In 1959, Pope John XXIII called upon all the religious communities in the industrialized world to send ten percent of their members to the mission areas of third world countries, especially to Latin America. Abbot Gerald Benkert's first response was to send Fr. Matthias Zinkan to Central America to inquire about the possibilities for Marmion Abbey in the region.

Starting in November 1960, Fr. Matthias spent four consecutive winters at the then Priory of Esquipulas, a monastery recently founded in Guatemala by St. Joseph Abbey in Louisiana. While at Esquipulas, Fr. Matthias did pastoral work for the community and began inquiring about options for Marmion Abbey's future involvement in Guatemala. Abbot Gerald gave Fr. Matthias three criteria to look for during his inquiries:

        1. In whatever apostolate that the abbey decided to perform, the monks
            sent must be able to live in community and to live the monastic life.
        2. The apostolate should involve some work with a school, preferably a seminary.
        3. The monks were to work with the poor and the indigenous of the area.

During this time, Bishop Melotto of Sololá had decided to start a minor seminary in his diocese. He built the seminary, but he did not have sufficient local clergy to staff it, so he was looking for a religious order to operate the seminary. Fr. Matthias and Bishop Melotto eventually met each other and Bishop Melotto invited Fr. Matthias to visit the complex that he had built. Fr. Matthias was impressed with the facilities and the offer by Bishop Melotto.

When Fr. Matthias returned to Guatemala for the winter of 1964-1965, he invited Abbot Gerald to join him, so that he could meet Bishop Melotto and visit the seminary for himself. Abbot Gerald decided to go with Fr. Matthias and visit Guatemala. He too was impressed with what he saw in Sololá, especially since Bishop Melotto's offer met the criteria he had set for a new apostolate for the monks of Marmion. He then presented the offer to the Marmion Abbey chapter in 1965; it met with much enthusiasm and the chapter decided to accept Bishop Melotto's offer.

Frs. Mark Hogan and Patrick Greene were the first volunteers for the Abbey's new foundation of San José Priory in Guatemala. Abbot Gerald appointed Fr. Mark as the first superior of the community and sent them to join Fr. Matthias in Sololá in 1965. The first two volunteers for the priory were providential; these two men were able to set the Priory of San José on a solid foundation for the future. Frs. Mark and Patrick were not the only ones sent; Fr. Conrad Lamb soon followed them in 1966, and Frs. David Palmatier, Francis Daleiden, and Br. Gabriel Fahs in 1968.

1969 was a year of change for the priory. Abbot Gerald announced his resignation and quickly volunteered to go to the new priory in Guatemala. Abbot Gerald has remained there ever since, teaching philosophy in the seminary and, more recently, returning to the United States for half the year to help raise funds for the priory. It was also in this year that the monastic chapter elected Fr. Mark as the new abbot of Marmion Abbey; and Abbot Mark chose Fr. Patrick to be his successor as superior of the community in Sololá.

Fr. Patrick was to spend the next twenty years as superior of the Guatemalan community (1969-1989). It was during this time that the worst years of the Guatemalan Civil War raged. During the civil war many other religious communities were forced to leave, but under Fr. Patrick's guidance the monks of the Priory of San José were allowed to stay and our seminary was able to prosper as well as our work in the surrounding environs. In 1971, Abbot Mark resigned as abbot and returned to Guatemala were he worked until his death in 1986.

During 1987 and 1988 the chapter of Marmion Abbey had to reevaluate its purpose and mission in Guatemala. Several things brought about this reevaluation: 1)The newly appointed bishop of Sololá, Bishop Fuentes wished to take up residence at the former episcopal house which was at the site of the minor seminary and 2)The desire and realization of the need for a more appropriate monastic setting (the seminary at Sololá was built for a diocesan faculty and was not designed for the special needs of a monastic community). After much discussion by the Marmion Abbey chapter, the community recommitted itself to its Guatemalan foundation and the search for a new site for the monks of the priory. In 1988 a tract of land in the adjacent diocese of Quetzaltenango was purchased for the new site.

In order to facilitate the transition from Sololá to Quetzaltenango, Abbot David Cyr sent then Fr. Vincent Bataille in 1989 to the Guatemalan community as prior. Between 1989 and 1991 Fr. Vincent oversaw the building of a new monastery, church, and seminary; and the relocation of the monastic community. In 1991, Fr. Vincent was elected the fourth abbot of Marmion Abbey by the monastic chapter. Abbot Vincent then appointed Fr. John Brahill as prior. July 14, 1992, saw the dedication of the new priory church.

The Priory of San José is currently involved with many apostolates in Guatemala, the most prominent being the seminary run by the monks and lay faculty. Along with the work in the seminary, the monastic community runs a guesthouse, helps in local parishes, and runs a small farm. The works of the priory have been greatly helped by the assistance of St. Meinrad Archabbey in sending Brs. Dominic Warnecke and Andrew Zimmermann in 1995.

The main purpose for the founding of the priory is that one day it will become an abbey with an indigenous monastic community. Presently this is not possible, but the solemn professions of Fr. René Otzoy Colaj in 1980, Fr. Cristobal Coché Quic in 1989, and Br. Orlando Perez Gomez in 1999 have planted the seed. Please pray for the continued success and growth of Priorato y Seminario San José and all of its apostolates.