Maryknoll priest Father Jim Curtin stopped the car at a high curve on the road from the town of Panajachel, pointed down into the valley, and said to then twenty-nine year old Father Gregory Schaffer, "There is the community you are going to want to serve and the people you are going to grow to love." In the thirty-five years since that first glimpse of San Lucas Tolimán, Greg has focused on and done exactly those two things: serve the community and love the people.

     In Greg’s mind, something very important happened during his first years in the community. For a person coming from the United States, with all its perceived wealth and power, to truly communicate with people who perceive themselves as poor and dependent, their roles needed to reverse. Greg needed to become poor and dependent; the people needed to become wealthy and depended upon. This important reversal did happen, and in two ways: language and culture. Greg’s three months in language and culture school gave him a good head start, but three months cannot teach everything. The people had to, and did, become his teachers, his guides.

     Indeed, they became his mentors from the very beginning, since the pastor at that time, Father Stan Martinka, left for a new assignment shortly after Greg arrived in January of 1964, leaving him the only American in town for nearly a year.

     Greg remembers a certain confusion during those early days, not knowing exactly what he should be doing. He lived at the old rectory, which is now part of the clinic, and started to get involved in some of the work of the parish. He worshipped with the people at daily Mass at 7:00 each morning, then helped with the construction of the Sisters’ house so that they could also come and serve the community. In the evenings, he walked to the lake, read, wrote letters, listened to jazz music on Voice of America, watched falling stars, and enjoyed that peaceful time.

     While building the Sisters’ house, two key events occurred. One, he allowed good stonemasonry apprentices to continue their work and develop their skills, while tradition held that those who became too good would be fired, to keep them from becoming so good that they would threaten their boss’s job. Greg thus accidentally began his own tradition of allowing people to excel in their work and develop their own careers. This angered the master stonemason, who later refused to help build Greg’s own house, but it began a process which has allowed many apprentices grow in knowledge and skill.

     The second key event involved one of those learning workers. Greg was helping build a set of stairs, carrying rocks to a young man who set them in place. They worked together every day. One day, this worker mentioned to his wife, "I don’t know who it is, but there is a gringo helping us build those stairs." His wife answered, "You’d better watch your mouth while working; that could be the new priest!"

     That young man, Lucas Xirúc, is now a master stonemason and head of the parish’s construction and stonemasonry apprenticeship program. He is instrumental in helping the parish serve his community.

     In those early times, Greg received various reactions from the people. Some were friendly, accepting Greg and guiding him. Some had their agendas and their ideas of what he would be like and wound up telling him what to do. The majority, he says, just sat back to watch and see what would happen.

     Many members of the cofradía, who actively protect and continue the Mayan traditions, were concerned that he would stop their customs. One member, Romolo Lec, helped him to learn what they were about. Romolo’s son, Genaro, became an invaluable help to Greg; he began the parish’s legal organization, worked with securing land titles, and formalized the parish’s activities.

     Genaro disappeared during the difficult, violent years of the early 1980’s. He has not been seen since.

     Members of the Lec family continue to serve with Greg. Genaro’s wife, Chona, has been working with the parish since she was thirteen. She is now head of the parish kitchen; she is also a key figure in Greg’s connection with the people of San Lucas. Other family members also work in the kitchen. Ronaldo, one of Genaro’s and Chona’s sons, is director of Associación Ij’ Atz, the permaculture garden.

     Louis García, parish secretary, took Greg under his wing and became an important guide and mentor. Max Campa, an anciano (elder), taught Greg patience. Even on his deathbed, after receiving the sacrament of the sick and literally moments before dying, Max placed his hand on Greg’s head and prayed for Greg’s patience.

     In December of 1964, two School Sisters of Notre Dame arrived after studying Spanish. Sister Filomena Spencer and Sister Medard Zweber, both of Mankato, Minnesota, began the process of developing the community’s educational system. They hired Marta García, sister of Greg’s mentor, as their cook; Marta is still working in the parish kitchen, baking desserts. She is affectionately called Doña Martita.

     In the late 1960’s, the daily Mass was moved to the evenings, which freed up Greg’s early mornings. The heads of the different projects began to gather with him before work to ask questions and work out the day’s details. (These gatherings still take place every day.)

     After the gathering, Greg spent most of the morning walking through town to see the project sites. These included the school, housing, farm buildings, the original Casa Feliz, and an extension to the rectory to be used as a clinic.

     If there is anything Greg misses from those earlier years, it is time spent walking around the mountains, going with the men to their fields, leaning local agricultural traditions, and helping carry lumber down the mountain. The pace was slower then. He did not have to focus so much on raising funds.

     The town changed in many ways throughout the years that followed, and much of its growth and development is directly related to the parish and to Greg’s vision.

     Many more people own land now. There are no more grass roofs, and there are few remaining cornstalk huts. There is running water and electricity. The municipality has seventeen formal elementary schools, eight secondary schools, and two local avenues for continuing education; in the beginning, there was only one small elementary school. The parish was involved in setting up all of these schools.

     The people themselves have changed. The Maya have grown in self-realization and in assumption of leadership. Three out of the five current doctors are Mayan, as are many of the teachers.

     Greg allowed himself to be guided and led by the people; they grew in self-confidence. Greg affirmed them and challenged them to excel and to live their full potential; they, over time, responded by moving from living as a weak, dependent, and oppressed people to living as the strong, independent, and personally powerful people they were created to be.

     Everything that is called La Parroquia San Lucas is owned and governed by a parish association, not by its pastor, and this association is entirely composed of community members. The people, on their own, have formed small Christian communities, calling in the priests when they are wanted. Lay leadership is strong. Lectors are trained by Fredy Ordóñez. The church is decorated by many men and women. There are various music groups for the various Masses. Two men in particular, Don Miguel and Don Justo, are so instrumental in keeping activities at the church moving smoothly that Greg honestly doesn’t know what he would do without them.

     Both of the two main subgroups of the parish, Catholic Action and Charismatic Renewal, have their own directors, youth groups, ancianos, and service projects. They alternate throughout the week in having prayer services in the church. Almost nothing they do is with the priests; nothing is directed by Greg. Nevertheless, he is directly responsible for affirming their courage and allowing them the opportunities to do what they want and need to do.

     Looking back through his nearly thirty-five years serving the Parroquia, many stories and events come to his mind. Greg has seen, heard, said, and done many things. However, there are a few highlights.

     Among these is the 1976 earthquake, from which over 25,000 people died nation-wide. The parish became a regional distribution center for medical and construction personnel and supplies. Thousands of dollars and many hands were involved in reaching out to the surrounding communities for cleaning up and rebuilding. It was an intense time, but it was also an inspiring time.

     In the late 1970’s, Father John Goggin came in to Greg’s office to let him know that there were 80 families living in the road because Finca Quixayá had been lost to a bank. Greg immediately went to the bank and asked how much it would cost to purchase a portion of the land; they responded, "$125,000." Not knowing where he would get the down payment of $25,000 in the required 48 hours, he remembered an offer for assistance he received from Jim Hentzen, brother of Bob Hentzen, director of CFCA. Greg drove two hours to the nearest phone, in Panajachel. He called Jim Hentzen and asked whether his offer of "hit me once, hit me hard, and never hit me again" was still good. After asking how much Greg needed, he responded, "I’ll have it to you in 24 hours." With that down payment and monthly installments of $5,000, Greg bought the land and an additional 120-acre section for a total of $242,000. The people of Santa Cruz Quixayá now live an independent life; they have their own schools and support social awareness groups.

     1979 through 1985, "the years of the violence," stand out strongly in Greg’s mind. They were painful years for himself and for the people of Guatemala. During that time, he had three chances to lead group trips to Rome, but he did not accept any of them. In his own words, "I could never leave the people."

     During the 1991 earthquake, the five hundred year old church was badly damaged and was scheduled to be torn down. Greg pleaded with several architects to do whatever it would take to preserve the church. Restoration took five years, but the large, beautiful church, a national historic treasure, still stands and is used day and night.

     Greg’s current involvement with the community of Santa Teresita will become one of his lifetime highlights. He has raised many thousands of dollars to assist these people with food, land, and shelter. He has been instrumental in acquiring what was the Finca El Rosario, which is at the bottom of the Madre Vieja river valley and which they will be able to use for agriculture. He is in the process of purchasing land at the top of the valley, near Ojo de Agua, where they will be able to live. Land purchase for Greg is always followed by land development: providing water and electricity, surveying property lots, constructing houses, providing a community center, and ensuring that the people will have everything they will need to grow into true independence. The town that the people of Santa Teresita will form will be a strong, vibrant community, due as much to Greg’s commitment as to the stamina and integrity of their leaders.

     Chief among Greg’s hopes is that the efforts to move the people of Parroquia San Lucas out of the process of poverty and into independent life will continue. "I don’t think one generation is enough. After another generation, I think it can go on its own." The people need to continue to be given opportunities to live the lifestyle they want to live. They need to be allowed to be advanced horticulturist Mayan people. This requires financial support, as well as the personal support of the people of the Diocese of New Ulm and others who have connections with the mission.

     He wants people to keep coming, learning, appreciating, and respecting. "Do the little things, let the people guide us. We don’t come in and tell them, we walk with them." He wants visitors to come and learn what oppression and poverty really mean. He wants them to focus their attention on agriculture and its importance for the Maya. He wants them to see the need for respecting the Mayan way of relating to God, to see how they know God through nature.

     "Leave your agenda at home; come and live their agenda. It’s very hard. Some people do it very well, other people don’t even come close."

     For the people here, he wants them to know God’s love and to experience it through fully liberated lives. In addition to his obvious social development concerns, Greg is concerned with the drugs that have made their way into the community. He is also concerned with the divisions that the fundamentalist evangelists are bringing to families and to the community. He hopes that people can grow in better understandings of Scripture, realizing what God really wants and expects from his people.

     Greg defines his work simply: he supports and trusts the people, their hopes, their vision, and their needs. He walks with them, giving them the tools and opportunities they need. He invites people from outside cultures to come and appreciate the people and culture of San Lucas.

     And he bakes muffins every morning.

     What does Father Gregory Schaffer want the world to know about the people he serves? He wants them to know that they are struggling, beautiful people. He wants them to know that they can be a part of allowing and assisting the community in developing their gifts. He wants them to know how to walk with these people, to look into their eyes, and to celebrate with God the goodness, beauty, and holiness of the people of San Lucas Tolimán.