News 15 -- Nov. 22, 1994

“What is Christmas all about if not about the Light in the darkness, hope in the midst of oppression, and eating tamales and drinking hot chocolate with our friends?”

[In some of his letters Larry used the word womyn as his way of expressing the equality of women and men.
campo = farm field or farm region. Campesino(a) = peasant farmer]

Newsletter #15

November 22, 1994
Guatemala

Dear Friends,

I realize as I begin this letter to you, that we are just a few days from celebrating Thanksgiving and are already anticipating Christmas.

It has been all but impossible to find enough time to send a few thoughts your way, but let's believe that some hidden energy, some inner force is at work here and will see this note through to the end.

Today, I am in an Oblate house in Guatemala City, on my way back to our new location in the Northern part of the country, called the Ixcan. We have a huge parish in a relatively new 'pueblo' called Cantabal. Three of us Oblates and a pastoral team of several Sisters, laymen and womyn are trying to attend to the over 100 villages within our parish boundaries. Ninety percent of our people are Indigenous and speak one of the 22 dialects spoken in Guatemala.

Of the nine Oblates now working in Guatemala, eight of us went to Mexico City two weeks ago to make our annual Oblate retreat and then to assist an Oblate Congress that occurs every three years. It was a gathering of about 50 Oblates from Mexico and Guatemala. We are united in one province working out our common vision of life and work in this part of Latin America

What made this two weeks unique was that it came at a time when the founder of our Congregation, Bishop Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861) is close to being canonized a 'saint'. Such a moment in history allows us to focus on our lives as Oblates and what it was that Eugene de Mazenod saw as a special call; 'to be united with those most marginalized from society.' With this intuition he was led to found our Congregation, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

A retreat is a time when we Oblates unite as brothers to renew acquaintances, put our lives back together a bit and re-evaluate our work in light of our founder's vision.

It was the sharing of our stories as Oblates that fascinated me. The story of identifying with the poor and Indigenous people and entering into (la lucha) their struggle. The struggle for land, just wages, schools, clinics and a voice (especially the voice of the poor and indigenous Womyn) in determining their own lives and future.

When we Oblates now working in Guatemala unite with our brother Oblates in Mexico, we recognize at once that the suffering of our people is identical. The people of Guatemala fled into Mexico in the early 80's when their lands were taken from them, their crops, houses and animals destroyed and killed, and often the entire population of their villages were massacred by the government armed forces.

With the outbreak of confrontations between the guerrillas (Zapatistas) and government forces in Chiapas, Mexico in recent months, Mexicans caught in the middle of the violence have crossed the border into Guatemala. The poor of these two countries understand that it is their faith that has allowed them to endure these many years of oppression.

In many ways, our parish in Cantabal is an ideal location. The majority of Guatemalans who fled to Mexico are now making their way back into the country, pass through Cantabal and often spend several days in the parish confines before continuing on to resettle in nearby villages.

As they share their experiences with us, the first thing they speak of is how the Church of Chiapas, meaning explicitly Bishop Samuel Ruiz, bishop of Chiapas, Mexico for the last 30 years, accepted them with open arms and took their struggle personally 'til the day of their return to Guatemala.

Through the efforts of Samuel Ruiz, the living conditions of the people -- the need for food, water, schooling, medical facilities -- spread rapidly to the religious communities of the U.S., Europe and other countries the world over. Sisters, priests and laity of every profession and trade began to arrive offering whatever talents they had. Lawyers came to document the horrendous cases of violence. Reporters arrived to write the history of the refugee families.

Classes were begun to teach both the children and adults to read and write. Teenagers with some education continued their schooling in the camps and later were capacitated as teachers of their younger sisters and brothers.

Trades such as carpentry, shoe-making and pottery as well as weaving and tapestry for men and womyn were offered. Never was such enthusiasm to learn and advance so evident as in these communities. On the little ground that was acquired, vegetable gardens thrived, and papaya, coconut, and orange trees shaded their small houses everywhere.

At night people gathered to reflect the Word of God in light of their own personal sufferings and reality. They shared with confidence and their manner of celebrating the Eucharist was creative and enthusiastic.

Priests and sisters, laymen and womyn volunteers invited the community to form singing groups, write their own songs expressing their own proper history and faith. They learned also to express their faith and history in the form of social drama and theater.

The community itself was amazed to discover the many talents that existed in each of them -- talents of leadership among the womyn and men, children and youth alike.

However, with these talents and skills achieved on many levels, returning to Guatemala presented new problems and challenges.

A couple of weeks ago, for example, six campesinos arrived at our door. They had crossed the border from Mexico and were facing difficulties in their preparation to return to Guatemala.

Their community of 35 families had accumulated several cows, pigs, goats and a horse or two. But the red tape involved in returning with the animals was causing a lot of grief. Each animal needed to be registered, documented, examined for disease etc.... If they tried to sell their animals, they could get almost nothing. What could we do to help them in their situation?

After discussing this with them, they had some idea of the available options and alternatives they might take. They then told us of the more delicate problem ahead for them. Before being forced to flee to Mexico because of the violence and take-over of their lands by the military, they had obtained titles to their land, but have now discovered that the government had sold their land to others, claiming they had abandoned their land and thus lost the right to ownership.

The military and government over the years has categorized all those fleeing to Mexico as guerrillas. Regaining the right to their land, obtaining legal documents, and other rights granted by law to all citizens of Guatemala has been made unbelievably hard for them.

Our visiting friends realize they are returning to an area still plagued by frequent military confrontations and daily harassment to their communities. But they return with new awareness and consciousness obtained to a great extent by the effort of the Church under the leadership of bishops like Samuel Ruiz of Chiapas and our own bishop here in our diocese of El Quiche, Bishop Julio Cabrera.

They come to our door because we represent for them hope and an identification with their personal struggles. We are grateful that they place their confidence in us and grateful for being a part of the Guatemalan Church and particularly the diocese of El Quiche. As we get more acquainted with the Indigenous communities of our parish, we begin to feel a profound indignation toward the powers that be for having done all in their power to destroy the rich culture, tradition and faith of the Indigenous community.

It is now December 27th as I sit in hopes of finishing up this letter to you. Christmas has been celebrated in our villages, with zest, joy and much hope for the future. We ate a lot of tamales as we visited and celebrated in the villages Christmas eve and Christmas day. What is Christmas all about if not about the Light in the darkness, hope in the midst of oppression, and eating tamales and drinking hot chocolate with our friends?

It is our people themselves that allow us to live in such a reality, because we see this light and hope written in their faces and shining in the eyes of our newly acquired friends.

Jo'can taxak (in 'K'ekchi)

A Peace-filled and Joyful New Year to all.

Lorenzo.

[Note: Received and prepared for mailing on February 20, 1995. mlp]