I am Father Joaquín, OFM, and I am currently General Director of the Valle de Los Ángeles Orphanage (Valley of the Angels) in Guatemala. I serve as a connection to benefactors who charitably collaborate in our cause, and I assist with sacraments for the two hundred children who are part of this mission.
Helping young people, families, and communities
The services and benefits that Immaculate Conception Province provides in Guatemala are numerous and greatly beneficial, especially in the education, spiritual development, and healthcare of so many impoverished people and entire families. This includes medical missions and projects providing scholarships to young people who have no place to live after graduating from Valley’s orphanage school.
We are also open to welcoming foreign institutions – such as schools, universities, or service organizations – that wish to send volunteers for a mission experience. By spending time here, young people from varied life backgrounds can not only contribute to the lives of our children but also learn from them. It becomes an enriching exchange where both sides grow in understanding, compassion, and cultural awareness.
Together, we accomplish so much
Among some of the new services we have implemented at Valley are three classrooms of great importance. One of these is the computer lab, built with the help of Fr. Chris, OFM, in collaboration with a parishioner from Derry, New Hampshire. They equipped the classroom with 55 computers! Another is a classroom dedicated to study and reading. Finally, there is a new entertainment room with spaces for television and group games. This provides young people with a safe place to entertain themselves and socialize in a healthy environment.
Beyond the school, the mission helps others in the community – all those connected with the school’s children.
For example, we assisted a family of five – a single mother, her 17-year-old son, and three daughters. With financial support, we found them housing and space with beds and some furniture to give them dignity as human beings. The oldest son will graduate this year as an electrician, and the young girls continue their education at Valley. Each of them carries dreams and desires to succeed. I know that our support has been an important factor in their success.
A young girl who attended primary school here aspired to prove herself in the world of law. She is now a lawyer in Guatemala, and she married a lawyer as well. She acknowledges that at Valley of the Angels she was taught to see beyond the limited horizon of her birth.
Fr. Joaquin, OFM, praying with an elder in our mission in Guatemala
Elderly people in Guatemala live under a lot of pressure and some of them also benefit from our projects at Valley, such as the medical and legal advice we can provide. In one example, a woman had left her land to her son but her daughter-in-law attempted to deprive both the woman and her son of their property. She was advised by one of our friars, along with a lawyer and thanks to that guidance, she knows that she is the owner of the property until her death. Once at risk of being left homeless, the elderly woman and her family now live on their own land.
Fr. Joaquin, OFM, with a group of schoolboys at Valley of the Angels mission in Guatemala
Your help fulfills hopes and dreams for the future of people at Valley
A current goal here is to improve the children’s learning in a second language by offering Mass in English and Spanish. For me, spiritual and academic formation are the most important elements of education for our students. Our young people depend on both of these for successful futures.
One of the urgent needs right now is housing space. The dormitories are becoming very limited, and due to maintenance, weather, and seismic conditions, the building needs extensive repairs. Most of the money that IC Province contributes to our institution goes toward the salaries of 75 teachers and staff, and daily meals for the students.
The support we receive from donors is vitally important for the things that require money to be accomplished. Without this generosity, our projects would be impossible to achieve. One benefactor from Canada provides us with financial support for healthcare – medicine and so on. She also assists us with medical missions – these are eight-day missions during which physicians and nurses provide a detailed report on the health needs of each child in our mission. This is generosity on a grand scale, but every gift, no matter the size, helps. It all adds up and it all fulfills the intentions of Jesus Christ.
We also ask for our supporters’ prayers. Without the communion of prayer, we have nothing. From the hearts of all our children – for putting food on the table and for opening their eyes to the light of knowledge – thank you!
