Diocesan priest, Fr. Perez, leads mission group on a journey to his homeland

by Fr. Samuel Perez

On January 10, 2006, twenty-six people from the parishes of St. John's in Searles, Holy Redeemer in Marshall, St. Mary's in New Ulm, and Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Ulm journeyed to the mission of San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala for a seven day mission trip.

Located on the shores of Lake Atitlan, San Lucas is a country of striking contrasts. Breathtakingly beautiful countryside abuts desperate poverty. The San Lucas area is my native land.

Poverty in San Lucas is a way of life and influences every aspect of life. During our time there we acquainted ourselves with the people and culture. There are many programs at the mission such as the school, clinic, Women's Center (currently under construction), coffee project, reforestation, and assisting people in many different needs.

We enjoyed many different things at the mission: good meals, lectures and discussions with San Lucas pastor from the Diocese of New Ulm, Msgr. Greg Schaffer. We traveled around the town of San Lucas, worked at the reforestation project, and picked coffee beans. We also had the opportunity to have lunch with my family, went on a boat trip on beautiful Lake Atitlan, and took turns with kitchen duties.

After returning from the mission trip, participants Harvey and Roberta Stadick made comments such as "I believe we were all surprised by the magnitude, at the size, and scope of the mission. While we were there, there were 110 people working on different projects. Fr. John Goggin, another priest from the Diocese of New Ulm from the Murdock area who has been at the mission 36 years, said that on average there are about 2,000 volunteers from all over the USA and other countries as well. For good measure, the volunteers are a mix of doctors, dentists, teachers, nurses, etc."

Francis and Veronica Dauer observed "What inspired us the most was their (the Mayan people) deep faith, generosity, family life, and their hard work."

Don and Myrtle Brand said "You had to see personally how these Mayan people live and under what condition to realize what it means to live in a Third World Country. We take so much for granted with our lifestyle in Minnesota that we have little perception of how people in poor countries survive."

Florian and Rose Dittrich commented "They appear to be stable and very happy. They may just have one up on us by having so little yet being greeted by smiling faces. What an uplifting experience."

Jim Heil said "When I signed up for the trip to Guatemala, I had a vague idea of what to expect. The experience far exceeded my expectations, and touched my heart in many ways. I was amazed every minute of each day at the courage and stamina of the people, young and old alike, doing their part to keep things going. The life of the Mayan people was an eye opening experience. They have an easy-going demeanor and dedication to their families and hard work is something we can learn from."

Fr. Samuel Perez is associate pastor at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm.