MIAMI � For the past 30 years, Notre Dame d�Haiti Church has been a beacon of light for the Haitian diaspora, said Father Reginald Jean-Mary, pastor of the Little Haiti mission.

�This is a lifeline community center for Haitians,� he said. �It�s more than a church. It�s a landmark.�

Notre Dame d�Haiti church and community center for Haitians opened in 1981 on the site of the former all-girls Notre Dame Academy. The school cafeteria became a 700-seat church. In 2006, the church underwent a much-needed renovation which included fixing the leaky roof.

Still, the church cannot accommodate the 1,200 people who attend each of the five Sunday Masses. Seats are set up outside the church and parishioners view the Mass on big-screen televisions.

�People sitting outside have to endure rain, summer humidity, heat and cold,� said Father Jean-Mary. �We can�t force people to worship under these conditions. We need a place of great reverence and dignity.�

Notre Dame d�Haiti Mission will soon have that special place. Once permits are obtained, construction will begin on the $3.3 million Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, named after Haiti�s patron saint. The new 1,200-seat building with overflow seating for another 200 people will rise on the site of the current parking lot. Parishioners have raised about $2.2 million and are expecting a $1 million loan from the archdiocese.

Donations have come in many sizes: from parish youths contributing $22,000 worth of pennies to seniors contributing from their Social Security money, from sales of Notre Dame d�Haiti t-shirts to annual fund-raising banquets and a $300,000 donation from a Miami real estate developer.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who co-founded Notre Dame d�Haiti as an archdiocesan priest in 1981, concelebrated a 30th anniversary Mass June 27 with Father Jean-Mary and other Haitian priests. He told those at the Mass that Haitian-Americans have a legacy at Notre Dame.

�The Haitian-American Chamber of Commerce began in a conference room in the rectory,� he said. �Haitian migrants lost at sea were mourned here. Notre Dame has always been at the forefront for the diaspora.�

Following Mass, the archbishop blessed the site where the new building will be constructed.

�This project is testimony to our solidarity,� said Father Jean-Mary. �Notre Dame is the living room of the Haitian community.�

Father Jean-Mary is calling on all people of good faith to help with contributions and is setting up a website where people can donate.