It is well known that Msgr. Greg Schaffer from the Diocese of New Ulm has served as pastor of San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala since 1962.  San Lucas is located on beautiful Lake Atitlan in the central part of the country and is surrounded by breathtaking mountains and forest. Over the years since 1962, many have visited the mission to volunteer their services, and to learn from Msgr. Schaffer and the people of San Lucas about the Christian community that forms San Lucas Mission. 

It was my privilege from January 15 through January 21, 2010, to make a pilgrimage to the San Lucas Mission with Fr. Brian Oestreich, pastor of the Church of the Holy Family in Silver Lake, and twenty-four other pilgrims. My purpose was to meet and to pray with the people of San Lucas and to learn from them about their culture and their faith. The other pilgrims had the same purpose, but in addition, they used their time in San Lucas to make a retreat and to do some volunteer service. To help us to understand what we were experiencing, Msgr. Schaffer gave us several interesting talks about his work at San Lucas.

I celebrated Mass for the group and for others each day during our visit.  A couple of Masses were at the churches at the fincas or coffee plantations. The most beautiful ceremony took place on Sunday, January 17. There was a large parish Mass welcoming me and our group to San Lucas. I celebrated the Mass, along with Msgr. Schaffer, Fr. Oestreich, and Fr. Geovanny Perez Taquez, the Guatemalan associate to Msgr. Schaffer. The church was overflowing, and we were all greeted with much joy. I had the privilege to greet the parishioners individually after Mass.

One of the trips that we took was to the parish and church of San Diego Atitlan, which is just across Lake Atitlan, not far from San Lucas. It was in San Diego that Fr. Stan Rother, a priest from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, was assassinated on July 28, 1981, in the violence that erupted between the Guatemalan government troops and guerilla fighters.  The bedroom in which Fr. Rother was murdered has been made into a chapel where people can remember the sacrifice of Fr. Rother and pray for peace. The cause for Fr. Rother’s canonization as a saint of the Church is now in process. The visit to San Diego was a very moving experience for all of us.

Mi Peregrinación a San Lucas Tolimán

por Obispo

John M. LeVoir

Sabemos muy bien que Monseñor Greg Schaffer de la Diócesis de New Ulm ha servido como pastor de la Misión de San Lucas Tolimán en Guatemala desde 1962. San Lucas se encuentra en el hermoso Lago de Atitlán, en la parte central del país y está rodeado de montañas y bosques.

Tuve el privilegio, de hacer una peregrinación a la Misión de San Lucas con el Padre Brian Oestreich, pastor de la Iglesia de Holy Family en Silver Lake y veinticuatro otros peregrinos, desde el 15 al 21 de enero del 2010. Mi objetivo era reunirme y orar con el pueblo de San Lucas y aprender de ellos acerca de su cultura y su fe.

Celebré la Misa para el grupo y para los demás cada día durante nuestra visita. Un par de misas se llevaron a cabo en las iglesias en las fincas o en las plantaciones de café. La ceremonia más bella tuvo lugar el domingo 17 de enero. Hubo una gran Misa parroquial para darnos la bienvenida a mí y a nuestro grupo a San Lucas. La iglesia estaba repleta, y a todos se nos saludó con mucha alegría. Tuve el privilegio de saludar a los feligreses individualmente después de la Misa.

Uno de los viajes que hicimos fue a la parroquia y a la iglesia de San Diego de Atitlán, que está justo al otro lado del lago de Atitlán, no lejos de San Lucas. Fue en San Diego que el Padre Stan Rother, un sacerdote de la Arquidiócesis de la ciudad de Oklahoma, fue asesinado el 28 de julio de 1981 como resultado de la violencia que estalló entre las tropas del gobierno de Guatemala y los guerrilleros. La habitación en la que el Padre Rother fue asesinado ha sido convertida en una capilla donde la gente puede recordar el sacrificio del Padre Rother y orar por la paz. Esa es la razón por la cual la canonización del Padre Rother como santo de la Iglesia se encuentra actualmente en proceso. La visita a San Diego fue una experiencia muy emocionante para todos nosotros.

También visitamos algunos de los proyectos de trabajo que se han desarrollado a lo largo de los años por Monseñor Schaffer, el pueblo de San Lucas y los voluntarios, muchos de ellos de la Diócesis de New Ulm. Había un centro para mujeres donde las mujeres de Guatemala pueden ir para lavar la ropa y para la socialización que es muy necesaria con otras mujeres.

Allí también había una fábrica para la producción de café, donde el café es procesado y envasado para la venta. En el jardín botánico, los diferentes tipos de plantas que se cultivan son usados para la reforestación y otros fines.

Como parte de las operaciones de la parroquia se construyó un hospital en San Lucas. Hemos hecho un recorrido por las instalaciones y quedamos muy impresionados por la atención médica y dental proporcionada. Los pacientes son atendidos en la clínica, independientemente de si pueden o no pagar.

El lunes, 18 de enero, fue el primer día de escuela para los estudiantes de la parroquia católica de primaria. Monseñor Schaffer, me invitó a bendecir con él algunas de las instalaciones de la nueva escuela: Una nueva cancha de baloncesto exterior, un nuevo campo de fútbol (con césped artificial) y una sección pre-escolar. Estuvieron presentes los 625 estudiantes de la escuela, profesores, administradores y las familias. Fue una gran ocasión, con bendiciones, oraciones, corte de la cinta y por supuesto mucha ovación.

 Nunca he visto la pobreza como la ví en San Lucas y en Guatemala . Es muy grave. La casa típica, por ejemplo, tiene paredes construidas de bloques de cemento o de tallos de caña. Los techos son de chapa ondulada. Los pisos son de tierra. Las casas son pequeñas y muchas personas viven en una sola vivienda. La estufa es generalmente un fuego abierto en la casa, que tiene muy mala ventilación hacia el exterior, produciendo un ambiente lleno de humo en su interior. Sé que yo nunca podría sobrevivir si tuviera que vivir en una de aquellas casas. 

He encontrado que el pueblo Maya es un pueblo hermoso. Había muchos, muchos niños (la edad promedio en Guatemala es de 18) y son personas muy hermosas y entrañables. La gente era muy amable y siempre se saludan y sonríen cuando pasábamos delante de ellos. Hay una verdadera alegría entre la gente a pesar de la miseria absoluta. Como una persona me dijo: "Obispo, tenemos muy poco, pero lo que nos dan viene del corazón".

Para obtener más información sobre la Misión de San Lucas y del maravilloso trabajo que se hace allá, por favor, consulte con nuestra página de internet de la Diócesis de New Ulm.

We also visited some of the work projects that have been developed over the years by Msgr. Schaffer, the people of San Lucas, and volunteers, many from the Diocese of New Ulm.  There was a Women’s Center where the Guatemalan women could go for washing clothes and much needed socialization with other women.  There was a beautiful park. We saw one of the churches that was constructed under the guidance of Fr. Phil Schotzko, now pastor of the Church of St. Peter in St. Peter, when he worked at San Lucas Mission.  There was the coffee production facility, where coffee is processed and then packaged for sale.  In the botanical garden, different types of plants are grown to be used for reforestation and other purposes.

A hospital was built in San Lucas as part of the parish operations.  We had a tour of the facilities and were most impressed by the medical and dental care provided.  Patients are served at the clinic regardless of whether or not they can pay. We visited, as well, some of the communities that the parish has built.  These communities provide better housing for the people.

Monday, January 18, was the first day of school for the parish Catholic elementary school students.  The school buildings were constructed over the years by parishioners and volunteers. Msgr. Schaffer invited me to bless with him some of the new school facilities: a new outside basketball court, a new soccer field (with artificial turf), and a new preschool. Present were the school’s 625 students, faculty members, administrators, and families.  It was a grand occasion, with blessings, prayers, and ribbon cutting, along with much cheering.

We visited the seminary of the Diocese of Solola Chimaltenango. It is a beautiful facility located in Solola, across Lake Atitlan from San Lucas.  There are many seminarians.  The rector is a priest who grew up in San Lucas and went to the Catholic school there. We saw the computer lab at the seminary. Most of the computers were donated by the Diocese of New Ulm under the guidance of Fr. Oestreich. After our seminary tour, some of us had a most cordial lunch with Bishop Gonzalo de Villa y Vásquez, SJ, Bishop of Solola Chimaltenango. 

I have never seen poverty as I saw in San Lucas and in Guatemala . It is severe. The typical house, for example, has walls constructed from cinder blocks or cane stalks. The roofs are corrugated tin. The floors are dirt. The houses are small and many people live in one dwelling.   The stove is usually an open fire in the house, which is very poorly ventilated to the outside, producing a smoky atmosphere inside. In most villages, the houses are very close together and form a kind of shanty town. I know that I could never survive if I were to live in one of these houses.

I found the Mayan people to be a handsome people. There were many, many children (the median age in Guatemala is 18), and they are very beautiful and endearing.  People were very friendly and would always wave and smile as we passed them.  Generally, the women were colorfully dressed and the men were neatly dressed, as were the boys and girls. There was a real joy among the people, despite the grinding poverty.  As one person told me, "Bishop, we have very little, but what we do give comes from the heart." 

Our travel was not uneventful. On January 15, on the flight to Atlanta from Minneapolis, our 737 blew an engine, spewing long fire streaks in the early morning sky. We made a safe emergency landing in Indianapolis. On Monday, January 18, we experienced a small earthquake (magnitude of 6.1).  There were no injuries. There were numerous flight delays, with the consequent effect of spending many hours on airplanes.  However, God brought us through it all so that we could experience the faith and the culture of the people who compose San Lucas Mission.

For more information on San Lucas Mission and the wonderful work taking place there, please see the Diocese of New Ulm Web site, www.dnu.org.