A New “Little Free Library” in San Lucas!
There’s one phrase that comes up at the San Lucas Mission again and again: “Juntos Podemos.” In English, it means “Together, We Can.” It’s something one of our founders, Fr. Greg Schaffer, often said, and today it remains a guiding spirit among leaders at the Mission.
Recently, a heartwarming project at the Mission School brought that spirit to life. The first Little Free Library has been established in San Lucas on the grounds of the Mission School. A little free library is a small, public book box where anyone can take a book to read or leave one for someone else.
The idea came from two repeat visitors to San Lucas, Ang Capozzi and Faith Pitsikoulis. When they shared the concept with school principal Patricia Quiacain over Zoom, Patricia immediately identified how it aligned with one of the school’s goals: helping students develop strong reading habits.
Ang and Faith then organized a fundraiser in their community to purchase supplies and books. They brought the materials from the U.S. and, with the donations they raised, purchased more than 100 Spanish-language books in the Atitlán region, supporting the local economy while building the library’s collection.
The project was a true community effort. The school’s groundskeeper, Mike, led the assembly and installation of the library. Four talented students from the school added their own creative touch by painting it. Finally, Ang and Faith filled the library with the books they had purchased.
Ang says: “I’m so grateful I got to be part of this project in San Lucas. In just a week, we built a lending library for the school, filled it with more than 100 Spanish-speaking books, and watched the students bring it to life by painting it themselves.”
Faith says: “I loved being part of this project! It was so special to watch the students showcase their creativity while playing music, sharing snacks, laughing and learning all at the same time. Getting to connect with the parents was a highlight, too. Seeing the pride on their faces as they viewed their children’s amazing work was truly a beautiful experience.
This little free library is a beautiful example of Juntos Podemos. Visitors, staff, and students all played a role in creating something that will encourage reading and learning for years to come. Many thanks to everyone who made this special project possible!
Want to help the library grow? On your next trip to San Lucas, you can purchase Spanish-language books locally and donate them to the library. (Because Guatemala’s mail system can be unreliable, we are not able to ship books to San Lucas.) Thank you for your support for the San Lucas Mission!
I enjoyed your story about the little library. I worked with a colegio in El Salvador for a few years. The school was K-9. in a poor town. The school was Catholic. I was part of a mission group at my church in New Albany Ohio. There was no functioning library at the colegio. So we began the program there. Of course a library is more than just books. If there is no reading structure at the school then there is a lot to do to begin the program. It will need to start with the teachers and to put it in the curriculum of the school. In my case we did begin to buy books in Spanish. We started with a wish list on Amazon. I picked the books and then the members of my church went to Amazon and bought the books and had them delivered to my house. I then took them with me on a subsequent visit. The members of the church loved the project. We collected 500 and counting. Next challenge was to develop the right environment at the school and train the teachers. We did not get that far but it had potential. So was wondering if the school at San Lucas has a library. If that something to consider? I think that it would be a good way to really develop the reading program. I am sure there are people that you know that would be happy to help establish the library at the school and funding should not be a problem. I was going to expand this into the parent population as well and they seemed so excited to begin this program at the colegio. So this is my thought. 614 353 5285. Call with any questions.