The Orthodox Church in Guatemala began a new era in its short history with the blessing of its newly completed Seminary/Mission Center in Huehuetenango, that will serve the spiritual, educational and administrative needs of the faithful. The project, which began some two years ago under the direction of Archimandrite Evangelos Patá, counted on the support of the Orthodox Mission Center, many generous donors and hundreds of volunteers from the church’s many villages throughout Guatemala. The moment was made all the more poignant with the announcement of the retirement of their beloved archpastor – His Eminence Archbishop Athenagoras, who tearfully bade farewell to the faithful. With great nostalgia, he also invoked the memory of Father Andres Giron, a fierce advocate for the rights of the indigenous people and charismatic spiritual leader to his beloved flock, shepherding it into the embrace of the Orthodox Church. The more than 3000 in attendance, together with the dedicated Guatemalan Clergy, His Grace Bishop Timoteo from Columbia, OCMC missionaries and San Andres seminarians, sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit, not only throughout the Divine Liturgy, but also during the blessing of the new facility which followed. The palpable joy that filled this day reflected the vibrant Christian faith of the long suffering Mayan people who endured much throughout their tragic history, but never lost hope. May this new beginning be for them a lasting renewal of their life in Christ and a stepping stone to a blessed and glorious future for generations to come.
The Holy Orthodox Church in Guatemala is experiencing a burst of evangelical growth due to the recent visit of His Eminence, Archbishop Athenagoras of Mexico. From the southern border of Mexico to the tropical shores of the Pacific Ocean thousands came out to warmly greet him with lively cheers, joyful songs, banners of welcome and grand entrances into their villages and churches. The reasons for such overt displays of enthusiasm find their origin in the humble, but resilient faith of the long-suffering Mayan people, who despite their poverty and lowly social status, love God and those who bring them the Good News of salvation. Jesus Himself, in a similar setting, gushed effusively upon seeing the approaching crowd of Samaritans: “I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already ripe for harvest” (John 4:35).
To meet the ever-growing pastoral and sacramental needs of this emerging church, two young men- Sebastian Alonzo and Antonio Pata were ordained to the Holy Diaconate, both seminary students and spiritual children of Archimandrite Evangelos Pata, Archepiscopal Vicar in Guatemala.
Besides the two ordinations, another parish in Ixcan, in the village of Mayaland, saw its doors opened by Athenagoras and its completed interior blessed. A few days prior to his visit, the church members installed the new windows and doors , built an icon screen, cemented the floor, painted the walls, planted a garden and prepared a festive welcome.
The Church of the Holy Protection arises out of the struggles of the people of Mayaland through a brutal civil war, displacement from their ancestral homes and repatriation.
“WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME? says the Lord” (Isaiah66:1).
In the prophetic book of Isaiah, we are reminded by the Lord that “Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet” (Isaiah 66:1). As such, every place made by His hands can serve as His habitation or resting place. While it is true that God’s grandeur and glory cannot be contained in any one place, we, as his humble creatures, feel the need to set apart and make sacred certain spaces to worship Him as is meet. The Orthodox Christians in Mayaland, Guatemala, in response to this inner call of the human spirit, made answer to the Lord’s query, “What kind of house will you build for me?” Through much suffering and dislocation during the years of their bitter exile (1982-1994), when they were forcibly removed or fled from their homes during a brutal civil war, the only places of worship available to them were the mountains or jungles of Ixcan. They tell of a time when the priests would find them in their places of refuge and could only use tortillas to celebrate the Eucharist.
During my first visit to the faithful of Mayaland, Guatemala, on May 27, 2012, I experienced their faithfulness to the Lord through their humble, but heartfelt worship in a borrowed, but simple, shanty-like structure sheltering a compacted dirt floor. A flimsy sheet metal roof crowned their sacred space with a makeshift altar, set apart with local plants and flowers. Over the next 10 years, as the community grew, the desire for a spiritual home of their own increased. Another simple, wooden structure, not unlike the first, was erected on a hilly piece of land that Fr. Andres Giron had purchased on their behalf.
Fast forward to January 30, 2019, with start-up funding from a generous donor, initial work began on the Holy Protection of the Theotokos Church. Incredibly, the villagers themselves do all the work, not for pay, but as volunteers. Now, after nearly three years, on a hilly site with a deep slope, through the raging COVID pandemic with its attendant restrictions and building material shortages, a beautiful Byzantine structure now sits. The bitter history, with all its set-backs and disappointments, has given rise to a crown jewel of Orthodoxy in Mayaland. It now stands as a testament to the resilient faith of the Mayan believers. Not only did they break the hard rock of the mountain with determined hands to raise up a house of worship worthy of the Lord, they overcame the greater mountain of despair and rejection and loss that they felt as exiles in their war torn land.
With the glowing sun of a bright Thursday morning, on November 11, 2021, the feast day of the Great Martyr Minas, Fr. Evangelos Patá and I were warmly welcomed with fireworks and confetti by the faithful. We arrived to open the Church for its first Divine Liturgy, a wedding, three baptisms and many confessions. What a glorious reception we were given. The heavens seemed to open up for us as we cut the ribbon to the entrance of the church and walked into its sacred space. “What kind of house will you build for me? says the Lord.” I believe that the Orthodox Christians of Mayaland with one resounding voice and much love gave their reply; “One that is worthy of You.” Quoting again from Isaiah the Prophet, I believe these poignant words of the Lord fittingly declare His judgement on that which our Mayan brethren have wrought: “…and upon whom will I show respect, but to the humble and the peaceful and to him who trembles at My words” (Isaiah 66:2).
God willing, with the completion of all the interior finishes, we will invite Archbishop Athenagoras of Mexico to consecrate the Church in due time. Together, let us pray for the growth of Orthodoxy Christianity in Central America, which has found fertile ground in the land of the Mayas.
Excitement is growing in Guatemala and Chiapas, Mexico, as the Orthodox Church carries out the vision of Archbishop Athenagoras of Mexico to take the Gospel message into all of Central America and beyond. The thousands of Mayans who have already made Orthodoxy their spiritual home are looking to the future, so that the Church’s many pastoral and evangelical challenges can be met by trained clergy and dedicated missionaries and catechists. To help meet this great need, construction of a seminary/mission training center, with the support of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center and generous donors, has begun in the mountain village of Talmiche, perched high above the fast-growing city of Huehuetenango. Twelve years ago, I first visited this lofty site with the late Father Andres Giron, the founder of this great church movement towards Orthodoxy. From this lofty vantage point, we dreamed of a future waiting to be fulfilled throughout his beloved land. His was a soul on fire with the love of Christ and a burning desire to help the long-suffering people of Guatemala with their spiritual and material needs.
On Palm Sunday of this year, I received an excellent architectural plan from George Prosiliakos, whose generous services and skill captured the spirit and style of Byzantine structures for our two story building, displaying a noticeable monastic flair. Then with the purchase of building materials, construction began in mid June with a water blessing service, attended by the volunteer workers from various villages.
They began the project with great zeal, employing the unique talent of Guatemalan tradesmen to take a complex building plan and fashion it into a thing of beauty, using their ingenuity and local building methods. As of today, the foundation is poured and the walls are going up, as different teams arrive, up to 20 at a time, to take their turn at building the future of the Church.
And so it is that Fr. Andres’ dream is taking shape through the very hands of those that he mentored for so many years. His arduous journey of service through many apostolic trials and a brutal civil war is now over. The future of this mission rests squarely upon those whose lives he inspired by his example of selfless service and love. The seminary and mission training center will be ground zero for the next phase of explosive growth, ushered in and led by the Christ-loving people of Guatemala. We pray that their efforts will bear much fruit for the glory of God.
During a recent trip to the Guatemalan village of Aguacate, I had the opportunity to reflect more fully on the worship services. The people seemed to be more engaged and connected to God with their prayers. The levels of enthusiasm were high, as reflected in the full participation of the faithful. They are not afraid or ashamed to freely express themselves during times of prayer, especially when singing the simple hymns known to all. One can conclude that a worship service that only features the priest, choir or chanter will not resonate very much with these communicants. It will appear too much like a performance and a bit too complicated for recent Mayan converts, as is the case with many cradle Orthodox Christians. The Orthodox worship services, in order to firmly take root in their hearts, minds and souls must be participatory, engaging and user friendly. If not, we will repeat the mistake of the Greek Church in America, whose faithful, for the most part, remain passive during the service. Such an approach in Guatemala will not attract many to the services, for they will appear insipid to those who want to pray with all their heart and with fervor. What have we lost in our worship that needs to be revitalized? Could it be our focus on Christ?
Even when there is no priest to lead the worship, the pious faithful come to be blessed by a catechist with the Holy Water that the parish priest sanctified on a previous visit. This is one of the great challenges facing the Church in Guatemala- a shortage of priests to meet the sacramental needs of the faithful.