A pilgrimage to Guatemala
By Tim Dewane, Central Pacific Province Shalom-JPIC
“A pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life.” – Wikipedia
After hearing for years about the remarkable people, culture and beauty of Guatemala from many sisters who have lived and ministered there over the years, I finally decided it was time to go and experience it for myself. So, my wife Nancy and I joined several others on a pilgrimage organized by Sister Jan Gregorcich and Bill Fenger this past spring. Sister Jan and Bill have worked together for a number of years on such trips to promote awareness and relationship building in conjunction with Global Partners: Running Waters (GPRW), a School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) affiliated ministry.
We began in Guatemala City, at of all places, a cemetery overlooking a giant garbage dump! It was at this giant garbage dump that Sister Gladys Courtade had previously worked to help meet the educational needs of children who lived and worked in the dump. Such a powerful and humbling way to start our journey.
In Chichicastenango, we attended Sunday liturgy (offered in Spanish and a local Mayan language) before wandering the streets taking in the largest indigenous market in Central America. Virtually all the women here wear traditional garments with patterns that are unique to their community. We learned from Sister Jan that Spanish conquerors had originally forced indigenous communities to adopt their own pattern of cloth as a means of control and conformity. Over time, the indigenous turned this tool of oppression into a badge of pride for their respective communities.
Our pilgrimage included stops at several schools where we had amazing engagements with the students. There was the boarding school for girls in Chichicastenango and a school in Chinique that Sister Jan used to connect with when she ministered in the area. Many of these students had to travel for hours to get to school, for it was the only one in the area and their only real chance at education. We also got to learn about and see the permanent marker commemorating the amazing efforts of several SSND who helped establish a now thriving school system in San Lucas Toliman. I had no idea that some of the sisters I know in the states today were part of this groundbreaking effort!
In Santa Cruz Del Quiche, we were welcomed into the modest thatch roof homes of families who shared with us the hardship involved in not having access to clean water in their community. To get water, women take containers down a very long and steep hill to a small lake, and then carry these very heavy containers back up the steep hill. The water must be boiled before it can be consumed. It’s a tiring, time consuming and arduous process, the responsibility for which is typically born by women. However, while we were there, we participated in an amazing community celebration, as it was announced that, thanks to GPRW working with the local water team, and the generosity of Perry Nigh (one of our fellow pilgrims on this journey), the community would be breaking ground on a water project in the coming days and should have clean water in their community this summer! What a blessing to witness the community celebrating this development.
Firecrackers and throngs of community members greeted us in Mactzul VII where we visited a community and school that now has clean water thanks to a recently completed water project sponsored and arranged for by GPRW. Sister Jan was given a special banner of appreciation, as were members of the Global Partners Board, and Jorge (the local engineer who oversees the water projects), in a beautiful ceremony of appreciation offered by local leaders and the school. Water is so precious and so fundamental to life – and so cherished here. I’m sure everyone in our group will never take water for granted again.
We were able to visit a couple of amazing sets of ancient Mayan ruins and learn about the remarkable and tragic history of the Mayan people. We heard firsthand testimonials from folks who stood up for the rights and dignity of the poor despite death threats during the time of Guatemala’s civil war. We learned about the much beloved Fr. Stanley Rother who was assassinated for standing with the poor and members of his parish during this ugly time in Guatemalan history. He is the first American-born martyr and the first priest born in the United States to be declared “Blessed” – a step on the way to being named a saint. The pillars in front of the Cathedral in Guatemala City bear the names of thousands of innocent victims of Guatemala’s civil war (1960-1996). When Sister Jan ministered full time in Guatemala, she took testimonials from survivors of the war as part of the country’s truth and reconciliation process.
Throughout our trip, we took in the natural beauty of the country. The rolling hills, some beautiful lakes and stunning volcanoes. We traversed mountainous terrain that opened to reveal stunning vistas and impressive hillside communities. You cannot think of Guatemala without thinking about nature and the integration of land and people. In that vein, our trip included a visit to a macadamia nut farm and education center, a local coffee producer, and a creative and inspiring reforestation initiative – all examples of efforts to promote sustainable communities in the spirit of Laudato Si’!
A particular blessing of our trip was the opportunity to be in Antigua, Guatemala, for Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, where we witnessed amazing public expressions of community and faith. Beginning overnight and throughout the day, scores of volunteers spent hours creating amazing art displays depicting images of faith and community (using colored sawdust, petals, flowers, fruits and vegetables) on streets all throughout the town. Within hours of completion, these remarkable artistic displays, known simply as “carpets” serve as the foundation upon which there is a very impressive street procession featuring lots of incense, a good-sized band, loads of marchers, way of the cross banners and giant religious displays carried by as many as a hundred people! Families line the streets straining to take it all in. As one of my fellow pilgrims commented, “we might practice our faith, but these beautiful people live theirs!”
While there is much I will hold in my head and heart from this pilgrimage, it is the remarkably beautiful and resilient people that will stick with me most. A generous people of deep faith and rich culture who make the best of what they have and seem to stay positive even when faced with great challenges – for water, for education, for opportunity, for basic human rights and dignity. How can one not be inspired by the way so many live simply and in harmony with the rest of creation? We have much to learn from our neighbors to the south.
Additional reflection from another pilgrim on our trip…
Tania Nigh – The thing that sticks with me most came from a culmination of many of the places and people we visited. The village with no water;, the village that recently got water;, the schools;, the testimonials from Bety, Vilma, and Don Roberto;, the reforestation project to name a few…. The people were all so proud to show us what they had…to share what they had…and welcome us with open arms. What I really took away from the whole experience: the faith, hope, and pride the Guatemalan people have.
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