The devastation in Haiti since the Jan. 12 earthquake is beyond imagination. But nothing brings it home quite like the reports from the nation. Last week, the Rev. Dennis Baril of Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth returned from a visit, where he delivered medical supplies and food. And, on Saturday, Jan. 23, the Rev. Ron Gagne, the communications director at LaSalette Shrine in Attleboro, shared an e-mail with a priest, the Rev. Andrew Labatorio, a Catholic pastor in one of the poorest sections of Port-Au-Prince, which had come to Gagne through the Rev. Bernie Baris.

The work of Baril and Gagne, two of the four "Voices" who appear on The Sun Chronicle's Religion pages, is inspiring. Baril has taken other trips to Haiti, and in a column in November, talked about the nation's abject poverty. Gagne has since forwarded more e-mails from Father Labatorio, a Missionhurst missionary from the Philippines, and I'd like to share what he wrote Jan. 23:

"We laid the good Archbishop to rest today. (Monsignor Joseph Serge Miot, the archbishop of Port-au-Prince, was killed in the Haiti earthquake. He was only 63.) The funeral service was very moving, as it was held in front of the ruined remains of the cathedral. Thousands of people and about a hundred clergy - most of us standing in the sun - pray together for our deceased archbishop and this country. What was more painful than losing him was seeing the remains of the choir members trapped at the glass door inside the ruins of the cathedral. Their bodies haven't been recovered, and can still be easily seen at the side door of the cathedral.

"Afterwards I went to the U.N. base at the airport and blessed the remains of the wife of a high-ranking U.N. military official. His wife and son were vacationing in Haiti when the earthquake happened. There, I was able to talk to the head of the U.N. who was responsible for their relief operation. He promised me he would visit our parish this afternoon or tomorrow to bring food and water for my people. He was an American major. I told him we are now beyond the need for medical intervention. Our people need the basics of daily life: food and water. I will pray that he will honor his promise to deliver these life-sustaining gifts to our parishioners.

"To those of you who have visited our parish in years past, the garbage site - future site of the clinic - is now full of evacuees. I estimate that about 1,000 people are living there. In our school compound, where we used to park our cars, about 400 people have established themselves. And further up, the church building and our football field are presently housing over 1,000 evacuees. So far, I was able to secure a few bundles of containers of drinking water. I bought drinking water for about 100 families and ordered two trucks of water for our school site. "For now, keep praying for us."

Labatorio then wrote back to the Rev. Bernie Baris, whose parish of Our Lady of the Cape in Brewster has been assisting the Haitians for more than 20 years:

"There are so many evacuation sites that have not yet received any attention, whether for medical or relief services. Some areas received more than what they needed because someone from that area is working closely with the organizations responsible for the relief operation.

"I overheard somewhere, that the U.N. and WHO (World Health Organization) and other NGOs responsible for relief operation were not considering visiting the center city and the famous Cite Soleil (Sun City) for relief operations due to their fear for the safety of their workers. If it is true, this will create a tremendous problem because these two areas are critical for peace and security of the country. They must appease and deal with the people in these areas. I just pray that their fears won't become a reality.

"Distribution of food and water remains very difficult. It requires strong police or military intervention. At almost every relief distribution point, police had to give a warning shot to contain the mob. In some instances, police were forced to shoot directly at some people who became a threat to others.

"I just don't know how long the relief workers can keep this up. The idea of putting a tent city just outside Port-Au-Prince may be the best solution for the homeless people. But as I have spoken with so many people, they don't want to leave their ruined houses in fear of loosing everything. So many of them choose to sleep in evacuation site at night and, during the day, but stay in front of their homes, protecting what's left of them. The problem in this country are too big for our Haitian government and even too challenging for the international community as well.

"But hope remains in the hearts of the many suffering Haitians. For me, it is a distinct privilege to be part of these very challenging times."

If you wish to make a contribution for the victims of the Haitian earthquake, you may send your donations to the LaSalette Missionary Association, PO Box 2965, Attleboro, MA 02703.