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Amanda is a junior at University of Vermont, who is studying abroad in Mexico with CGEE spring 2016; and studied abroad in Central America with CGEE fall 2015. This is an excerpt from Amanda’s blog post, “What to Expect from a Homestay Experience”. Her blog is a great resource for anyone considering study abroad in Latin America! She also has travel tips for traveling as woman, and traveling as a woman of color.

Living with strangers who may or may not speak the same language as you can be very intimidating. I’ve had over 10 homestays in Latin America so far, both rural and urban, and it is safe to say I truly owe my amazing traveling experiences to them. If you want to get a better idea of what it is like to be a part of a homestay, look no further!

• Expect to feel awkward but know that it’ll quickly melt away as you are welcomed with open arms and loving hearts: The kindness that has come from each and every host family I have had has never failed to put me at ease.
• Your host family is the gateway to becoming a part of the community: I was introduced to so many new people through my families. They also integrated me into a lot of the activities they did both on a daily basis and for special occasion.

This is this English translation of Father Fernando Cardenal’s September 2010 testament – a selection of which, was read at his funeral recently in Managua. See the video of the sermon from the mass celebrating his life here (en español). Translation provided by Mark Lester, CGEE Central America Regional Director.

TESTAMENT

Why do I hope to go to Paradise after my death?

Soon I will celebrate my 77th birthday, and even though I am not retired and continue working, it is natural at my age to think, simply and without any drama, that death could be close. At any moment. A massive heart attack, a sudden rise in blood pressure (I do have hypertension), a car accident could take me to my death without being able to communicate with my family, my fellow Jesuits and my friends. That is why it occurred to me to write down now the reflections that I would like to be communicated at the hour of my death. This I do now. First, I will make some religious reflections, then some about the current situation of Nicaragua, and I end leaving two tasks for my Jesuit Superiors and family. Everything that I tell you comes from the very depths of my heart.

Continue reading “Testament of Father Fernando Cardenal” →

This blog post was written lovingly by Kathleen McBride, Central America Regional Director, in memory of a great man, Father Fernando Cardenal.

Father Fernando Cardenal  – a Revolutionary for Love

For those of you who met Father Cardenal, we are sad to share the news of his death.  On Feb 2nd, Father Cardenal went into the hospital for a hernia operation. His health began to deteriorate five days after the surgery as a result of septic shock due to peritonitis. After 18 days in the hospital he died in Intensive Care on Feb 20th.

For those of you who met Father Fernando on your journey to Nicaragua either recently or during  the 80´s, you will remember a stunning tall white haired man with tender blue eyes who spoke of conversion, transformation, action and consequences – the story of a life dedicated to social justice.

Fernando was an unusual Jesuit. He joined the Sandinista Revolution clandestinely in the early 70’s during the struggle against the Somoza Dictatorship. After the overthrow of the dictator in 1979, he served as the National coordinator of the Literacy Campaign which brought the national illiteracy rate down from over 50% to 12.9% in a 5 month period. The effort won the highest award from the United Nations.  Later he served as the Minister of Education during the Sandinista Revolution. Because of his involvement in the Sandinista government, Father Cardenal was expelled from the Jesuits in 1984 by the Superior General Father Kolvenbach at the insistence of Pope John Paul II. In 1997 Father Cardenal was reinstated to the Society of Jesus as his case was considered an authentic case of conscientious objection – the only case in 460 years of Jesuit history of a Jesuit expelled and reinstated.

His memoirs, now in English (Faith and Joy: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Priest) recount his journey from the time of his conversion in Colombia as a result of his experience with the poor in a marginalized neighborhood on the outskirts of the city of Medellin all the way to his entry into the Sandinista Front and his work in the Revolution, his expulsion from the Jesuits and his return to the Society of Jesus. His story is a remarkable story of love, hope and a lived out preferential option for the poor of a man of faith.

CGEE mourns the loss of this remarkable man whose life of commitment has touched so many.