U.S. support provides chapel roof in Guatemala

With support from generous donors in the United States and the United States Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, the people in the faith community of Nuestra Senora del Rosario (Our Lady of the Rosary)/Se Tzaaj, part of the parish of San Miguel in Tucurú, Guatemala, are now worshipping together under a new roof. 

The roof project of the chapel, one of 54 chapels that make up the large, far-flung parish of San Miguel, was completed in January. Funding provided through the U.S. Province and its generous donors covered the material costs, and parishioners donated the labor.  

Fr. Lucas Tiul Coc, C.PP.S., pastor of San Miguel, wrote on behalf of the community that they are very grateful for their donors’ collaboration in this project, “which is of great value for our parish, since it is the place where we meet as a community around the table of the Word and the Eucharist.” 

Donors in the U.S., including both individuals and parishes, have sponsored many projects in Guatemala and elsewhere in Latin America. “Our donors’ generosity and understanding of the importance of parish life always amazes me,” said Mark Giesige, mission coordinator in the province’s Office of Mission Advancement. “They understand that people need a place to worship, and that these rural chapels are also a center for community life, for celebrations in good times, and consolation in hard times. Our donors support many worthwhile projects like this.” 

Missionaries have served in and around Tucurú for many years. Tucurú is in the northern highlands of Guatemala, about a four-hour drive from the capital, Guatemala City. There, they serve the indigenous population of Maya Q’eqchi’, who make up over 90% of the population. In Tucurú, Spanish is spoken as a second language; most of the citizens speak Q’eqchi’. They are descendants of an ancient civilization that flourished in Mesoamerica, which includes Central America, including Guatemala, and Mexico. 

Parishes in the Guatemala countryside typically cover a large geographic territory. A pastor and his assistants serve in a large parish church, then travel to many rural chapels. In Tucurú especially, this is an arduous commitment, as roads through the mountainous region are often narrow, curving, and steep. 

Guatemala was formerly a mission of the Cincinnati Province, which pledged continuing support to the people there even after Guatemala became part of the Missionaries’ Latin American Province. The former Cincinnati Province, along with the former Kansas City Province, now make up the United States Province.