From Bainbridge to Haiti: St. Cecilia helps build a future of hope

By Staff report • September 25, 2025 1:30 am

A simple meeting in a rural Haitian village more than a decade ago has grown into a partnership between St. Cecilia Parish on Bainbridge Island and the community of Clory, Haiti. What began as a single outreach trip in 2014 has blossomed into the Flower of Hope Middle School.

The story traces back to Theard Elficasse, who grew up in Clory, where most children had little chance of attending school. Unlike many of his peers, Elficasse was able to study in the city of Hinche — an opportunity that shaped his future. Determined to give the same chance to others, he began teaching 23 children under the shade of a palm tree in 2008.

By the time St. Cecilia parishioners visited six years later, that humble beginning had expanded into two sturdy concrete school buildings and more than 300 students in grades pre-K through 6. The expansion was powered by the efforts of the Clory community and friends from Ohio.

On their second trip in 2015, parishioners learned of Elficasse’s dream to bring middle school education — grades 7 through 9 — to Clory, a rare opportunity in rural Haiti. This would allow students to continue their learning and, for the first time, have a pathway to attend high school. St. Cecilia responded, raising the funds that same year to build a three-room concrete middle school and cover operating expenses for the first class of students.

Today, more than 100 students attend the Flower of Hope Middle School each year. Most graduates continue on to local vocational training programs, but many have gone on to high school, university, and beyond. One of the first middle school students is now entering his third year of medical school.

Support for the school has grown into a parish-wide ministry supported by pastor Fr. Mark Kiszelewski and parish administration and sustained by parishioners during an annual August fundraiser. These funds are managed through Flower of Hope Outreach, a volunteer-led nonprofit based in Millersburg, Ohio, that supports funding for the entire school. To ensure a long-term future, The Haiti Fund, a donor-designated fund at the Bainbridge Community Foundation, was recently established to create a permanent vehicle for creating long-term support for the school and a lasting partnership between BI and Clory.

“This is about more than classrooms,” says Laura Van Dyke, a longtime volunteer. “It’s about dignity, opportunity, and believing in the potential of every child.”