Featuring photographs from several members of Gloria Dei who have visited the San Lucas mission in San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala.

The journey to San Lucas is a journey of the spirit.  We hope these photographs put you on the road with those who have experienced the connection between the two congregations.  San Lucas is a Catholic mission in the village of San Lucas Toliman, located on Lake Atitlan in the west central highlands of Guatemala.  Almost 20,000 people live in the village of San Lucas Toliman.

Over 75 members of Gloria Dei have traveled to San Lucas since the Senior Pastor initiated the first congregational trip in 1997. Our involvement was sparked by the involvement of one of our members who volunteered as a dentist for ten years. In the past few years our youth have also traveled together to spend some time at the mission. 

The faith of the villagers is expressed openly and deepens our own awareness of God’s presence in everyday life. They remind us that no matter what happens in life - even the violence and civil war in which they lost loved ones - God walks with us always.

"The church can be church only as long as it goes on being the Body of Christ. Its mission will be authentic only so long as it is the mission of Jesus in the new situations, the new circumstances of history. The criterion that will guide the church will be neither the approval of, nor the fear of, men and women, no matter how powerful or threatening they may be. It is the church's duty in history to lend its voice to Christ so that he may speak, its feet so that he may walk today's world, its hands to build the reign of God . . .”

“Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression.  Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all.  Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty. In it each one has a place in this beautiful family, which the Epiphany brightens for us with God’s light.” 

-- Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred in 1980 in El Salvador

The Themes of the Photographs

Projects -  Coffee
The project of the village most members recognize is the coffee project. We buy fair-trade coffee made right at the mission.

Projects - Women’s Center and New Community
Two relatively new projects were very active in January 2006.  One is a women’s center that is under construction on the mountainside overlooking the village. It will be a place for women to work, learn and socialize together. There will be a library, classrooms, a place to weave, and a laundry.  You can see the blueprint plan in one photo. 

The residents of Porvenir, Totolya, Tierra Santa and Nueva Providencia - small rural communities near San Lucas -- have been traumatized by several mudslides in the past few years.  One of the mission members, Raul, finished his studies in law and was a key person in a liaison committee to purchase and distribute land to the families of these four communities. 

Projects: Gloria Dei Gets Hands-on Experience!
You will recognize some of our pastors and members of Gloria Dei getting their hands dirty - literally! In the reforestation project, we filled small sacks with compost for planting trees to replace those used for firewood and construction.   Some hardy souls worked on rebar -- metal framework to help buildings withstand earthquakes. 

People
Another important part of “being there” is to visit and come to know individuals and families in the parish.  A local family is shown in several photos. welcome us into their homes every time we visit the mission, make fiestas and even ask some of us to be godparents to their little ones! We see their handiwork almost weekly in handmade baptismal tunics and hand-carved wooden crosses. 

Life in San Lucas
Life in the village is an amazing mix of fishing boats, cows and goats on the road, poverty and the beauty of Lake Atitlan, the volcanoes, tropical flowers, wringer washers, cell phones, Internet cafes and even moto-taxis.  The marketplace overflows with just-picked fruits, vegetables, fresh-plucked chickens. Above all, we love to take in the sight of children playing and the sound of their laughter.

Sometimes the beauty of nature lures us into romanticizing or rationalizing about poverty. It takes time and effort to discern the truth in what we see, hear and feel during a brief 10-day visit.  That’s why the journey continues far beyond the images you see here.  You are invited to take in what these images can convey, and ponder ways in which they can strengthen our own faith. The project of the village most members recognize is the coffee project. We buy fair-trade coffee made right at the mission.

For more information about the mission click on  San Lucas Toliman Mission .

Image Gallery: Journey to San Lucas show
See all 68 images.