The Frank J. Lewis Foundation of Riviera Beach, Fla., has agreed to partner with the Diocese of Helena to cover the cost of replacing the roof at La Asuncion School at the diocesan mission in Guatemala. The Frank J. Lewis Foundation is committing $30,000 if the Diocese of Helena can raise a matching amount of $30,000, reported Stewardship Manager Glenda Seipp.

In 1963, the Diocese of Helena responded to the Second Vatican Council’s appeal to understand the Church’s missionary nature by developing this mission, Santo Tomas la Union in Guatemala. At this time the diocese provides financial support for a diocesan priest, two religious sisters, a laywoman, a large parish, La Asuncion School – with over 600 students – and a medical clinic. This mission provides pastoral service, health care and education for a community of more than 60,000 people.

La Asuncion School was founded by Father Jim Hazelton and a group of local leaders only 12 years ago to provide quality education for native youth and young adults in a region where it is unaffordable and typically unavailable for girls and young women. Father Hazelton, mission director for the last 45 years, is confident that sound Christian formation and quality education for students at La Asuncion are their surest passports out of poverty.

Father Hazelton recognized that the 12-year-old roof on the original nine-classroom building was not sound and began the project to replace it while the students were on their annual vacation this past October through mid-January. He hopes to conclude the work this month.

“The roof is of a tile that is disintegrating, leaking, and a danger if there were to be an earthquake, a frequent occurrence in this area,” he said in e-mail correspondence with the diocese. “Replacing the roof with the same tile material would be cheaper, but that roof would have to be replaced again after a period of time. We want to replace the roof with reinforced concrete that would also serve as a floor for a second story at some time in the future.

“Since the building was not constructed to support a second story, columns have to be inserted to support the weight. The whole construction project demands a lot of steel, cement, sand and gravel. Additionally, there is need to employ more workers to complete the project in a three-month period of vacation for the students,” Father Hazelton said.

“The Guatemalan people served by the mission and the parishioners of the Diocese of Helena are mutual beneficiaries of God’s grace in this mission to the universal Church. The Frank J. Lewis Foundation has accepted our invitation into this partnership and they’ve agreed to help us ensure ongoing education for students of La Asuncion School with a sound structure that will serve many generations,” Bishop George Leo Thomas said.

The Frank J. Lewis Foundation has assisted the Diocese of Helena on previous occasions, Seipp noted, and it provides indirect support for the diocese through the Catholic Church Extension Society.

“We are so grateful for their past support and their willingness to partner with the diocese and the Guatemalan people; we must now raise $30,000 to ensure their matching gift,” Seipp concluded.

Donations may be sent to the Pastoral Office at the Diocese of Helena with a notation for La Asuncion School Roof Replacement. All donations are 100 percent tax deductible in 2009. Any questions may be directed to Glenda Seipp at gseipp@diocesehelena.org in the Stewardship Office.


Published in The Montana Catholic, Vol. 25, No. 1, January 23, 2009.