Our major Operation Starfish® collection takes place this weekend, May 4 & 5. This weekend, we commemorate the tenth anniversary of Father Richard Martin, who returned to God in 2014 after serving as Nativity’s pastor for 17 years. Fr. Martin began Operation Starfish, working with Food For The Poor to develop Nativity Villages with housing, clean water, sanitation, schools, clinics, and small businesses throughout Haiti. 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 26 Years
1998 – 2024
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:
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- Over 1,500 homes in Haiti
- 13 Nativity Villages in Haiti, with a 14th in planning
- 4 fishing villages in Haiti
- 3 fresh water fish farms in Haiti
- 4 medical scholarships in Jamaica, 1 in Haiti
- 4 greenhouses in the Dominican Republic
- 2 clinics in Haiti, 1 in Honduras
- Fish 4 Hope to spur small business
- Stella Marina to make childbirth safer
Operation Starfish Projects in 2024
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- Begin development on the 14th Nativity community – Nativity Village at Bois-Louroux, with Phase I including 20 homes, water well and treatment system and solar street lighting. Phase II will follow with 20 more homes and additional components.
- Continue construction in Nativity Village at Bas Fossé – 60 homes are finished and occupied and 15 houses remain to be built; they will be completed this coming summer. 1 of the 2 schools in Bas-Fossé is finished and the other is under construction. Solar street lighting is currently being installed there as well.
- Operate St. Anthony Clinic at Prolongé & Good Shepherd Clinic
- Provide school & medical scholarships in Jamaica & Haiti
- Nativity will send a delegation to Honduras July 7-10 to visit the El Colirio Clinic and look at additional possible projects
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