preachers are telling followers not to lose faith , that God remains with them regardless of what 's happened . Most Haitians do n't feel abandoned , Bailey said . `` People do n't blame Jesus for all these things , '' she said . `` They have faith . They believe that Jesus saved them and are thankful for that . '' Perhaps few personified that deep belief better than 11-year-old Anaika Saint Louis , who was pulled from the rubble Thursday night and later died . Her leg had been crushed , and doctors thought they might have to amputate her feet . She said she did n't care . `` Thank you , God , because he saved my life , '' she said . `` If I lose my feet , I always had my life . '' Jean Mackenle Verpre also suffered a crushing leg injury and was freed after 48 hours underground . Asked what kept him going , he answered without hesitation : He believes in Jesus Christ and put his life in God 's hands . Colonized by France , Haiti is a strongly Catholic country . Christian motifs are everywhere in
Port-au-Prince , Haiti -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The steeple clock at Port-au-Prince 's St. Pierre Catholic Church is stopped at 4:53 , the hour at which a devastating earthquake struck Haiti nearly one week ago . The church gates were closed Sunday . The doors shuttered . But it seems Tuesday 's quake has only strengthened the religious fervor many Haitians carry in their souls . `` A lot of people who never prayed or believed -- now they believe , '' said Cristina Bailey , a 24-year-old clerk . In parks and backyards , anywhere a group gathers , the prayers of the Haitians can be heard . Last week , the call-and-response chanting and clapping that accompany those prayers pierced the darkness of night and the pre-dawn hours -- sometimes as early as 4 a.m. . The singing and praying was particularly intense in Champs de Mars plaza , where hundreds of people have taken refuge . But the scene was repeated throughout the city , with preachers on megaphones exhorting the faithful , who responded with lyrics like `` O Lord , keep me close to you '' and `` Forgive me , Jesus . '' Many