THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

December 18, 2005

The Good News

...Guatemala Visit

Can you imagine your house or your school covered by twenty feet of mud? I thought I could but when I arrived in Santiago Atitlan, I realized that I really had not!

The few reports released about the mud slides in Guatemala were greatly overshadowed by the many other catastrophes of recent months. However, the fact that Oklahoma Catholics have sponsored a mission at Santiago Atitlan for the past forty-one years gave me a very personal interest. Moreover, information e-mailed from Juana Ixbalan, the administrator of our mission, began to uncover the details of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, October 25th, Reverend Thomas McSherry and I were met in Guatemala City by members of the mission staff. Father McSherry had served as pastor of the mission for seventeen years before returning to ministry in Oklahoma City. Using the mission van, we made the three and a half hour drive to Santiago Atitlan by going along the coastal road. The mud slides had damaged the Pan American Highway and the mountain roads.

As we approached Santiago Atitlan, we were shown the principal sources of the slides which were very visible on the sides of the three volcanoes surrounding the lake. The San Pedro Volcano had a large slide but it did not cause any deaths as all the mud went directly into the lake in a non-inhabited area. The Tollman and Atitlan volcano slides came into the neighborhoods of Santiago Atitlan and resulted in the deaths and destruction.

Shortly after arriving in Santiago Atitlan, we went to the neighborhood that had literally been annihilated. It is here that the mud had been twenty feet deep. The site was now totally barren. All that could be seen was the hardened dirt and a few large tree trunks.

Everything else had been crushed and buried.

It was at this abandoned site that we met Juana's family. Her parents and remaining sisters stood there in grief. Juana's oldest sister Magdalena, her husband Juan and their three-year old daughter had lived right there. We stood on the ground that buried them, their house and their neighbors.

This meeting with Juana's family was the single most intense and emotional moment of our visit. How do you console parents and siblings at a moment like this? It occurs, I believe, by our presence - simply being there and sharing in their sorrow. It comes from our prayers offered sincerely and humbly. It is that special time when God acts in and through all of us. With Christ, we are united. We are healed. We are consoled for we are all members of His Mystical Body.

From that barren site of total destruction, we moved to other neighborhoods that had been abandoned. While the mud did not bury this area, it caused damage to the houses and there was no fresh water or electricity. Therefore many, many residents had been evacuated in the middle of the night three weeks ago. They are still living at our mission and in other make-shift shelters.

The two principal reasons for our visit were to show the support and concern of Oklahoma Catholics for the people of Santiago Atitlan by praying with them and for them; also to assess their needs so we could help. Accordingly, I offered to celebrate Mass in the parish church. In the midst of the confusion and the short time for preparation, we weren't sure how good a response we might get. The Mass was scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Much to my surprise, more than 2,000 people crowded into the church to join in this Mass. It was a time of prayer, of healing, of solidarity and of faith.

Following the Mass, the people enthusiastically and appreciatively expressed their  gratitude for our presence and support. They are truly grateful to the Catholics of  Oklahoma and we are grateful for them.

 Our mission at Santiago Atitlan is the site of the death of our priest, Reverend Stanley  Rother of Okarche. Father Rother went to Guatemala as a missionary from Oklahoma.

 He served faithfully and effectively until July 28,1981. On that day, he was shot and  killed in the parish house. His blood stains are still visible in the room where he was  martyred and that room has been converted into a chapel. As a fitting conclusion to this  hurried visit, I thought it most fitting to celebrate Mass in that chapel. Therefore, at  11:00 a.m. Wednesday morning the Sisters working in the parish and the staff joined us  for a Mass of Thanksgiving.

 The three and a half hour return drive to Guatemala City to catch our plane afforded us an  extended time of reflection. For Father McSherry and me, this was a good and beneficial effort. This is what priesthood is all about - bringing Jesus and His blessings to our  brothers and sisters. For the people of Guatemala who testified loudly and clearly, it was  helpful and healing. For all Catholics of Oklahoma, it is good to respond with prayer and support.

  The twenty-fifth anniversary of Father Rother's death will occur in 2006. Therefore, 2006 will be the Year of Father Rother here in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He will be remembered in various ways during this time. Before I left Santiago Atitlan this week, I reminded the people there that I would be back next July on the actual anniversary of Father Rother's death and would bring a number of Oklahoma Catholics with me. They were very pleased to hear this and extend a warm welcome to all of us.

  We are currently in the planning stages of this pilgrimage to the Santiago Atitlan area.

  The plans will be announced early in 2006. You are welcome to join me to again express our unity with the people of our mission. For those who will not be there in person, your prayers will be greatly appreciated. For we are one people, united in Christ, proclaiming and living our Catholic faith. May Jesus be praised here and everywhere!