By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
Managing Editor 

In 2021, Shelly Sands, president of Missions International and a teacher at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, traveled to Guatemala to meet with the bishops and priests of Jalapa, Jutiapa, Izabal, and Petén. She says those holy and devoted men expressed their heartfelt gratitude for the assistance they receive from sister parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and other places. 

The purpose of Missions International, which is based in Highland, is to evangelize unreached people with the Gospel of Christ, bringing glory to God, through the transformation of lives and lifestyles of remote groups of people. They aim to establish churches, medical clinics, and homes among the unreached people groups of Central America, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They also cultivate ministry partners and create opportunities for teams of people to go on mission trips.

Missions International also has a “sister parish” program that involves connecting Catholic parishes in the Caribbean and Central and Latin Americas with “sister parishes” in the United States, who then provide spiritual and financial assistance to their sister parish. Sands’ home parish, St. Paul Parish in Highland, has a sister parish in Haiti. 

According to Sands, there are 19 parishes in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois with sister parishes in Guatemala, nine parishes with sister parishes in Haiti, and one parish with a sister parish in Venezuela. 

“I can’t even begin to express the overwhelming joy of being able to sit and talk with the pastors of our sister parishes (in other countries),” Sands said. “They are so grateful.”

Padre Teodoro, pastor of one of the sister parishes, explained to Sands just how much support from sister parishes in our diocese has meant during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“What everyone needs to understand is not only were their churches closed much longer than ours, but the priests did not get paid,” Sands said. “They rely on the donations, money or food, from their parishioners to survive. Without contact with parishioners, the pastors of our sister parishes were left with little resources.” Sands added that she wishes the parishes in our diocese could have heard Padre Teodoro express his gratitude as his words of thanks were so authentic. 

“After he finished his expression of thanks, one by one all the other pastors stood and stated that they, too, gave thanks to God for their brothers and sisters in their sister parishes,” Sands said. “The pastors of Guatemala were amazed that during our struggle we continue to support them. This was a true act of love, just as Jesus would do. I could feel in my heart their loving gratitude and continued support of all of us.” 

For example, after a devastating earthquake in Haiti in August 2021, Missions International organized an unique effort where several hundred faith-filled volunteers from schools and parishes in our diocese spent hours packing food into boxes for those impacted by the earthquake. A total of 22,680 servings were packed and delivered to the hungry in Haiti by Hospital Sisters Outreach in Springfield. An extra $900 from the donation for Haiti earthquake relief was sent to the religious order of St. Joseph the Apparition, who “do wonderful work in Haiti,” Sands said.  Those donations have all been distributed and used and did much to help the sisters assist “the poorest of the poor that have suffered from the earthquake,” she said. 

Learning about the ten martyrs of Quiché 

While Sands was in Guatemala, she also heard devastating stories of some martyrs who gave their lives for their faith during the 1980s. “You may have heard of Father Stanley Rother who was martyred in 1981 and beatified in 2017. During the civil war in Guatemala many Catholics were killed,” she said. Those included including 12-year-old Juan Berrera Méndez, known as Juanito, three priests who were missionaries of the Sacred Heart, and six lay men in Quiché, all who were beatified in April and are known as the Ten Martyrs of Quiché. 

“They are just a few of many, and their story is one most don’t know,” she said. “In this area of Guatemala, if you were Catholic, you either buried your Bible, became Protestant, or were martyred. Most catechists were on the death list … . In Quiché, for seven years during the late 70s and early 80s the military occupied the Catholic churches, and the diocese had to be closed. When the bishop of Quiché returned to Guatemala City, he was to write a report, but he wrote the truth, and he too was martyred.”

Sands was especially moved by the story of the young catechist Juanito, who was tortured, crucified, and shot because he never denied his faith. She said that a torture chamber was created by the military. There was a small well on the parish grounds where they threw the bodies of 37 people, including mothers and babies, Sands said, noting that a Franciscan nun shared details of the torture which were very disturbing. “Inside the church the floor had to be torn up to find the remains of others,” she said. “Upon entering this parish, you truly are standing on ground that was watered with the blood of martyrs.”  Now the church only houses the remains of Juanito.

According to Sands, traveling to Guatemala is always life changing. “We have no idea how fortunate we are,” she said. “Our faith is one of beauty and strength. The light that is shining in those who survived during these troubling times of Guatemala is so bright. Words cannot begin to describe it.” 

Announcing the 2022 trip to sister parishes of Guatemala

Missions International will be organizing a trip to sister parishes of Jalapa, Jutiapa, Izabal, and Petén July 10-16, 2022. There will be limited room based on restrictions due to COVID.  These restrictions can change and will be explained at the first meeting for those interested in traveling. 

Each sister parish will be restricted to two-to-three people on the trip. It is always good if you have someone traveling who is fluent in Spanish, but if not, a translator will be provided in Guatemala. 

You will spend three-to-four nights and four-to-five days in your sister parish depending on your previous travels to Guatemala.  Accommodation can vary depending on your sister parish.

You will spend two-to-three nights and one-to-two days in Guatemala City at the retreat center for the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.  At the retreat center there will be speakers focusing on Guatemalan history, culture, and martyrs.  You may also choose to visit Antigua during this time. You will enjoy a dinner with the pastor of your sister parish the night before traveling to your sister parish.

Both flights will be early morning flights getting travelers into Guatemala and the United States by midafternoon.

If you are interested in this trip, please email   before Feb. 28, 2022, to receive future information about the meeting for this trip.