When I was a child, I would participate at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and sit near a window, where I could see the top of a mountain. In my childhood imagination, I would wonder why God made this mountain next to this church.
The mountain’s name was Apante.
The mountain always seemed mysterious to me. My grandmother would tell me, "God speaks to His people from this mountain, like the mountain where Our Lady of Mount Carmel appeared to Elias.” She would say, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, God would allow you to move that mountain from one place to another.”
When I was a child, those words had no meaning. I just turned my eyes to the altar and said, “Jesus, you are perfect in all your ways.”
This church, where I experienced that Mass, is called San José Cathedral, and as a parish, it bears the name of Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the city of Matagalpa, Nicaragua.
Despite being a fairly small country, Nicaragua is located in the heart of the Americas, and my city, Matagalpa, is in the center of Nicaragua.
We see our parish’s namesake, The Immaculate Heart of Mary, as a place where, through faith, God can move this mountain.
The saint, the Mayans, and the snake woman
Many saints connect the history of nations by their missionary work. One of those saints is called Venerable Antonio Margil de Jesus. Around the year 1710, he travelled part of America barefoot, evangelizing, and culminated his life and mission in Texas, where he founded many charitable works.
Prior to his arrival in Texas, Venerable Margil de Jesus planted a cross near my city, and among the books I have read by him, he mentioned Matagalpa and said: “I will return to practice an exorcism in this city; they worship the snake woman.”
At that time Mayan mythology was influential in Nicaraguan culture and the rite to the snake woman occupied a central role, with homages and sacrifices. This must have steered Ven. Margil de Jesus in a different direction, because he left and physically did not return to Matagalpa.
The friars arrive
Over time, the Franciscans began to play a leading role in the conversion of souls in Matagalpa. In 1954, four Italian friars came to evangelize, and the Diocese gave them San José Cathedral as the headquarters of their community. Two of these friars would become bishops 30 years later. To this day they are remembered by the local church for their fidelity to Jesus.
“Do I look like a Taliban to you? I am an American, and my name is Father Juan Antonio.”
When I was 16 years old, other friars arrived in my city and settled two blocks from the school where I studied. My friends and I used to shout "Taliban" at them when we saw them wandering around in old trucks. At that time, the word was quite offensive due to its association with Osama Bin Laden. One day, a friar got out of the truck and said to us, "Do I look like a Taliban to you? I am an American, and my name is Father Juan Antonio." I looked into the penetrating eyes of Father Juan, who was furious with us because of the "joke" we used to play on the friars in his community.
That same year, in 2008, under the episcopacy of Bishop Solórzano, the Friars built a Friary at the foot of Apante Mountain.
Many prophecies surround that mountain and its history, therefore, the construction of it was seen as a work of God.
During Bishop Solorzano's sermon at the inauguration of the Friary, which bears the name of San Antonio, he said, “We cannot imagine the things that God has prepared for this place; it would not fit in our small minds.” With that emphasis and sparkle in his eyes, Bishop Solórzano opened that Friary, which would become a door of healing for many souls and a gateway to something greater.
Father John and the start of a dream
If you had the opportunity to meet Father John, physically, at around 60 years old, he looked quite similar to a military man from the US Army.
He was direct in his words and a priest who did not waver in his faith.
I received much affirmation of my personal vocation through the teachings and pastoral direction of Father John. I felt the love of our Heavenly Father through his vocation: he teaches and demonstrates strong discipline with mercy at the same time.
In 2010, Father John, Father Alberto, and the other brothers of the community of friars began to receive different messages and inspirations to build a cross on Apante Mountain.
The Holy Spirit began inspiring many religious to make this mountain holy grounds.
A transformation was taking place from one that started centuries ago and the exorcism that Ven. Margil de Jesus intended to perform was at last performed by the Franciscan Friars.
God was putting His mystical Body to work to make the grounds holy. This opened the door to a much larger event that would take place on November 27, 2014.
The dreams
Many religious and lay people alike were inspired to build a cross on Apante.
First, Cardinal Brenes told this to the sitting Bishop: “Bishop Rolando… I wanted to express that I had a dream in 1990. I wanted to build a cross on this mountain, but I did not do it. It was up to you to fulfill the dream that I had in my heart since 1990.”
Another story is about a man named Sidney Pratt, who had a dream in 2006 where Saint John Paul II visited Apante Mountain riding a white horse, saying, “May God bless this land.” Sidney Pratt’s family were the donors of the land where the San Antonio Convent was built.
Another story that touched Father John’s heart into action was about a friend of his named Barbara. She was an American living in Washington with gifts of the Holy Spirit. When Father John called Barbara to ask her about all these inspirations coming to the Friary in Matagalpa, Barbara, without letting him speak, said:
“Father, I see a mountain behind your Friary and a huge cross on it.”
Construction begins
The construction of the Cross began with the receipt of official permits from the government, which were received on December 12, 2012—the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The first stone was placed on January 1, 2013, with the first donation coming from the family of Father Alberto Osewski. Things moved forward with the supernatural providence of God. For example, Father John, who administered the project, was worried one afternoon about paying the $70,000 bill for the roof. He prayed,
“My God, this is yours; make it possible for us to pay this bill.” The next day, Father John received a call from Managua about a man who had died and left an important donation for the Cross, providentially matching the amount needed.
He prayed, “My God, this is yours; make it possible for us to pay this bill.”
Day after day, things continued similarly. The construction of the Cross was done like the ancient Egyptian constructions, by hand, without machinery, due to the difficult access in the middle of a natural reserve.
Another miracle, and crushing the serpent's head
The mighty effort to build the Cross spread all across central America, and this is where another miracle took place. Bishop Rolando Alaverez put out an invite to all of the Central American Bishops to come and consecrate their dioceses along with Nicaragua to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The consecration of the Cross was a spectacle of providence and the will of God. It was God who gathered all the Central American bishops for the first time ever. This took place at the foot of the Cross and Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Empress of the Americas, and the woman who crushes the head of the serpent.
This powerful message through the centuries of redemption shows how the Mayan rite to the serpent woman was replaced by the love of the woman who crushes the serpent's head.
At the end of the consecration on November 27, 2014, two rainbows appeared in the distance, and Cardinal Brenes said, “See, it is our Lord responding that He accepts this Cross, He accepts this Sanctuary, it is like the rainbow of the flood and the Lord reminding us of His promises.”
This Sanctuary was built to be a visible sign of peace and life. One day, all nations will be united through the sign of the Cross and spiritually connected through the Rosary.
Years went by, and it became necessary to build a source of sustainability for the Mountain of Peace. With coffee growing at the foot of the Cross and Our Lady, it seemed obvious what we had to do.
That is how the Coffee of the Cross brand was born, to continue the maintenance that the friars perform in Matagalpa. ■
