Fr. Rick Frechette CP | doctor, priest and community organizer

“What art of living do the Haitian people know? It is not a secret, it is that by God’s grace, we can become perfected rather than destroyed.”   

Spotlight article by David Horvath, PSN
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Fr. Rick Frachette arrived in Haiti to start an orphanage. Not knowing much about the country, its history or its language, he quickly realized that the biggest problem facing the children was a complete lack of medical care. The first hospital he helped form was started as a hospice for the dying, but Fr. Rick was determined to instead begin working to save lives.

Father Rick is a doctor, priest and community organizer who has been living and working in Haiti for over 25 years. He is the founder of the St. Luke Foundation, an entirely Haitian-run organization with over 2,000 full time employees. He is also Director of Medical Services, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos International. 

Described as a “transformative figure” in Haiti and the world, Fr. Rick and his team runs the St. Luke Foundation and have built orphanages, clinics, primary schools and a free pediatric hospital serving one of the largest slums in the Western Hemisphere.  The reason for the success of these efforts lies in the absolute commitment to direct partnership with the people and empowering the communities served.
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This excellent seven minute video was created for his Opus Prize Award in 2012

More on Fr. Rick: 

• ​An excellent biographical article appeared in Our Sunday Visitor – May 2012
• Fr. Rick’s work as Director of Medical Services, Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos International
  
• Founder – Canadian-based Artists for Peace and Justice which supports communities in Haiti through programs in education, healthcare, and dignity through the arts.  
• Fr. Rick received the 2012 Opus Prize recognizing “unsung heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere in the world, solving today’s most persistent social problems.”