Catholic missionaries in the revolutionary movements of the 1970s and 1980s in Guatemala. In Guatemala, the 36-year armed conflict from 1960 to 1996 claimed 200,000 lives, over two per cent of the population, and displaced a million more. In the 1970s and the 1980s the widespread and violent repression of social movements fighting for justice and human rights reached unimaginable proportions, involving assassinations, disappearances, and exile. Even parts of the Church, traditionally considered an ally of the powerful and the wealthy, were not spared this fate.Missionaries and Resistance in Guatemala chronicles the involvement of certain Catholic missionaries in popular and revolutionary movements. Based primarily on their own accounts, it narrates their gradual progression from conservative theological and pastoral practices to radical positions, informed by their solidarity with the poor and a theology of liberation. Their stories are situated in a wider geopolitical and ecclesial context.Mario Trinidad was a member of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and served in Guatemala in the 1970s. He now resides in Australia and is a retired social worker and university lecturer. In Guatemala, the 36-year armed conflict from 1960 to 1996 claimed 200,000 lives, over two per cent of the population, and displaced a million more. In the 1970s and the 1980s the widespread and violent repression of social movements fighting for justice and human rights reached unimaginable proportions, involving assassinations, disappearances, and exile. Even parts of the Church, traditionally considered an ally of the powerful and the wealthy, were not spared this fate. Missionaries and Resistance in Guatemala chronicles the involvement of certain Catholic missionaries in popular and revolutionary movements. Based primarily on their own accounts, it narrates their gradual progression from conservative theological and pastoral practices to radical positions, informed by their solidarity with the poor and a theology of liberation. Their stories are situated in a wider geopolitical and ecclesial context. Acknowledgements Introduction Tengo una deuda con el pasado I owe the past a debt Abrupt end of my first missionary experience From la tierra de la eterna primavera to la tierra de la eterna tiranía Methodology and sources Chapter 1 Pensábamos que estábamos preparados We thought we were prepared Guatemala, the first years of a new mission ‘Direct’ and ‘indirect apostolate’ We thought we were prepared for missionary work The first months in Guatemala First impressions Internal division in the face of external division Universal ecclesial and geopolitical developments Internal division among Scheutists Sources of division among Scheutists in Guatemala Chapter 2 No fue capricho, ni locura, ni gran equivocación Not a whim, madness, nor a big mistake First assignments Traditional ideals, traditional pastoral methods, and traditional allies Call for reform Studies at CIDOC and other Latin American Institutes Three interrelated initiatives Study, planning and evaluation day Popular materials Links with popular organizations Chapter 3 En el camino la gente nos concientizó On the journey the people conscientized us Linking everyday life with big structures through relationships The missionaries and the guerrillas Missionaries who joined the guerrillas Three events before May 1, 1980 Conclusion Chapter 4 Al fin sufren ahora la misma suerte que la de su pueblo humillado Finally they suffer the same fate as their crushed people Mechanisms of terror Martyrdom: cosmic conflict between good and evil Conrado de la Cruz (July 27, 1946 – May 1, 1980) Walter Voordeckers (September 2, 1939 – May 12, 1980) Congregational response Just the beginning The assassination of Scheutists continues Conclusion Fue realmente una página de historia It was truly a page out of history Epilogue Abbreviations Bibliography Illustration credits Index of persons