Students learn of Lasallian mission work in Guatemala

Diana Lundeen with children of the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos school and orphanage.

John Delwich, Steve Schmidt, Adam Runge and Cullen Gibbons in Guatemala.




Two groups of Saint Mary’s students traveled to Guatemala in May to learn about Lasallian mission work. Chris McClead, director of SMU’s Campus Ministry, led a Serving Others United in Love (SOUL) trip with students Abby Voigt, Allison Stephens, Shannon Nelson, Rachel Elbert, John Speedling, Kelly Holt, Diana Lundeen, Ellen Bina and Emily DeWitt. Students John Delwich, Steve Schmidt, Adam Runge and Cullen Gibbons also traveled to Guatemala with Brother Pat Conway, director of vocations for the Lasallian Teacher Immersion Program.

The trips were intended to spark interest on the Winona campus for the life and work of Brother James Miller, a 1966 Saint Mary’s alum who was killed while serving in Guatemala in 1982. The Church has designated Brother James as a “Servant of God” and he is being considered for sainthood. On the two trips, these students experienced firsthand their connection to the broader Lasallian mission.