A Glimpse of Mission History

In the July, 1971 newsletter, Father Greg writes about the excitement in San Lucas when Father John went to pick up a new truck at the US-Mexico border. The truck’s arrival also included medical supplies and a generator that would bring electricity to San Lucas Tolimán 24 hours per day. See below to read the full newsletter.

Today, Friends of San Lucas and the Mission continue to work to benefit the San Lucas community. One notable example is our partnership with Side by Side International and Strickland Construction. Every year, the Mission accepts requests from communities and other non-profits agencies to build a “Strickland” building. These are large, steel buildings that can serve as churches, schools, community centers and non-profit headquarters. Over the last 25 years, more than 50 of these buildings have been generously donated and built through the commitment of Rogers and Peg Strickland.  

The beneficiary is responsible for land acquisition and site preparation. Strickland Construction ships a container that holds two buildings to San Lucas where it is off-loaded by a cadre of helpers and stored until a volunteer crew arrives from Strickland’s headquarters in Kansas City. That team partners with Mission workers and volunteers from the receiving organization or community and builds the building in one week! The next “Strickland” building will be built the week of January 22, 2023 as part of our celebration of the walk anniversary.

July 1971 Newsletter