Maria Fidelia Paau, a member of the Maya-Q'eqchi' ethnic group, was elected Indigenous Queen of Carchá, Guatemala with the title “Flower of the People” for 2022-2023. After her election, she went to the Salesian boarding school in San Pedro Carchá, where she lived while gaining
Salesian missionaries in San Pedro Carchá have been working on a housing reconstruction project since torrential rains and severe flooding decimated rural villages in Guatemala. The storm on Nov. 4, 2020, isolated entire rural communities and devastated crops and housing. Chiachal, approximately 40 miles (65
The Salesian-run Casa Betania, located in San Benito Petén, Guatemala, welcomes thousands of people every year, most of them migrants in search of a better life. Children, youth, adults, pregnant women, families, and the elderly find support and relief thanks to a group of volunteers.
Maya Q’eqchi’ indigenous families in the rural area of San Pedro Carchá, Guatemala, have received support after the devastating effects of Hurricane Eta, thanks to donor support through Salesian Missions. Hundreds of poor indigenous families lost their gardens, farms and homes due to rising floodwaters
Salesian missionaries at the Salesian parish in San Benito Petén operate the Casa Bethania for Migrants, one of two homes for migrants in Petén, Guatemala. In addition, two Salesian parishes on the border in Naranjo and Melchor are stopovers for migrants. They receive food and
Salesian missionaries at the Salesian parish in San Benito Petén, Guatemala, are providing food aid to those who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 families have been provided food support.
In November, Central America was hard hit by two Category 4 hurricanes. Hurricane Eta hit on Nov. 3 and Hurricane Iota hit less than two weeks later on Nov. 16. Salesian missionaries across Central America, including Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras, are responding locally to help
Salesian missionaries in Guatemala are working to assess damage and provide support in the wake of Hurricane Eta. The Salesian community of Carchá has eight priests who serve 350 villages, including more than 5,000 Indigenous students. At least 40 of the villages have been directly
Salesian missionaries in the Central American Province are focused on the psychological, emotional and spiritual well-being of Salesian staff. The Artemide Zatti project aims to address health risk factors through psycho-education initiatives and anxiety, depression and spirituality through individual and group therapeutic support initiatives.
Salesian missionaries at the Salesian parish in San Benito Petén, Guatemala, are working to help those who have been left vulnerable in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Father Giampiero De Nardi has recently started a refectory for the poor that aims to reach the