A beautiful quilt, donated to the Guatemala Commission, will be used to raise funds for the Diocese of Spokane’s Guatemala Mission. Proceeds from the quilt raffle will help repair the roof of Santa Catarina Church and the Marian Center patio in Ixtahuacan.

The church roof leaks whenever it rains—and that happens about six months of the year. Parishioners have recently repaired the floor of the church, laying tiles to replace the cement, thanks to donations made to the parish. The leaking roof damages both the structure and the interior of the church, as well as sprinkling on parishioners! Santa Catarina Church is the “home” church for 29 smaller parishes in surrounding communities, for which Father Manuel Nicasio serves as pastor.

Funds raised by the raffle will also help re-roof the patio of the Marian Center, which is a church meeting center, parish office, and “hotel” for visitors. Often, the main floor of the building is filled with catechist training, sacramental training, youth group, and other ministries. The second floor houses a small kitchen and five rooms, each with a bathroom. The Marian Center was built by a combination of funds from Family-to-Family and donations to Father David Baronti, who oversaw the Marian Center’s construction in 2008. The original patio was financed through donations from St. Francis Parish of Walla Walla; however, the roof has been gradually deteriorating.

The quilt raffle is available to all parishes who would like to participate in this effort. Please contact Susan O’Connor at 509.939.5113 if you would like to schedule a weekend to display the quilt and sell raffle tickets, which are $2 each. The drawing will be held on Sept. 16, 2020, at the eighth annual Guatemala Mission Celebration at Barrister Winery. The celebration will feature special guest Father Esequel Xicay, who is the past rector of the minor seminary in Solola.

Nineteen parishes participated in the quilt raffle last year, yielding $5,010 in proceeds, which were used to make upgrades to the religious education building in Ixtahuacan and for other educational needs in the mission. Thank you to all supporters!