Pilgrimage to Cuapa, Nicaragua, for the 32nd Anniversary of the Apparition of Mary

This past Tuesday, Sr. Keri (who went with us to El Salvador last fall) and I made a day trip to Cuapa, Nicaragua.  We had been planning a trip to a neighboring town (Juigalpa) for quite some time, but when we realized that we were going on May 8th, the anniversary of Mary's apparition in Cuapa, we decided to go there instead! Although the Vatican has not officially recognized the apparition (when Mary appeared to a campesino farmer near where he prayed daily), it was clear by the huge mass of people that the Nicaraguans not only believe it but find hope in it.  

After leaving the house at 6am in a taxi then an express bus to Juigalpa where we caught a ride with a bus full of people also going to the celebrations, we arrived in Cuapa to find the streets lined with buses and trucks.  We had to walk for over a mile (most of the way through streets packed with people!) to arrive at the chapel where the celebration and Mass were held. We arrived after 10, just in time for 10:30 Mass.   

As you can see, the Mass was held in the open-air Chapel of the community, with the 'Church' standing on the yard. Above is the view from where we were standing.. you can see many people brought umbrellas for shade - we did as well, but even so - the occasional cloud cover was a more than welcomed relief!!

The Altar

Shrine for the Virgin of Cuapa 

In true Nicaraguan fashion, the food and souvenir sellers were out like crazy --
I  don't think I've ever seen so many rosaries in one place!

Now for the picture of the day.. 

 As we were leaving Mass, we were commenting to each other about the amount of trash on the ground. Waste management here doesn't quite work like where we're from, so it still takes us aback to see people finish their snack or drink and just drop the wrapper on the ground. Some individuals come by to pick up the recyclable items (that they can sell), and sometimes you see people with carts, presumably hired to pick up trash along the main streets and through the neighborhoods.  However, when it's a big event like this with so many people, there is no way to keep up with it (especially with not one trash can in sight all day).

Anyways, just as we were mentioning the amount of trash, we noticed this beautiful baby, taking a nap in the shade on a bed made of cardboard surrounded by filth.  I usually do not take pictures of people I do not know, but both Keri and I thought it brought up such an important message/conversation. We reflected on the trash 'problem' here in Nicaragua and how it compares to the consumption/waste problem in the States.  As Keri pointed out, at least here most things are used and then re-used and then taken apart and re-used with something else, until there's hardly anything left.  In the US (culturally speaking) it is all-too common to use something for a while, and then when it stops working just the way we want it to, or the color fades, or a part breaks off, or we find something better or newer, we just throw it away.  We have just as much if not more of a 'problem'.. ours is just hidden in closed-off municipal dumps..