“Our time here helps us grow in our ability to be self-driven, mature, fluent in Spanish and prayerful. Our interactions with the monastic community make our life one of tranquility, mindfulness and peace."

2007-2008 volunteers Michael Anderson and Liam Sperl

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Monastery Facts

La Abadia de Jesucristo Crucificado is located in the eastern part of Guatemala on the edge of the city of Esquipulas. The monastery was established in Esquipulas in 1959

when several monks came from Saint Joseph's Abbey in Louisiana to be caretakers of the Basilica. There are currently eighteen monks who are members of this community, as well as ten candidates who are discerning the monastic life. The current abbot of the community, Abbot Hector, is the first Guatemalan Abbot at the monastery and has been Abbot for about 7 years.

The two hundred and fifty year old Basilica de Jesucristo Crucificado is a major pilgrimage site for all of Central America.  The Basilica houses the Black Jesus, a woodcarving of Jesus that has been involved in multiple healing

miracles. The community provides Mass several times a day, as well as blessings, and hearing of confessions. As part of their task of maintaining the Basilica and providing hospitality to the pilgrims, the monastery maintains a very large set of gardens, a citrus orchard, and sorghum grass fields for feeding the cattle which provide fresh daily milk for the monks. As a service to the people of Esquipulas, as well as visitors, the monastery also provides and staffs a library that is open to the public. In addition the community runs a private High School, Colegio de San Benito.

                                         Visit the Abbey’s home site.

Work of the SJBVC

SJBVC Volunteers live in community with the monks on the grounds of the Basilica. Each volunteer has their own room complete with a bed, desk, closet, and full bathroom. Meals are with the community in the dining room.  Lunch and dinner are eaten in silence while breakfast is less formal and discussion is encouraged. ? The monastery serves a fairly good variety of food, black beans and tortillas being a staple.  Seasonal fruit, common vegetables, fresh baked bread, eggs, chicken, beef, and fish are regularly eaten during a week.

The structure of the work for volunteers in Esquipulas is very open.  Volunteers have the opportunity to continue work started by their predecessors or start up brand new projects.  Often, volunteers will begin working in the Citrus orchard to become involved and comfortable in the community.  They will also have the opportunity to teach English at the High School, private lessons, and night classes. There are two different medical teams which visit and use the monastery as their home base and love volunteers to help with the medical brigade. 

Last, and certainly not least, is the City of Joy.  There is an incredible new orphanage that first started getting kids in January 2009.  Volunteers have been closely tied with the development of the orphanage with projects including building a library out of recycled trash, building a playground using 124 recycled tires, fund-raising money to purchase books for the library, and simply playing with the amazing kids and serving as a mentor and friend.

sjbvc@csbsju.edu - Site Map - www.sjbvc.org

©2010 Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps