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ST PATRICK HUDSON - SAN JOSE YALPEMECH |
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ABOUT US
Background and History
St. Patrick Church, Hudson and San Jose Church, Yalpemech became Sister Parishes in the Winter of 1998.
The village of Yalpemech is located in the Northeastern mountain area of Guatemala, State of Alta Verapaz. It was settled by a small group of families of Spanish and Mayan ancestry. They settled there after living as political refugees in a camp in Honduras for nine years.
Sister Joannes Klas, a School Sister of St. Francis, worked and lived with the villagers throughout the political upheaval and turmoil in their lives and is a leader in the partnership with this faith community.
The villagers lives are filled with centuries long traditions of family, church, and love of one another. Their history is a rich tapestry of rural and urban life, relative material riches and abject poverty. And as political refugees, they are sometimes trapped by their times, their geographic place, ad by a system that impedes their ability to build on their past to improve their future.
The church is the center of the villagers lives. Lay people prepare the Sunday scripture as there is no resident priest The Eucharist is celebrated every four to five weeks. The entire faith community participates in lively fiestas to celebrate church holidays and important life events.
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