The Catholic Defender: “Our Lady of Nicaragua in Cuapa 1980”
- Jan 15
- 3 min read
Bernardo Martínez, a humble sacristan, reported a series of visions starting with a glowing statue on April 15, 1980, followed by several appearances of the Virgin Mary between May and October 1980.
Bishop Bosco M. Vivas Robelo of the Archdiocese of Managua authorized the publication of the visions in 1982, and again in 1994 when he led the Diocese of Leon.
Our Lady called for the daily praying of the Rosary with family, a renewal of the First Five Saturdays devotion, and a focus on making peace within the community to avert "grave dangers".
the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Nicaragua in Cuapa, beginning in May 1980, are considered "worthy of belief" and have received diocesan approval from the local Catholic Church, with Bishop Bosco M. Vivas Robelo authorizing their publication in 1994, affirming they are important for faith, despite some initial controversy due to Nicaragua's civil war context.
The messages, delivered to sacristan Bernardo Martinez, emphasize daily Rosary prayer, family devotion, peace, and turning from violence, echoing Fatima's themes.
In Cuapa, Nicaragua, a man named Bernardo Martinez took care of the sacristy in a small chapel here.
Very poor, he owned only a single calf and bathed in a nearby stream.
On two different nights in April of 1980, Bernardo had gone to the sacristy, where he found the lights turned on.
Bernardo was sure some of the local women had left the lights on, and he had scolded them for doing so.
Then, on the night of April 15, 1980, Bernardo again saw the glow of the lights from the sacristy, and entered to turn them off.
But this time he was amazed to see the statue of the Virgin Mary illuminated all by itself.
He told the local people, asking them to keep it a secret; however, it was not kept secret and he was ridiculed by some who thought he was imagining things.
Even the priest doubted him. Bernardo prayed that the Blessed Mother not request anything from him, as he had enough problems already.
However, that was not to be.
On May 8, 1980, Bernardo had gone fishing.
He was returning around 3 o’clock to go feed the animals, and then go to the chapel to pray the Rosary with the people at 5 o’clock.
As he was going on his way, he saw 2 lightening flashes.
On the second flash, a woman appeared to him.
Naturally startled, he asked her name, and she replied that she was the Mother of Jesus.
Asking here what she wanted, she replied that she wanted the Rosary to be prayed every day.
The people in the parish were already doing so, since May was the month of Mary.
But the Blessed Mother said that she wanted it prayed every day, not just in May. “She told me that the Lord does not like prayers we make in a rush or mechanically.
Because of that She recommended praying of the Rosary with the reading of bible citations and that we put into practice the Word of God.”
Started April 15, 1980, with several apparitions until October 13, 1980, linked to the Fatima apparitions.
Pray the Rosary daily, especially within families.
The messages are seen as a timely reminder of Fatima's call for prayer and conversion, especially relevant during Nicaragua's civil conflict.
Following the apparitions, Martínez was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1995 and served until his death in 2000.
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