NICARAGUA, Fr. José Luis Correa/Maria Fischer •
“In the context of the Amazon Synod, Pope Francis remarked: “Jesus did not come to bring the evening breeze, but to bring fire to the earth.” Today’s Covenant Day reminds us that the decisive steps in Schoenstatt’s growth did not take place in the evening breeze, but in the harsh climate of the First World War, as well as in the Dachau and Milwaukee periods. Should we be afraid of the harsh climate?” said Bishop Michael Gerber on October 18th in Schoenstatt. There is also a harsh climate in Nicaragua, where people have been taking to the streets against the government for months and the Church is under massive pressure; at least 300 people have already lost their lives. —
Fr. José Luis Correa’s Conference in Nicaragua
More than 600 political opponents have been arrested since April 2018, and around 70,000 Nicaraguans alone have arrived in neighboring Costa Rica, having left their country in recent months. In this harsh climate, a young and strong Schoenstatt is growing.
In October, Father José Luis Correa visited the country, as he did last February. He met with the first group of girls from Managua. Some of them had attended a meeting of the Girls’ Youth from Costa Rica a month before, as special guests.
There are also four groups of couples and the first group of mothers will begin soon.
A small picture opened the doors
Schoenstatt began in Nicaragua – how could it be otherwise? – with the campaign of the pilgraming MTA.
In April 2016, Father José Luis Correa and two couples from Costa Rica, Ronald and Giovanna Sauter and Gonzalo and Ileana Vega, were in Nicaragua for the first time. The first groups were formed from this visit along with the continuous support of the Schoenstatt Family of Costa Rica. Father José Luis and several couples from Costa Rica visit them regularly to participate in the founding process, as they do in Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador.
First Schoenstatt Girls’ Youth Group in Nicaragua
Original: German 12.11.2019 Translation: Lindsay Burger, Ohio, USA
