Little Mountain School

In 2015, Fr. Miguel visited several rural communities near his family’s home in Guatemala . He saw that many of the children did not have access to primary education (average schooling of adults 3.5 years).  Most of the families were poor and the children were malnourished.  Fr. Miguel and an American friend, Forrest Day, created a non –profit organization, Guatemalan Education Outreach (GEO) that would fund a rural school in Guatemala.  Their goal was to provide an education, both in Spanish and English, through high school and feed the children two meals a day.

In 2018, the school became a reality and opened for pre-primary children ages 5 and 6.  Classes were taught both in Spanish and English, and the children were fed a breakfast and a lunch. In 2019, a first grade was added; in 2020, a second grade; and in 2021, a third grade.  The plans are to add an additional grade each year.

Most of the school funding has come from GEO, a 501C(3), a charitable organization. Their main revenue is donations and grants.  Fr. Miguel saw a need for a better source of continuing revenue for the school.  A recommendation was made to develop a coffee plantation in Guatemala and sell the coffee in the United States.  A group, mainly from Mary Queen, went on a pilgrimage to Guatemala in the fall of 2021.  They were touched by the dedication of the students and teachers.  Upon returning, they decided to form a group to sell Fr. Miguel’s “Little Mountain Coffee” at Mary Queen.  The ultimate goal is to expand coffee sales to the Catholic churches in the Lexington area.