A vehicle for a parish at the foot of a volcano

Father Luis Francisco Morales Reyes is in charge of the parish of Siquinalá, Escuintla, in the south of Guatemala. It has a population of just over 26,000 people, around 60% of whom are Catholics. Most of the rest of the population are members of sectarian groups of various inspirations, including fundamentalist and Pentecostal.

In order to minister to the faithful, Father Morales has to travel distances of up to 36 km on very poor roads to reach the outlying communities. Since his parish lies at the foot of a volcano, it is strewn with rocks, scree, and hardened lava streams. Only a few of the roads are properly paved, and when it rains and the river level rises, it can be almost impossible to get through and the journey can take hours.

Thirty-seven-year-old Father Luis explains: “The reason I am asking for a new vehicle is that our old one is now in a very poor state of repair. It has almost 600,000 km under its belt and is frequently breaking down. And the maintenance and repair costs are so high that, given the financial state of the parish, we have been forced to organize fundraising campaigns just to pay for these repairs, which naturally hinders our pastoral work. Often, we have to borrow a vehicle in order to be able to reach the villages, and not infrequently we even have to go on foot. This is one of the poorest parishes in the Diocese of Escuintla, and the people are in no position to raise the money we need.”

We have promised him 27,000 for a sturdy, all-terrain vehicle. Thank you in advance for your help!