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Almost 50 years ago, lay missioner John Gauker died with Maryknoll Father Bill Woods in a plane crash orchestrated by the Guatemalan Army.
Father Bill and John’s names became the first in a long list of Catholic priests, religious, lay catechists, lay missioners and even a bishop who were assassinated and martyred in Guatemala between 1976 and 1998.
Together with his wife, Phyllis, and their son, Johnny, John had arrived in Guatemala in the spring of 1976. He and Phyllis were answering a call to help Guatemalans rebuild after a devastating earthquake earlier that year.
On Nov. 20, 1976, John and three other passengers died in the crash of a plane piloted by Father Bill. The crash is widely believed to have been caused by high-ranking Guatemalan military.
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