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You'll Find Refuge
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June 5, 2023In the Shadow of His Wings
You’ll Find Refuge
A good shepherd’s greatest fear is finding himself unable to care for his flock. Forced onto the floor of a fleeing car, Fr. Antony Jean Baptiste faced this trembling fear, not knowing if he would survive the night. With his life in the hands of Divine Providence, he escaped the hands of vengeful bandits.
On a typical March morning in 2017, three years prior to his escape, Father Antony discovered that thieves had broken into his newly assigned parish, Our Lady of Fatima in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and had stolen several chairs. He remained vigilant, and over time discerned that his parish was facing a serial robber.
“The thief always had the same pattern and came on Wednesday nights,” Father Antony explained. “That’s why I asked the police to patrol the area…”
It didn’t take long for the police to arrest the culprit, TiGaby. And it didn’t take long for TiGaby to be released from prison.
Upon his release, TiGaby became the leader of a local gang, and actively sought vengeance for his time in prison by targeting Father Antony and his parish.
Facing multiple renewed burglaries in 2018, Father Antony installed multiple cameras around the parish. This did not deter them. Rather, the bandits continued their raid of the parish, carrying the new cameras and server away with them.
Having maintained regular communications with his bishop and superiors, Father Antony was encouraged to stand strong for the sake of local Catholic Christians.
As the sun set on Wednesday, February 16, 2022, the parish was broken into once again. This time, the thieves broke through the parish’s windows and busted down the sacristy doors in order to steal the parish’s sound system. They also broke into the secretariat, taking with them all of Father Antony’s previously filed police reports.
“It hurt me a lot,” Father Antony confessed. “But I had not imaged that it was a premonitory announcement.”
On the fourth day following the break-in, as Father Antony stepped out into the parish courtyard to greet parishioners after celebrating Sunday Mass, a procession of six motorcycles approached the presbytery, following a vehicle that looked like Father Antony’s Rav4 as it left the parish grounds. In full view, each motorcycle carried three bandits, each with a long-handled, large-caliber weapon.
“They thought that this car was mine,” Father Antony explained. “They left after the car but could not catch it because the driver, having noticed them, accelerated to save himself.”
The bandits failed and were left empty-handed.
“I was very afraid when I saw the bandits on motorcycles running after the car,” Father Antony confessed. “I saw weapons of war without knowing at first that they were looking for me.”
Within minutes, Father Antony was confronted by the faithful, exhorting him to go into hiding. The armed bandits were waiting for him in the street in front of the presbytery. He was not safe. Parishioners contacted the local police to arrange Father Antony’s escape.
“To avoid being noticed, I had to lie flat in the car that was transporting me to save myself,” Father Antony explained. “It was a very hard moment for me -- the worst moment of my life. I barely escaped being kidnapped or killed.”
The night of his escape, Father Antony called his bishop. He was advised to take cover and to protect himself.
“The next day, the bandits called me to locate me,” Father Antony said. “They literally told me: ‘Wherever you are hiding you will die. We are powerful and have connections all over the country.’”
When Father Antony told his bishop, he was advised to leave the country.
“My life was in great danger,” he said. “For two days, I could not sleep because I did not know when they would come to kill me.”
They were waiting for Father on Sunday, February 27. When they realized he was not present at the parish, they entered the building to ransack the sacristy again. They destroyed the electrical wires that carry power to the parish, and they called Father to intimidate him.
“The gang leader, TiGaby, called me…to tell me that he will have my head because he has to take revenge. He is angry because he didn't get me. He missed his target. He is disappointed and became even angrier. He shouldn't have missed me…” Father said. “There is a danger of death. If I go back to the country, they will kill me.”
Father Antony’s bishop was forced to temporarily close the parish. For the moment, no Masses are being offered. The bandits stole even the joy of Easter Mass celebrations from the parish.
“I asked my Bishop and the police officials what they can do to protect me when I returned home,” Father Antony explained. “They told me that they couldn’t give me any guarantees. They did what they could, but they can't go beyond their strength. Unfortunately, they told me that the church, the police, and the government cannot protect me.”
With no guarantee of survival and with the growing number of gangs and priestly persecutions, Father Antony was encouraged by his bishop to flee his beloved homeland for refuge in the United States until peace and security could be restored.
One year after his escape from Haiti, Father Antony was welcomed by the pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church in Carmel, Indiana. Since, he has lived among the priests at St. Elizabeth Seton and has resumed his priestly ministry of celebrating Mass, confession, visiting the sick, and caring for the faithful.
Father Antony’s connection with St. Elizabeth Seton goes back prior to his priestly ordination. While still active in his home parish, St. Genevieve of Duval, Haiti, Antony encountered the parishioners of St. Elizabeth Seton and received support from the parish during his time at seminary. The parish’s constant support inspired Father Antony to pursue and achieve a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Paris Est Creteil.
“The faithful from Saint Elizabeth Seton Parish used to visit my native parish (Saint Genevieve of Duval), and they supported me,” Father Antony said. “Elizabeth Seton’s blessing has contributed a lot to make me who I am. I owe them a lot. I am very grateful to be here.”
Father Antony was granted permission by his Bishop and the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana to stay and live out his priestly ministry. After several months of serving at St. Elizabeth Seton, he was officially and permanently assigned to the parish as a Parochial Vicar. He will begin his assignment on June 29.
“Thank you to Bishop Doherty and the Lafayette-in-Indiana Diocesan committee for welcoming me to the diocese,” Father Antony said. “I am incredibly grateful to be here serving the people of God.”
Looking onto the future of his life in the United States and at St. Elizabeth Seton, and prayerfully recalling the lives of the saints, Father Antony knows that God preserved his life for a reason. He cannot wait to see how it all unfolds before him.
