Friday, October 3, 2025: An update  from Padre Manuel who serves the poor in El Salvador:

Just a note about Padre Manuel: We met Padre Manuel on our first visit to El Salvador in 2002. At that time he was pastor of a church in a tiny village called Sicahuite where Padre Manuel had grown up. People who had fled the war were returning from camps in Honduras - the country just across the border from El Salvador. We were volunteers with a Sonoma based non-profit called Seeds of Learning - which many of us know well. Patti England has been a board member for many years.

(The "Old Church:" in the village of Sicahuite 

where we first met Padre Manuel)

Our assignment was to rebuild the community school. It had been partially destroyed by bombs during the war. El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere and the war (1979 - 1992) devastated the already poor country. 

On the final Sunday of our visit, we were in Sicahuite for Mass concelebrated by Padre Manuel and Farther Larry from St. Leo's Parish in Agua Caliente. We gathered, the people from the village and worker volunteers under a makeshift shelter created with bamboo poles holding up a tin roof. We all crowded together and then toward the end of Mass torrential, thunderous rain fell. Padre Manuel turned to Father Larry and all of us and joked that the Holy Spirit provided the heavy rain in order to prove the point that Sicahuite needed a new church. He asked that we think about funding a real building complete with pews as their church had been completely destroyed during the war. 

We thought about it for a few minutes and wholeheartedly agreed. We funded the buying of bricks and concrete, sand and roofing materials. And the people built the church. We celebrated Mass with them the next year. It was quite a special reunion. 

(The new church in Sicahuite built by the people of the village with financial assistance of volunteers, most of whom attended St. Leo's in Agua Caliente)

Since that time we have followed Padre Manuel, visited him in his various parishes and funded other projects. I frwequently correspond with him. Here's his latest note: 

Dear friend and brother David, I am very pleased to hear from you, your family, and your Emmaus community. All the work you, your family, and your community are doing for migrants and the poor is admirable and much needed. 

At the Parish, we are receiving many deported people in the cantons and hamlets and are supporting them in their situation. There are families whose children are in jail for four months now, and they have not been sent home from the United States. 

This situation is becoming very difficult, given the deportations. In October, we will be giving workshops on spirituality and psychology to children ages 10 to 14, as well as to young people ages 15 to 20 and 21 to 30. Many of them are going through difficult times, and with the current government regime, all they can expect is jail. 

In November, we will have informative talks on the situation of migrants and also on alternative health care, entrepreneurship, and the environment. Thank you for your prayers and support. Together we are stronger and we will move forward. 

I also want to share with you that as a family, we have suffered the loss of our beloved father. He passed away on August 3rd of this year. We are with my mother in her grief.

(Padre Manuel with his parents and brother in 2003. 

His father, so proud of his sons, recently passed away)

Padre Manual works with the farmers of his parish to increase the yields of corn, beans and squash and fresh vegetables. In order to create more healthy crops, he developed an organic compost tea which he teaches local farmers to make on their own as store bought fertilizers are simply too expensive. 

Thank you for everything, my friend. Greetings to your family and the Emmaus community. We remain united in prayer and in the fight for the most vulnerable.

Hugs! Your servant and friend.

Fr. Manuel