The parish of El Calvaria in central Guatemala covers an area of over 2000 km² (780 square miles) of mountainous terrain and includes some 117 separate small communities.
The challenges are enormous. Most of the inhabitants are indigenous peoples belonging to the ethnic Kekchi tribe. They are especially disadvantaged and marginalized and live for the most part in deep poverty. Moreover, many of their families were caught up in the bitter civil war from 1968 to 1996, victims of abductions and torture or losing family members. Many children were orphaned during this time.
His parish has been in existence for over 60 years now, and for 46 of these has been in the care of the priests of the congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Until recently there have been three priests working here, with a fourth now joining them after being ordained in September 2022. For them all there is a great deal of work to be done. For example, last year there were over a thousand First Holy Communions and Confirmations.
One of the biggest challenges is the difficulty of reaching many of the villages and settlements. In order to reach some of them, it takes hours on foot, often including wading along muddy footpaths, while others can be reached via difficult and muddy tracks that can be negotiated only by a sturdy off-road vehicle. A few years ago, thanks to our kind friends and supporters, we were able to supply one such vehicle. But now that the number of priests has risen to four, and the pastoral workload for this far-flung parish has likewise increased, they urgently need a second vehicle.