By Suzanne Weiss | For On Mission
GREEN BAY — The first thing Denmark native Mark Wanek said he noticed when he got off the plane this past January was the weather. It was warm and sunny. He wasn’t in Wisconsin anymore.
Wanek was one of nine students who traveled to the Central American country of Guatemala with Phoenix Catholic, the campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
The 21-year-old junior, who is studying marketing and communication, said he joined Phoenix Catholic so he could spend time with people who are “passionate about their faith.”
Wanek’s faith also led him to take the Jan. 6-14 trip to Guatemala so he could immerse himself in another culture and provide service to its people, two tenets that he said are important to him as a Catholic.
“It had a positive effect on my faith,” Wanek said. “I encountered how truly universal the Catholic Church is. It was cool to see brothers and sisters in Christ all the way in Guatemala, all around us.”
The students were accompanied by Franciscan Sr. Laura Zelten, director of Catholic campus ministry at UW-Green Bay; Fr. Kevin Ripley, campus sacramental minister; and Dr. Mary Neustifter, a retired Green Bay physician.
The trip was designed to help participants grow in their faith while experiencing the Catholic Church in Central America. They took part in daily Mass, explored Catholic churches in the area and set aside time for journaling, prayer and fellowship.
“Their faith is really beautiful,” Wanek said of the Guatemalan people. “Their churches have a lot of statues and artwork. Our Lady of Gudalupe is very special there.” He said he also noticed the Catholic people there are more vocal and emotional during worship than we are here.
The campus ministry group also learned about Oklahoma-born martyr Blessed Stanley Rother, who was killed in Guatemala in 1981. He was the first United States-born martyr and the first U.S. priest to be beatified.
They stayed at Friends of San Lucas Mission, a Catholic nonprofit organization in San Lucas Tolíman, that supports health care, education, construction and other projects that benefit the Guatemalan people. The Wisconsin visitors also received a tour of the mission’s hospital and school.
Wanek also got to see how people live in the mountains surrounding volcanic Lake Atitlán, often referred to as the most beautiful lake in the world.
“It was very eye-opening. A lot of people are not so well off, yet they are grateful for what they have,” Wanek said. “It was a perspective change for me. I’m working on … learning to live with just what I need and not what I want.”
The mountain region is also home to coffee plantations, where Wanek saw how the Guatemalans grow and make their world-renowned coffees.
The service part of the trip involved digging a deep trench for a retaining wall surrounding a local health clinic. They battled the rocky soil with shovels, pickaxes and jackhammers, Wanek said.
As a student outreach coordinator for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wanek organizes on-campus Mass ministries such as lecturing, serving and presenting of the gifts. He also plans, promotes and advertises on-campus ministry events and runs the on-campus men’s ministry.
He said he brought home lessons from the trip to Central America.
“We have a lot to be grateful for, but there are also lots of services needed in the northeast Wisconsin area,” Wanek said. “It’s just as important to be the hands and feet of Christ here as it is in Guatemala.”
