Nicaraguans celebrate 100 years of life of the Italian priest Antonino Vaccaro

The Catholic community of Jinotega is celebrating these days the one hundred years of Fray Antonino Vaccaro, an Italian priest who arrived in Nicaragua in 1964 and who since then has earned the affection and admiration of the Central American faithful.

The Franciscan priest was born in Syracuse (Italy) on October 17, 1924 and was ordained a priest at the age of 40, being sent to Nicaragua in 1964.

The priest is recognized for founding dozens of schools and other training centers, and he remained in the Diocese of Matagalpa for 15 years.

He now resides in the Diocese of Jinotega and it is in the San Rafael Arcángel parish, in San Rafael del Norte, where the celebrations take place until October 20, including the thanksgiving mass that took place on Thursday the 17th. .

“With a big smile, Fray Antonino broke his birthday cake, a simple gesture but full of meaning,” furthermore, “with his jovial spirit and his unwavering faith, he always reminds us of the importance of living with joy,” the account highlights. of the parish Facebook.

For its part, the newspaper La Prensa collected statements from religious issues researcher Martha Patricia Molina, who indicated “that sources close to the friar confirmed that, although he is not the only friar of that religious order, he is—in addition to the oldest—the last of the Europeans who came to Nicaragua sixty years ago.”

On its Facebook account, the San Rafael Arcángel parish has shared photos of the celebrations and also images from previous years, such as that of the day of his entry into the Franciscan Order, accompanied by his father Carmelo and his mother Carmelina.