• Two Maryknoll Sisters, Doctors Jane and Mary Lou
• Teach volunteer health promoters simple medical care for neighbors in their communities.
• Some health promoters even diagnose and treat diabetes, suture wounds, and run small, humble neighborhood clinics on a volunteer basis.
• Without this help, children can die of simple causes like diarrhea.
• Machetes and large cutting tools can cause severe wounds.
• Stoves that use large amounts of wood in unventilated areas cause Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), especially in women, who cook the meals for the family.
• Diseases and skin afflictions arise due to the lack of sanitary products.
• The people in San Marcos do not have the financial ability to buy necessary medical equipment and supplies. These include OTC medicines and vitamins, and solar lights for the health promoters, who may not have electricity in their homes.. Pediatric and adult wheelchairs are needed for the physically disabled.

 

Recent Medical Needs Projects funded by Resurrection and other Parishes

• A 42-year old man with a degenerative disease received a wheelchair (cost ~$125)
• 5 patients are receiving medicine to control Parkinson’s (~$85/month per patient)
• Dialysis funded for 4 patients (including 2 teens) (~$350/month per patient)
• Eco water filters to provide clean drinking water (~$40, split between family and donors)
• Eco stove to cut down on smoke and firewood use (~$175, split between family and donors)

• Lead prayer and communion services
• Minister to the sick
• Preach and teach the faith to those in their villages
• Essential due to a lack of priests in the San Marcos diocese.
• About 3500 lay catechists in San Marcos
• Ongoing theological training is necessary for their continued religious formation.
• Catholic lay catechists are a symbol of hope, faith, and charity in their communities, and are looked upon as leaders. They will travel miles on foot to continue their studies for the good of their communities.

September 6, 2016
To the Parishioners of Resurrection Parish,    
 
            From July 27 to August 4, 2016,  I traveled to Guatemala and I was honored to represent the Diocese of Wilmington and especially Resurrection Parish.  I visited with Padre Silverio Chum of San José El Rodeo.  He is grateful for our continued contribution to his parish and his parish services.  Our funds help him to serve his parish and to include many lay members in the parish decisions.  He sent the following report.
 
Parish Representatives of San José, El Rodeo, San Marcos, Guatemala
Pastor:  Padre Silverio Chum
1.  The Priority of  Evangelization
            This group is dedicated to strengthening the process of  liberating and missionary evangelization, starting with a personal encounter with Jesus Christ in order that our communities can transform their reality and so have life and have it abundantly.  This Pastoral Group has 26 members.  Their coordinator is Brother Amílcar Fuentes.
2.  The Catechists
            The Mission of the Catechists is to boost the formation process that responds to the needs of the people and to the society.  And thus, awakens in the attitudes of communities, the promise of building the Kingdom of God.  There are 18 catechists; both men and women.  The coordinator is Griselda Ochos.
3.  The Liturgical Team
            The Liturgical team is responsible for the spirit of the liturgical celebrations in the Christian Communities.  This team includes Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, Lectors, Acolytes (Altar Servers) and Choirs.  Each group works together to serve their community and the Parish.  The coordinator is the youth, Elmer Chacón, an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
4.  The Social Committee of the Parish
            The objective of this group is to promote the Gospel and the Social Doctrine of the Church,  the human development of the people by providing Health Services, Housing and Nutrition, so that everyone has a more dignified life.  This pastoral committee has 10 members:  Health Pastor, Social Pastor, Women’s Association and a Building Committee.  The Pastoral leader of this committee is Lucretia Orozco.
5.  The Parish Council
            The action of the Parish Council is to foster  the ecclesial communion in the diversity of vocations, ministers, charisms and movements  using the space of the parishes to build an indigenous church; a sign of the Kingdom of God.  The Parish Council has 13 members.  The coordinator is Olympia de Velásquez.
 
            Our parish of Resurrection also supports the Clinic in Catarina.  This clinic is run by Sister Mary Lou and Sister Jane, both doctors and sisters of the Maryknoll Order.  These two ladies have the main clinic in Catarina and over 40 other clinics in the Diocese of San Marcos.  They train the Health Promoters to be able to work with the people in the clinics.  Each promoter is a volunteer and they work many hours tending to the needs of the communities. Mary Lou and Jane also work with women in each community teaching them nutrition and ways to help them with potable water and safer cooking stoves.  Each community has a woman volunteer who sees that the women learn about nutrition and how to improve their living conditions by using water filters and ceramic stoves. The water filters and the ceramic stoves are sold to the women in the community at 50% of the cost; the remaining 50% is funded by donations.  Sisters Mary Lou and Jane are very grateful of our generous monthly donations and thank us for helping the poor in Guatemala.
 
Paz y bien,
 Joan McConnell

October 7, 2015
     On behalf of my brother and sister catechists in St. Joseph’s Parish, El Rodeo, Dioceses of San Marcos, gracious thanks to all for the moral and economic support that you have provided for our formation.
     We are 18  active catechists that attend to an equal number of communities.  Each month, we meet in the parish center to share our experiences from our communities.  It is an enjoyable time we spend with each other as we follow our catechetical mission. 
My name is Griselda Ochoa, and I coordinate the work of my fellow parish catechists. 
This group of catechists have received catechetical formation in the Costa and Boca Costa areas of our diocese. Their names are  (left to right) Felipe, Juan Alberto, myself, and Blas Gilberto.

Every two month, we travel to Pajapita parish to receive instruction / formation.  This year, we plan to study the encyclical of Pope Francis, “The Joy of the Gospel”. We need two sessions to finish.  Each trip costs $25 for our food and travel. 
     One of the characteristics of our communal assemblies is the joy when we sing together.  After so many difficulties that happen in work and our family lives, it is very joyous.  When we speak the word of God, “we will have joy”, we live it in each celebration of the Work in our small communities.
     In the liturgical celebrations, they (the catechists) participate in other ministries:  music, lecturers, and extraordinary ministers of communion.  They also participate in formation for children and teens in our communities.

     Other activities that we perform in our catechesis include pre-sacramental preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist and Matrimony.  It shows in our youth in this photo of our students and their respective parents.





May 16, 2015
I received the following e-mail from Guatemala.  The photo referred to is included on the website under the weekly newsletter tab.
 
Dear Friends at Resurrection,
I send you greetings from Catarina, San Marcos and the many patients and health promoters that your continued support have allowed us to help.

I saw a child over a year ago on a finca where I was attending clinic. The child, Abe Vasquez, was brought in by his father because of nose bleeds. When I checked his heart, I noticed a loud cardiac murmur. He was then 4 years old. I referred them to UNICAR which is a cardiac hospital in Guatemala City for evaluation. This is a 6 hour trip on the bus. He was evaluated and found to have a malformation of his aortic valve. This is a congenital anomaly. The father made repeated trips to the city with his child. Each trip to the city costs about $40 including food. They told him that they needed to extract some of his teeth and fill or cap the others as his teeth were deteriorated. Before any heart surgery you need to eliminate possible sources of infection and his teeth were one source.

The father came in on Monday with Abe who is now 5 years old.  The hospital wanted him to get 4 blood donors as they had finally scheduled him for surgery. He needed help to pay the blood donors bus fare to the city so they could donate. He will stay with Abe in the hospital before and after the surgery which is scheduled for May 18. This is a major open-heart procedure. Hopefully all will go well with the surgery.

I attach a photo of Abe and his father. We are most grateful for your continued support that allows us to help children like Abe.

Many thanks.  Sr. Mary Lou Daoust