Memories of my years in Nicaragua Marimer Cepeda rscj, Lisa Fitzgerald, Brigd Keogh rscj in Jalapa; photo: K. Collins rscj  | | I went to Nicaragua after I had been put out from China Mainland. Concha was Superior General, Graciela Volpe was Provincial of Mexico, Esther Sastre, Pilar (I forget the last name), Marimer Cepeda, Esperanza Orvañanos were the only RSCJ in Nicaragua at the time. When I first applied the RSCJ in Nicaragua I was told by Concha that I had better not come because I would surely get into trouble with Bishop Obando! This was because of Esther Sastre’s knowledge of me at the General Chapter. Later, however, Concha and the Nicaraguan RSCJ relented and I went first to Mexico where Graciela Volpe was Provincial. It was Graciela who gave me a preview of the Sandinista/Contra/Reagan/Bishop Obando struggle so when I left for Nicaragua I was filled with pro-Sandinista enthusiasm. I got a job quite easily to teach English at the State University. The only problem was that at the beginning I had to teach in the General English Department which meant that I had to teach in Spanish. I was assigned to a class in the Engineering Department. The students were at that time at the place in the textbook explaining how to build a bridge. At my first class I explained to the students that I did not know how to build a bridge in English, much less in Spanish. Fortunately for me and for them after a few months I was transferred to the English Department. I lived in a little house on the top of a hill on the University campus and I taught during the day and at the Night School. From here on I shall abandon any attempt at chronology or any orderly arrangement of items. There certainly was a hodge-podge of impressions. The war between the Contras and Sandinistas was in full swing. Many of my students went to fight during the holidays and returned for classes if they returned at all! I remember the body bags being brought to the University, Father Cardenal SJ giving a homily in the Oratorium when this happened. I remember standing for my turn of two hours at the little memorial plot on the University campus as an honor guard to honor the students who were killed. I remember the news of the bombing of the airport, of the mining of the harbor, of Lisa Fitzgerald’s testimony before the USA Congress and her trip to Holland to plead for the Sandinistas at the world court. I remember walking out during the sermon at Sunday Mass which eulogized Bishop Obando and condemned Daniel Ortega. I remember the wonderful Masses where the people sang with all their hearts ‘Christus Trabajero’. I could go on indefinitely. It was heady time. I remember visiting a little group at Jalapa where the threat of invasion from the Reagan-financed Honduran invasion was always imminent. I remember above all the visits of Marimer and Lisa when they arrived unexpectedly at the University and we would go out together to the Nicaraguan McDonald’s which constituted a wonderful treat for the three of us. I remember the visit of Pope John Paul II. I think it was the only time that he was rejected and this by a deeply Catholic country. The people had been anticipating his visit with joy and Spanish enthusiasm. The closing Mass was said in the huge square. The Pope was the officiant. Daniel and other Government officials sat on the podium near the altar. At the moment of the Memento for dead mothers and wives of the Sandinistas who had been killed approached the altar begging the Pope to include the sentence in the memento remembering the war-dead. The Pope did not do so as it would, I suppose, have been a sort of taking sides against Bishop Obando. Anyway this split the whole thousands of people attending the Mass into two groups, Bishop Obando followers and Sandinista enthusiasts. You can imagine the shouting. Somehow the Pope managed to finish the Mass and left directly for the airport. Daniel went with him. The sequel I watched on television. I had been present in person at the Mass. Daniel said to the Pope, “Holy Father, please understand us. We are poor, we are uneducated, we have no weapon but shouting.” It was very moving but unfortunately the Pope answered only with his prepared goodbye speech. I was told that the Pope wept. I left Nicaragua rather suddenly when I heard that I had a chance to get back into China but I still carry Nicaragua in my heart. I have on my desk in Tokyo a small rock from Nicaragua which I use as a paperweight! This is all a jumble, I am aware of this but it is the best I can do. Brigid Keogh, rscj
Province of Japan
Experiencias en Nicaragua K. Collins rscj  | | Fui por primera vez a Nicaragua pocos días después del triunfo de la revolución en 1979. La CIRM pidió ayuda a las religiosas de México para ir a colaborar en esos momentos difíciles de la reconstrucción del país. Tuve la gracia enorme de ser elegida. Fui enviada a Estelí, ciudad muy destruida por la guerra. Sin embargo en los rostros de cada persona había alegría por el triunfo, por haber conseguido la libertad que tanto deseaban. Repetían a menudo la frase: “viva Nicaragua libre”.
El trabajo que allí realicé consistió en ayudar en la organización para el reparto de alimentos, atención a los heridos (el hospital estaba destruido casi en su totalidad); y la reconstrucción de la ciudad. Animaba las Celebraciones de la Palabra, los acompañé en las reflexiones de la Biblia, que muchos habían enterrado, como un gran tesoro, para conservarla.
Especialmente fui visitando a las familias, algunas que habían permanecido durante la guerra, otras que bajaban de la montaña, a donde habían ido a refugiarse y encontraban sus casas saqueadas. Yo los escuchaba, hablaban sin cansarse de lo que acababan de vivir, de los bombardeos, de la pérdida de seres queridos, del valor de los jóvenes, casi niños, que se unían a la lucha por una Nicaragua libre. El contar una y otra vez lo sucedido les servía de terapia. Agradecían el hecho de que una religiosa extranjera fuera a escucharlos y acompañarlos. Fui testigo de lo que es una comunidad de creyentes, como lo que vivían los primeros cristianos, porque empezaron a compartían lo poco que tenían, querían dar solución a las necesidades que iban surgiendo, como el hecho de desprenderse de unas cama para un enfermo que estaba acostado en el suelo húmedo.
Presencié el entierro de algunos de los caídos, que iban encontrando en diferentes sitios. En el camino al panteón gritaban consignas como: “Patria libre o morir” y otras. La experiencia profunda que guardo de este tiempo es la de “darlo todo por conseguir la libertad”. Regresé en 1992 a la comunidad ya establecida en Jalapa, al norte del país. Este región llamada el granero de Nicaragua, es muy rica y fértil, pero la pobreza era extrema. Ya habían empezado de nuevo a cultivar la tierra: arroz, tabaco..., y se unían para ser productivos, especialmente las mujeres, con la ayuda de la institución Juan XXIII.
Los catequistas eran numerosos, en cada comunidad, los Delegados de la Palabra hacían sus funciones. Las escuelas estaban trabajando. La fuerza que los mantenía era la organización y la unión entre todos.
De nuevo agradezco la oportunidad de haber vivido estos períodos en Nicaragua. Elena Anaya rscj
Provincia de México – Nicaragua
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