May/June Newsletter

San Lucas Mission Newsletter May/June 2019 Note from the Director In This Edition I bring you greetings from all the people of San Lucas Tolimán whose lives are Note from the Director touched by the work of the Mission. Each year over 20,000 people are impacted by the programming that you help make possible. Hear from the FOSL Executive I just returned from a trip to San Lucas full of opportunities to see how far we Director, Bill Peterson, about his have come: recent visit to San Lucas. On Saturday, June 8th we distributed proceeds from the sale of land to the former workers of the Mission. This was the last step in honoring an agreement Education made with them after the passing of Fr. Greg. It was a joy-filled and historical moment for the Mission. Hear from the Director of the On Monday, June 10th we dedicated the first of a new home design. Part block Education Program, learn about and part wood, it allows us to build a longer-lasting home when the site allows. how the School Sisters of Notre We will now be able to build all-wood, hybrid and block homes as part of our Dame started the school, and housing strategy. hear from one of our visitors who Also on Monday, we had a series of budget meetings which were the final steps helps train our teachers in the in a year-long process to fully fund all programs at a basic level. Now each pro- Montessori Method about the gram will start the year with a detailed line-item budget which covers all their importance of the program. basic needs, e.g. books for the school, tools for construction, medical supplies for the clinic. Because of years of conscientious oversight, accountability and San Lucas Updates transparency, the programs in SLT will be able to manage their budget without having to make special appeals for basic supplies. Catch up on other Mission news All of this, and so much more, is possible because of the continuing generosity of through our quick updates from our supporters. You make this happen and we can’t thank you enough for your San Lucas Tolimán. deep commitment to this ministry of service. Thank you, Bill

51 Years of Education Letter from Patricia Esteemed Donors, We send you blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ, hoping that everything you do is fruitful. The purpose of this letter is to thank all of you in a special way for the many benefits that you have provided to the Mission, especially the Education Pro- gram. Thank you for sharing what you have with our students. We currently have 670 students, and not only are children from San Lucas able to benefit from this education, but also children from several other surrounding communities like Cerro de Oro, Pampojila, San Andrés, and Xejuyu. These communities send their children to our establishment because they prefer their children attend our school. They prefer it for the great trajectory that the establishment has had. For 51 years Colegio Privado Mixto Monseñor Gregorio Schaffer Regan has provid- ed education. Thanks to the kindness and good hearts of each one of you, 95% of the students are on scholarship and have the opportunity to receive a quality Patricia Quaicain - Education Director education. We believe that our obligation as teachers is to foster better human beings with morals, respect and above all else, human beings who know how to live together in peace. Our task as teachers is to provide an education that generates legitimate opportunities of progress and prosperity for the students and for the community. We want to continue following in the footsteps of Father Greg, who taught us that education is the base of the development of the individual, the community, and of a country. I want to let you know that each one of your donations has been invested into the education of each one of the students from 4 years old until 12 years old. In addition to providing them with a quality education, we also sup- port them in discovering the skills they possess. They have discovered they have skills in music, drawing, paint- ing, carpentry, crafts, cooking and more, which they can continue developing over the course of their life. What you sow today, you will harvest tomorrow.

The School Sisters of Notre Dame Written by Alex Muff I recently had the pleasure of sitting with and talking to Sandra Spencer - a former nun with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, current resident of St. Louis, Missouri and one of the founders of the Colegio in San Lucas. What started out as an interview to learn more about the role the School Sisters of Notre Dame played in the Mission’s history, quickly turned Quick Updates from into a lot of laughter and stories about San Lucas past and present. As she prepared us San Lucas Tolimán some Juan Ana Coffee, we sat at her dining room table which had photos spread from end 1Día de la Madre to end depicting her 17 years in San Lucas. She arrived in 1964 with Sister Medard Zweber, Sandra Spencer While all of San Lucas celebrated Mother’s Day on May 10th, the Women’s Center both volunteers answering a call from Bishop Schladweiler requesting School planned a special trip to San Francisco Sisters of Notre Dame in San Lucas Tolimán for the purpose of education. el Alto on May 31st. 120 Women’s Center They were asked to start building a school almost immediately, but they knew it would take time. They arrived not knowing Spanish and not knowing the participants took advantage of the oppor- community. “The people didn’t know us and we didn’t know the people. We tunity to travel to another city and were did a full year of just visiting with the people.” After their first year of getting acclimated to the language and the community they spent time planning able to explore the market there. and training new teachers. Sister Medard and Sister Sandra began working with local teachers to start providing their first pre-school and kindergar- 2Celebrating Fr. Greg’s Life ten classes held in the parish hall. As the kids grew, they trained and added more teachers. By 1968, the first Director - Profesor Francisco Mendoza - May 24th marked 7 years since Fr. Greg’s was in place and the full “Colegio San Lucas” was officially born. The school passing. The bishop came to San Lucas grew quickly and they eventually had nearly 650 students and were teach- to celebrate a mass in Fr. Greg’s honor ing through the US equivalent of middle school. The teachers they trained and he visited each Mission program often eventually found work in other schools for better pay and the Educa- tion Department of Sololá once said, “You Sisters are training teachers, not to learn about their work and give a only for this Parish, but for the entire Department of Sololá.” Sister Sandra blessing. reminisced, “It was such necessary work that we were doing. Three former teachers that we trained have their own schools now. Education is going to 3Coffee Workshops make the difference in the community.” As we continued to look through pictures and she showed me children she and the School Sisters of Notre Café Juan Ana continues to provide Dame helped raise and educate, many of whom I now know workshops to small coffee growers, in- their kids and grandkids, I couldn’t wait to share her story. cluding a workshop on June 5th to teach “I know the community (School Sisters of Notre Dame) gave growers about different coffee plant dis- people, money, great energy and great talent into that whole eases and how to combat them. Partici- thing. The school. The clinic. The orphanage. pants receive a diploma after completing None of that would’ve happened without the 7 workshops covering various topics. Sisters being there.” None of this would be possible without support from people like you! To get in touch with us or make a donation visit sanlucasmission.org

If You Listen at the Door of a Montesorri Classroom Written by June Bowers If you listen at the door of a Montessori classroom, what you hear is very much like the buzz of a beehive. The children in the seven 4, 5, and 6 year old classrooms are alive with activity, choosing work and carefully carrying their trays to beautifully woven colorful cloths provided by their mothers. The materials, developed over a centu- ry ago by Maria Montessori, provide the opportunity for children to experience with their hands rather than just look at a printed page. When Father Greg was a young priest long ago in Minnesota, he discovered the wisdom of the Montessori Meth- od of early childhood in his parish kindergarten. He was aware that critical thinking skills were learned before the age of 6 when a child’s mind acts like a sponge absorbing everything it comes in contact with. 2019 is an important year for Montessori in the school. This is the first year that every child in the school, up through the sixth grade, has experienced Montessori as a start in education. What was the result? According to the teachers, the children today are more eager to learn, have greater respect for the teachers, other students, and property, can handle more complex problems, and are much more independent. The teachers in the 1st through 6th grades have also changed their teaching style to a more hands-on form of teaching. We are able to continue with this Montessori method thanks to gener- ous donors like you. This hands-on form of learning requires specific materials and consistent replacement after years of little hands using these materials to learn. I would encourage you to consider a donation to the education program for Montessori materials to meet the needs of this very important early childhood program! Save the Date! Purchase your fresh bag of coffee • 7th Annual • online at sanlucasmission.org Friends of San Lucas Gala Saturday, September 28th 2019 Mankato, MN Celebrate - Socialize - Support Thank you for your support and generosity to the San Lucas Mission. Friends of San Lucas • 4679 Cambridge Drive, Eagan, MN 55122 • 651-508-1848 • sanlucasmission.org