
- Operate 3 sewing centers in Haiti
Thank you for you support!
Donate Online to Operation Starfish
Starfish Story
A young child walked the beach at dawn and noticed an old man picking up starfish and tossing them into the sea. Catching up with the man, the child asked why he was doing this. The old man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish,” exclaimed the child. “How can you make a difference?” The old man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it safely into the waves. He turned to the child and said, “It made a difference to that one.”
based on the writing of Loren Eiseley
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact
Jim McDaniel
Coordinator, Operation Starfish
operation-starfish@nativityburke.org