An Act of Charity in Catholic Education: The Sol Gutierrez Story

We are taught by our families and in our Catholic schools to be charitable – to love and be benevolent toward even the least of our fellow man. In 2004, a little Ecuadorian girl named Sol Gutierrez needed life-saving surgery to correct her severely deformed back, a complicated surgery not available in her home country. By the grace of God, a surgeon at a New York City hospital agreed to do the surgery for free, and the hospital waived most of its costs, everything but $30,000, which the Gutierrez family did not have.

When told of Sol’s situation by culinary arts teacher Lynne Peckinpaugh (Sol’s Godmother), the students of St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque went into action and raised over $12,500 toward the cost of that first surgery. On their way to New York City, Sol and her mother visited St. Pius X, and the students absolutely fell in love with her.

Without this clear demonstration of the virtue of charity by those wonderful students, Sol would not be alive. Nor, after nine back surgeries and two leg surgeries, would Sol be the vibrant, intelligent, talented 17-year-old she is today.

The Sol Gutierrez story has a truly happy ending. Sol’s dream since that first visit in 2004 to attend her beloved “San Pio” as a student will come true, as the school has given her a special admission as a Senior for the Spring 2019 semester. She will attend regular classes and be involved in student activities like music and choir (she has a beautiful voice and speaks excellent English).

A group of St. Pius X faculty and alumni is now raising funds to pay for Sol’s expenses while in Albuquerque. You can help by donating online at  www.GoFundMe.com/Sol_Gutierrez_Fund.