Father Jean Jacques, First Haitian Dehonian Priest: The Story of a Vocation

On September 5, 2025, Jean Jacques, from the Brazil Mato Grosso District (BMT), was ordained a priest. Born in Haiti in 1985, he walked a long and intense vocational path: from his first religious experiences in Haiti, to his encounter with the Dehonian family in Brazil, passing through emigration and working in a reception center for immigrants. On the day after his ordination, Jean-Jacques shares his story in this interview, recounting the difficulties he faced, the people who accompanied him, and what he recognized as the common thread of his life: God’s providence.

Father Jean Jacques, you were recently ordained a Priest. Is this a dream finally coming true?

Fr. Jean Jacques, SCJ: Yes, it is precisely a dream realized. Moreover, it is a great responsibility, because I eventually understood that my vocation is not merely a personal fulfillment, but also and above all a call to cooperate in the salvation of humanity. I am happy for this mission to which our Lord Jesus Christ associates me today.

How was your vocation born?

From my childhood, I began to feel in my heart the desire to become a priest. I used to watch priests celebrate Mass and say to myself: “I, too, would like to be a priest.” However, I was very shy. Even after my first communion, I found it difficult to speak in front of others and even to do a public reading. That is why I kept this desire hidden for several years. One of my sisters encouraged and supported me. Thanks to her, I was able to have my first experience in the seminary with the Camillians. I stayed with them for about two years, but then I left the congregation. After that experience, I tried to work, study, and build an ordinary life. Yet, the desire to consecrate myself to God never disappeared. It kept burning in my heart.

… to the point where you became a Dehonian. But how did you finally get there, knowing that the Dehonians have no community in Haiti?

In 2010, the year of the earthquake in Haiti, I began another formation experience, this time with the Marianists. During the novitiate, while we were in the community, armed men entered the refectory. They threatened us and ordered us to lie on the ground. Then, they shot one of us. That experience was very difficult, and I was very afraid. In addition, my brother, who had guided me to the Marianist congregation, had passed away. That loss, along with the break-in of the armed men, led me to ask to leave the congregation. When I left, I did not think I would live another religious experience. I believed my vocational journey was over.

Is that why you went to Brazil?

The story with Brazil begins with one of my brothers, who was there and invited me to join him and work. So I traveled to Brazil in July 2013 with one of my nephews, but when we arrived, we could not meet my brother: in the meantime, he had returned to French Guiana. We were left in Brazil with no one to welcome us. We were heading toward Porto Velho, but during the trip, we met other Haitians. They told us about Cuiabá and a Scalabrinian shelter that welcomed immigrants and helped them find work. My family sent us the necessary money to reach Cuiabá. When we arrived, we found the shelter and, that very evening, a job. The next day, we started working. Little by little, thanks to the reception center and the work, I began to integrate into Brazilian society.

When did the desire for religious life reappear, and how did you meet the Dehonians?

During my six months of work, the desire to try the seminary again manifested itself once more. But the language barrier with Portuguese made everything harder. I asked a few Brazilians to help me get in touch with a priest, but I couldn’t make the approach on my own. I tried several times without any results. Gradually, I became discouraged and asked myself: “Why keep pursuing something I cannot seem to achieve?” In 2014, however, I met a brother in the chapel I attended (Saint Peter in Pedra 90, Cuiabá). I spoke to him about my desire to enter the seminary, and he simply said to me: “I can help you.” He introduced me to Father Angelo, a seminary formator and currently the Secretary General. That meeting opened the path toward my entry into the Dehonian family. I am deeply grateful to that brother. Today, he no longer belongs to the congregation, but he became my ordination sponsor as a layman. I will never forget what he did for me.

Ordained a Priest last September 5th, how do you look back on your years of formation?

The formation was long and involved many changes, but I have no regrets. Looking back, I recognize that the Lord had prepared something for me that I could not yet see. The formation helped me grow in human, psychological, and spiritual maturity. Before entering the seminary, I was a different person. Today, making an examination of conscience, I realize that I have profoundly changed. I can say that I have become “another Jean Jacques.” I do not believe I would have reached this point solely through my own intelligence or strength. I faced many difficulties, especially because of the language and the various situations I had to deal with. That is why I recognize the presence of divine providence in my story. I have experienced the mercy of Jesus Christ. Without that mercy, I would not be here today.

What attracted you most to the Dehonian charism?

I was particularly struck by the charism of Christ’s oblation for his brothers and for all humanity. From the beginning, I experienced the warm welcome within the congregation. I was also touched by the availability of the religious, lived as a true missionary dimension, as well as their concrete closeness to people. I discovered that the Dehonians seek to be close to people. It is not just an idea or a word: it is a charism lived daily, through encounter and proximity. At the center of my spirituality is the Heart of Jesus. I believe that, through friendship and closeness with the Heart of Christ, we can draw closer to our confreres and to other people.

After the joyful euphoria surrounding your ordination and your first Masses in Brazil, are you already planning to return to share this joy with your family in Haiti?

For the moment, I have no plans to travel to Haiti to celebrate a Mass of thanksgiving with my family. It is a painful decision, but a necessary one for my safety and that of my loved ones. The current crisis in Haiti favors, among other things, kidnappings and ransom demands. Furthermore, my father and mother are no longer there: my father passed away when I was in my second year of philosophy, and my mother passed away last year. But I believe they accompany me spiritually.

Father Jean Jacques, congratulations on your priestly ordination. In closing, do you have a message?

Thank you! I also thank you for the opportunity you have given me to share the story of my vocation. It is a story that taught me that a vocation does not always manifest itself immediately or linearly. There are moments of fear, loneliness, and discouragement. Some doors seem closed, and some situations appear to have no way out. But God continues to walk alongside us. He sometimes does so through a person met unexpectedly, a simple word, or a gesture of welcome. I experienced this providence several times: in Haiti, in Brazil, in the shelter, at work, in the community, and within the Dehonian family. Today, on the day after my ordination, I can say that I am deeply grateful. Not because the road was easy, but because through every difficulty, I learned to recognize God’s mercy and the presence of the loving heart of Jesus.